The Confident Exit Blog

Exit Planning Isn’t About Selling — It’s About Staying in Control 

If you're like most successful business owners, you're not actively thinking about exiting your company. You're still growing it. Still leading it. Still energized by what's ahead. Same here.

But here's the hard truth: the best time to prepare for your exit is long before you're ready to walk away. 

And exit planning? It isn’t about selling your business — it’s about staying in control of your future.  That’s exactly how we are approaching it at Horizon Financial Group. 

As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), I work with successful owners to help them build more valuable, transferable businesses — and ultimately, more freedom and optionality in their personal lives. Not because a sale is imminent, but because life, markets, and timing are unpredictable. 

You don’t have to be ready to leave your business.   

You just need to be ready if you had to. 

 The Myth of the “Perfect Time” 

Many owners envision exiting when the stars align: the market is hot, the business is booming, and a buyer is knocking on the door. But the truth is, perfect timing is a myth. 

Valuation multiples — a common benchmark for sale value — are notoriously unreliable. They're influenced by forces completely outside of your control: 

• Economic shifts (like recessions or inflation) 

• Industry disruptions (technology, regulation, consumer trends) 

• Market dynamics (M&A activity, interest rates, buyer sentiment) 

Take 2020 as a case study: Restaurants that were valued using 2019 multiples watched their exit plans crumble when COVID-19 hit. But veterinary practices? Their values soared as pet adoptions skyrocketed. Same economy. Very different outcomes. 

That’s why we don’t anchor to valuation multiples alone. We anchor to what’s controllable. 

The Two Questions Every Owner Should Be Asking 

The Exit Planning Institute (EPI) teaches that the foundation of a successful business transition comes down to two questions:  

1. How attractive is my business to a future buyer or successor? 
2. How ready am I — personally, financially, and operationally — to step away? 

We call these the Business Attractiveness and Exit Readiness scores. Together, they form the foundation of a strong, value-first exit strategy. 

Business Attractiveness evaluates how appealing your company is on the open market. Buyers pay premiums for well-run companies with transferable systems, recurring revenue, low owner dependency, and strong teams. These are the traits that lead to “best-in-class” multiples — regardless of what the market is doing. 

Exit Readiness, on the other hand, examines whether you (and your business) are truly prepared for a transition. This includes:  

• Your personal financial planning 

• Your emotional readiness to let go 

• Your leadership team’s ability to operate without you 

• The clarity of your legacy and post-exit goals 

Even if you score high on attractiveness, a low readiness score can derail your exit. You need both. 

Mind the Gaps: What’s Holding You Back? 

The Exit Planning Institute outlines three critical gaps most owners face — and few truly understand: 

1. The Wealth Gap: The difference between what you have today and what you’ll need after an exit to support your lifestyle and legacy. 
2. The Value Gap: The difference between your company’s current value and the value it needs to reach in order to fund your goals. 
3. The Profit Gap: The difference between your current earnings and those of a best-in-class peer in your industry. 

If you don’t know your numbers in these three areas, you're not alone — but you're also not in control. The sooner you identify these gaps, the sooner we can build a strategy to close them. 

You Don’t Have to Sell — You Just Need to Be Ready 

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is:  “Why would I do exit planning? I’m not going anywhere.” 

But here’s the truth: exit planning isn’t about leaving. It’s about creating optionality. 

When you understand the value of your business, and what drives or detracts from it, you make better decisions. You reduce your risk. You open up possibilities — from selling to a third party, to transferring the business to a child or key employee or even building a company that runs profitably while you step back. 

Planning early allows you to move on your terms, not someone else’s. 

Free Download: The “3 Gaps” Graphic for Business Owners 

Every business owner has gaps — but the most successful ones face them head-on. 

📥 [Download the “3 Gaps” Visual Guide]   

Learn how to identify the three biggest blind spots that can hold back your exit — and how to close them, step by step. 

If you're curious where you stand today — and what you can start doing now to ensure your business is ready whenever you are — let’s talk. 

You’ve worked too hard to leave your exit up to chance.