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Exit Strategy

As an entrepreneur you can spend much of your working life building and growing your business.

Eventually you will have to part, and whether you want to walk away with the money or pass it on to a family member you will need to prepare the business for life without you.

Preparing a business for succession, a trade sale, flotation or a management buyout requires planning and this process can take a number of years.

Each of these different strategies requires a unique process of preparation - for example, for a flotation, it is essential that an appropriate corporate structure is in place with a demonstrably high level of corporate governance and a differentiation between the ownership and executive functions. Alternatively, if a trade sale is planned, a purchaser may wish to purchase the goodwill inherent in the business rather than the shares in the company, and so tax considerations may suggest that a company is not a suitable structure.

If you are unsure of the likely route of exit, then a flexible structure can be created initially, with scope to restructure once the likely exit strategy is known. Joe Walsh & Associates can help you to navigate through this process to ensure that your business retains its maximum value as you depart, whilst minimising your potential tax exposure.