Planning your exit from your business

Many owner-managers put in a lifetime of hard work building their business only to throw away some of the rewards by failing to consider properly how they will exit from the business — both financially and as a manager.

It is vital to begin planning an exit at an early stage if it is to be a success.

This briefing is aimed primarily at businesses run by a management team, but will also be useful to a sole trader with no employees. It covers:

• Getting your objectives.
• Getting into shape for an exit.
• The different exit routes available.
• Planning for trade sales, management buy-outs and family succession.