Consider your exit strategy when starting up

Introduction

When you're setting up your business it's essential to think about how you'll ultimately end your involvement with it.

A well thought-out exit strategy can help you to maximise the value you get from your business, successfully market your business to potential buyers or investors and ensure you end your involvement with as little disruption to the business as possible.

Regardless of whether your exit occurs to a planned schedule or you are forced to make a move for unexpected reasons, the decisions you make when setting up can affect how easy it is for you to eventually exit your business.

This guide provides an overview of how some decisions can affect your ability to exit the business successfully, and shows you how to prepare and manage your business to maximise its value. It also covers the different exit options available and outlines their advantages and disadvantages.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Why you need an exit strategy
• What do you want from your business?
• Decisions that could affect your eventual exit
• Exit option: family succession
• Exit option: selling your business
• Exit option: float your business
• Exit option: close your business
• The exit process
• Here's how I planned an exit strategy

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