subject: The Importance Of An Exit Strategy For Your Business [print this page] A lot of business owners don't put much thought into planning their exit strategies - they simply leave it up to fate. If you're a senior who owns his or her own business, you should have a good exit strategy built into your retirement plans. After all, you don't want your business to fall into the wrong hands. Whether your exit strategy is planned or involuntary, the bottom line is that it's inevitable - good sense dictates that you take the time to plan for the transition.
Choosing an exit path is one of the first things you should do when planning your exit strategy. Business owners have numerous viable choices, which each have their own benefits and disadvantages. First up is the issue of transfer of ownership: should you hand down the company or business to a third party or a family member? A co-owner or managing employee, perhaps? You can also choose to liquidate your assets. These are just some of the available exit paths. Weigh each method's pros and cons carefully before you decide on the exit path that you think will work best for your situation - what's important is that you consider all available options, compare, and plan ahead for your transition's success.
You need to start planning a minimum of two to three years before you want to exit; the earlier, the better. You might reach a point when, due to market conditions or economic volatility, you'll want to sell your business tomorrow - you won't be able to maximize your returns if you wait until that point to start planning.
While many business owners claim to have exit plans, they may only have a will. Clearly, something more specific and concrete needs to be in place for the exit strategy to be successful. You can start developing or improving your exit strategy for business by defining exit objectives and getting an accurate evaluation of how much your company or business is worth today.
