Facts on Exit Planning
- Almost 50% have no plan to transfer ownership, management and control, and the percentage is even higher for companies that have been in business for less than 20 years
- Nearly 60% of closely held companies have failed to gauge the potential tax exposure upon a transfer of ownership
- 25% are due to change hands within the next 5 years
- About 90% of owners of closely held companies would like to transfer ownership, management and control of their companies to family or non-family key employees. Less than 50% manage to do so
- Only 33% have defined criteria for hiring and promoting family members who want to take an active role in the business
- Over 33% of closely held companies have no procedures in place for dealing with disputes between family member owners
1The statistics provided above have been derived from a variety of surveys of closely held business owners including: the PricewaterhouseCoopers 2007-2008 survey of nearly 1,500 closely held companies; the 2007 survey of 800 closely held businesses by the University of Connecticut School of Business Administration Survey; and the 2003 Arthur Andersen/Mass Mutual American Family Business Survey.
| Our Process |
 |
 |
 |
|
Would it surprise you to know that 5 out of 10 CEO's of closely held companies do not know the tax impact of a sale of the business? “You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there.”—Yogi Berra This was one of the findings of the 2007/2008 PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey of nearly 1,500 small to large closely held businesses. The PWC survey also found-not coincidentally-that nearly one-half of all closely held businesses do not have a plan for the transfer of management, ownership or control of the business. Unfortunately, neither of these facts surprise us, but we also know that forward-looking CEO's with a long term "business exit plan", have appropriately gauged the tax impact of a sale of the business. What is "business exit planning"? In a nutshell, business exit planning is the process by which the owners, directors and CEO of a company plan for and execute the transfer of the ownership, management and control of the business. It is our belief that the difference between a rewarding exit and one that disappoints depends on time and process. How much time is prudent? Five to ten years is ideal. Simply stated, the longer you have to implement an exit plan, the more opportunities you will have to maximize the company's value and reduce the risks involved when an owner or key employee exits the business.
How do we accomplish our task? We start by identifying and assessing the key drivers of the company's value and elements of risk in the business. We help the owners clarify their exit objectives and timetable. We then design the structure and strategies to accomplish the owners' objectives for the transition of ownership, management and control according to their time schedule. Whether your exit timeframe is tomorrow or ten years from now, you should take control of the how and when and not leave those questions to chance. If you need help, we invite you to contact us to confidentially discuss your options because we have been through it before and understand how to successfully overcome the challenges you will face.
|
What sets Venture Exit Partners apart is our process. We deliver results by using a best practice, outcome focused approach which aligns the efforts of a company's employees, directors and advisors with the owners' objectives. By aligning efforts with objectives, our process insures that everyone involved in the company is working to achieve the owners' objectives. Clearly our approach is designed to get the owners what they want. However, our approach also recognizes that a successful business must continue after the current owners, directors and CEO depart. In other words, regardless of whether a business transfer involves outsiders, insiders or family, the new owners and managers must believe that the future of the business is attractive enough to take it over.