Ron Oddo

Today, all owners face three significant headwinds that increase the difficulty of a successful business exit. One is our flat economy—today and for the foreseeable future. The second is the substantially higher tax bill that’s due upon the sale of a business. And last, but not least, is the long-term mediocre investment climate that depresses the amount of income owners can expect from their sale proceeds and other investments. Combined, these three headwinds wreak havoc on an owner’s ability to cross the finish line at all, let alone as they originally planned.

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Ron Oddo

Today, all owners face three significant headwinds that increase the difficulty of a successful business exit. One is our flat economy—today and for the foreseeable future. The second is the substantially higher tax bill that’s due upon the sale of a business. And last, but not least, is the long-term mediocre investment climate that depresses the amount of income owners can expect from their sale proceeds and other investments. Combined, these three headwinds wreak havoc on an owner’s ability to cross the finish line at all, let alone as they originally planned.

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Ron Oddo

Today, all owners face three significant headwinds that increase the difficulty of a successful business exit. One is our flat economy—today and for the foreseeable future. The second is the substantially higher tax bill that’s due upon the sale of a business. And last, but not least, is the long-term mediocre investment climate that depresses the amount of income owners can expect from their sale proceeds and other investments. Combined, these three headwinds wreak havoc on an owner’s ability to cross the finish line at all, let alone as they originally planned.

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Ron Oddo

Few business owners relish spending money on something they don’t need. And for most owners, hiring an expert to estimate the value of their companies falls into that don’t-need category.

So it is no surprise that owners typically respond to an exit planning advisor’s recommendation to get an estimate of value for the company with some variation of: “Now? But I’m not planning to leave for years!” or “I built this company so I—better than any so-called expert—know what it is worth!”

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Ron Oddo

Usually, no other factors carry the weight of the tax issue or significantly differentiate the C from the S Corporation. Limited liability is attainable in both the C and S Corporation forms. Voting rights need not differ. An S Corporation conducts business, on a day-to-day basis, exactly as a regular corporation. The only difference between the C and S Corporation is the filing of a one-page IRS form (Form 2553) electing treatment as an S Corporation.

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Ron Oddo

In previous blogs, we attempted to dismantle the most common objections owners make to undertaking the planning necessary to exit their companies successfully. Those excuses to avoid exit planning are:

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Previously, we attempted to take the air out of the most common argument owners make for ignoring the planning necessary to successfully exit their companies: They believe that their businesses aren’t worth enough to meet their financial needs. “When it is,” they claim, “that’s when I’ll think about leaving.”

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Ron Oddo

Like every owner, you will one day exit your business—voluntarily or involuntarily. On that day you will want to attain certain business and personal objectives: the first (and usually prerequisite to all others) is financial security.

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Ron Oddo

For many owners, the answer to one question determines their ability to leave their companies: “How much money will I get when I sell?” This question is indeed critical. Realistically, you can’t exit your business unless you achieve financial independence, and the primary source of that independence is likely to be the funds you receive for your business when you leave.

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Did you ever wonder why one business has buyers lined up willing to pay top dollar while another sits on the market for months, or even years? What do buyers look for in a prospective business acquisition?

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Ronald Oddo

When a man does not know which harbor he is heading for, no wind is the right wind.” —Seneca

The starting point for any type of plan is defining its goals. In the case of planning a business exit that means knowing what it means to “exit your business in style.”

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Ron Oddo

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” —Yogi Berra

It is not always easy to interpret Yogi. In this case, perhaps he is advising you to figure out just where you are headed in your business. As you near the time when you will leave behind the daily worries and stresses of business ownership, have you defined your successful exit? Do you know where “there” is, much less how to get there? Unless you set and prioritize your exit goals or objectives, you may have too many, or they might conflict, but in either case you may not make much headway.

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