Why the Most Valuable Exit Planning Happens Before You Sign the LOI

The Most Valuable Deal Work Happens Before the LOI

After more than 30 years of advising business owners through exits, here’s one truth I’ve seen hold up time and time again:

The best outcomes don’t come from the deal itself. They come from how you prepare for it.

Once you’re at the table negotiating with a buyer, your leverage starts slipping. The clock’s ticking. Emotions rise. Shortcuts get made.

If you’re a founder thinking about selling your business, the time to maximize value, protect wealth, and map your future isn’t at the signing stage—it’s months or even years before you get there.

What Should You Be Doing Now?

Here’s how we help business owners build, grow, and protect their wealth before the Letter of Intent:

1. Tax Strategy Optimization

Smart structure = big savings. With the right planning, you could defer or reduce hundreds of thousands in tax liability. Entity selection, timing, and coordination with your CPA all matter more than most realize.

2. Estate Planning Integration

Wealth without a plan creates friction. If your estate plan isn’t aligned before liquidity hits, you risk losing control or paying avoidable taxes. Trust structures and succession strategies need to be dialed in early.

3. Asset Protection Framework

Liquidity = exposure. When your business turns into cash, that money becomes a target. We help clients safeguard their assets against litigation, creditors, and market swings with a smart defense plan.

4. Investment Strategy Development

Don’t figure it out after the wire hits. We align your future investment strategy before the sale closes, so your liquidity event flows directly into a personalized, long-term income and growth plan.

5. Retirement Vision Planning

Freedom isn’t a number, it’s a feeling. Most owners I meet want time, flexibility, and purpose more than just a payout. But very few stop to define what that actually looks like. You should before your deal closes.

The Real Win Isn’t Just the Exit. It’s What Comes After.

The most successful exits don’t just happen—they’re engineered.

That means clarifying what you want, mapping a strategy early, and surrounding yourself with the right partners to protect your interests along the way.

You've built something worth selling.

Let’s make sure you sell it right.

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