Your business built your wealth. The exit should protect it.
Most owners lose 30-40% in a poorly planned exit. We coordinate taxes, structure, timing, and post-sale wealth so the liquidity event actually changes your life.
Business Owners
The Reality
Business exits are complex on both sides of the balance sheet
Tax implications
Structuring an asset vs. stock sale, installment agreements, and opportunity zone placement can cost you six figures in avoidable taxes.
Valuation and timing
Market conditions, business multiples, and your personal timeline rarely align. Getting it right requires years of planning.
Succession complexity
Internal transitions, ownership concentration, and family dynamics add layers of planning that most advisors skip.
Personal wealth concentration
Your entire net worth is often in the business. The exit is your only chance to diversify and build real resilience.
Compensation and retention
Stay bonuses, earnouts, and deferred compensation structures determine how much you actually net from the sale.
The emotional dimension
Letting go of something you built is hard. Smart planning makes the transition to investor, not just the transaction.
How We Help
Three phases. One coordinated strategy.
Before the Sale
Valuation, tax structure, compensation planning, and timing set the foundation. Decisions made years before the sale determine how much you keep.
The Transaction
Asset vs. stock analysis, installment strategies, opportunity zones, and charitable planning. We model every tax consequence so you understand real economics.
After the Exit
Sudden liquidity is its own problem. We guide investment of proceeds, estate restructuring, income replacement, and the transition from operator to investor.
Exit Readiness
Your business balance sheet goes beyond the numbers
The Set for Life framework evaluates five dimensions of exit readiness. Most owners only optimize for one or two. The ones who capture full value address all five.
Tangible Readiness
Financial
Revenue quality, margins, working capital, debt structure
0 - 30 pts
Operations
Systems, processes, key-person dependencies, scalability
0 - 30 pts
Legal & Regulatory
Contracts, IP protection, compliance, litigation exposure
0 - 30 pts
Tangible Total
/ 90
Intangible Readiness
Personal
Owner identity, post-exit vision, family alignment
0 - 30 pts
Market & Industry
Buyer demand, competitive moat, market timing signals
0 - 30 pts
Intangible Total
/ 60
The Set for Life Questionnaire scores your business across all five areas on a 150-point scale. Most owners score between 60 and 90, with blind spots they don't know they have.
Deep Analysis
The four capitals that drive your business value
Financial statements capture only a fraction of what buyers pay for. These four intangible capitals often determine whether your business commands a premium or a discount.
Human Capital
The knowledge, skills, and relationships locked in your team. Buyers pay less when key-person risk is high and more when institutional knowledge is documented and distributed.
Key-person risk
Management depth
Talent retention
Succession depth
Customer Capital
Revenue concentration, contract quality, and customer lifetime value. A diversified, recurring revenue base with low churn signals a business that runs without the owner.
Revenue concentration
Contract quality
Churn rate
Recurring revenue
Social Capital
Brand reputation, industry positioning, and strategic relationships. Acquirers pay premiums for businesses with moats built on trust, reputation, and network effects.
Brand equity
Industry position
Strategic alliances
Referral network
Structural Capital
Proprietary systems, processes, IP, and data. Businesses with documented, transferable operating systems are worth multiples more than those running on tribal knowledge.
Documented processes
Proprietary IP
Technology stack
Data assets
Free Resources
Tools to evaluate your exit readiness
Assessment
Set for Life Questionnaire
Score your business across all five readiness dimensions: Financial, Operations, Legal, Personal, and Market. Takes about 15 minutes. Returns a 150-point attractiveness score with specific areas to address before going to market.
15 min
PDF Questionnaire
Scored & Interpreted
Request the Questionnaire
Whitepaper
The Four Intangible Capitals
A deep analysis of the four value drivers that don't show up on your balance sheet: Human, Customer, Social, and Structural Capital. Includes diagnostic questions, benchmarks, and action steps for each.
12-page guide
PDF Download
Benchmarks Included
Download the Whitepaper
Your Score
Set for Life Attractiveness Score
Already completed the questionnaire? Enter your total to see where you stand relative to exit readiness benchmarks.
/ 150
0 - Early Stage
75 - Developing
150 - Exit Ready
Don't have your score yet? Start the conversation and we'll walk through the assessment together.