The power of intentional exit planning: Control, choice and clarity

Katie Busch

Guest Columnist

January 26, 2026

The calendar has a way of sneaking up on us, doesn’t it?

One minute, we are racing to close out the fourth quarter, juggling deadlines, clients and year-end decisions.

Then the calendar flips to January, and a brand-new year arrives, bringing fresh goals and a to-do list that already feels full.

The year may have changed, but many of the questions carry over:

• Did I spend my time where it truly mattered last year?
• Am I still too essential to my business to step away for even a week – let alone a future transition?
• Am I any closer to the personal and financial freedom I’ve been working toward or just working harder?

If those questions hit home, you’re not alone.

The start of a new year often creates just enough breathing room for owners to look up and ask the bigger, more important questions about their future and the future of the business they’ve spent a lifetime building.

That’s why now, before the year accelerates, is the perfect time to talk about exit planning.

Exit planning isn’t about leaving – it’s about leading your future

Exit planning doesn’t mean you’re done.

It means you want choices – you care about protecting the value you’ve built, and you’re ready to shift from reacting to your business to intentionally shaping what comes next.

Most business owners excel at innovation and building relationships.

Far fewer prepare their business to be transferable, whether that’s to family, key employees or a third-party buyer.

Here’s the reality many owners don’t like to confront – businesses that aren’t prepared for a transition rarely change hands on the owner’s terms.

Instead, owners are often forced to react to health events, burnout, market shifts or unexpected opportunities, rather than choose their timing and outcome.

When that happens, value is often compromised, and options become limited.

Too often, what gets called an “exit plan” is really a reaction to circumstances.

Intentional exit planning is the opposite.

It’s the owner saying, “I want to stay in the driver’s seat. I get to choose the timing, direction and outcomes.”

Conversations that rarely happen until it’s too late

Exit planning is deeply personal and emotional.

It touches your identity, family dynamics, financial security and legacy – and most owners don’t have many people they can talk to openly about it.

That’s where working with a certified exit planning advisor (CEPA) can be valuable.

The most productive conversations often start with a few simple but powerful questions:

• What do you want your next chapter to look like?
• What will it take financially to support the life you imagine?
• What does your business need to thrive without you at the center?

You don’t need perfect answers – you just need to start.

Start much earlier than you think

A strong exit plan typically begins two to five years before a transition.

That isn’t meant to alarm you – it’s simply reality.

Building sustainable, transferable value takes time: time to strengthen financials, reduce owner dependency, develop capable leaders and prepare personally for life after ownership.

The mistake many owners make is waiting for a “right time” that never arrives.

And none of that can begin without one critical baseline: What is my business worth today?

A business estimate of value answers two foundational questions:

• If you sold today, what is the realistic value of your business?
• Would that value fund the life you want next?

From there, you can build a holistic exit plan that integrates:

• Personal readiness – clarity around your purpose and life after the business
• Business readiness – teams, systems and processes that make your business transferable
• Financial readiness – alignment between your ideal sale value and your personal financial goals

This work is not theoretical.

Owners who take the time to plan ahead experience tangible results.

What becomes possible when you start early

Owners who plan ahead aren’t just more prepared, they’re more empowered.

In practice, this often leads to:

• Significant valuation growth over time
• Stronger leadership teams as owners delegate with purpose
• Businesses that operate more smoothly, profitability and resiliently
• Reduced stress and renewed enjoyment for the owner

Planning doesn’t remove all the work, but it eliminates the uncertainty.

It gives you back control and replaces worry with informed decision-making.

As a new year begins, this is a natural moment to turn reflection into intention.

You don’t need a complete plan or a fixed exit date today.

What matters is taking one informed next step.

For many owners, that step is gaining clarity around business value and understanding how today’s decisions connect to long-term freedom and flexibility.

The future of your business will be shaped whether you plan for it or not.

The real question is whether that future unfolds by default or by design.

Starting now gives you the advantage of time, clarity and choice.

What a powerful way to begin the year.