Running the Business of Your Dreams

Welcome to ‘Exit Planning 101’ – making this happen in practice.

Each of the 12 one-hour weekly modules is packed with practical, real-world tips and strategies you can take away and implement immediately.

Starts: 7th January 2025

Live webinar every Tuesday 3.30pm to 4.30pm. 

Reserve your place on the next programme.

Register Now!

Exit 101 Introducer

Kickstart your exit planning journey with an overview of the process and its significance. Understand the comprehensive steps involved in exiting a business, the importance of early planning, and how to align your exit with personal and business goals. This session sets the foundation for a successful exit strategy, emphasising the value of preparation and strategic thinking.

Dive into the specifics of crafting a tailored exit strategy which aligns with your personal aspirations and business objectives. Learn to evaluate the pros and cons of different exit options, set realistic timelines, and develop a flexible plan that accommodates changing circumstances. This session focuses on creating a roadmap that guides you towards a successful exit.

Focus on securing your financial future post-exit. Explore investment strategies, wealth management principles, and financial planning to ensure you can maintain your desired lifestyle after leaving your business. Understand how to protect and grow the proceeds from your business sale, considering personal risk tolerance and financial goals.

Prepare yourself for the transition out of your business, addressing both the emotional and practical aspects of leaving. Discuss life after business, including how to find new purposes, hobbies, or ventures. This session aims to ease the transition, ensuring you are mentally and emotionally ready for the next chapter.

Learn to view your business through the lens of a prospective buyer and understand the importance of conducting thorough due diligence. Identify potential red flags and learn how to rectify them before they become deal-breakers. This session equips you with strategies to present your business in the best possible light.

Use strategies to identify and mitigate risks that could decrease your business’s value or deter buyers. Build evidence so that you can quickly and efficiently demonstrate that risks have been understood, assessed and managed giving confidence and reassurance to potential buyers that the business has been well run.

Delve into the methodologies for business valuation and understand the key drivers that impact your business’s worth. Learn to objectively assess your business’s value and discover actionable strategies to increase this value over time, making your business more appealing to potential buyers.

Techniques and strategies for enhancing your business’s profitability and attractiveness to buyers. Focus on areas such as operational efficiency, market expansion, and product or service innovation. Learn how sustainable growth can significantly impact your business’s sale price.

Understand funding from the Lender’s perspective. Explore various funding options to bolster your business before the sale, including debt refinancing, equity funding, and alternative financing sources. Understand the implications of each funding type and how to use them effectively to strengthen your business’s financial position and attractiveness.

Address the human element of your exit plan, focusing on leadership succession, talent retention, and communication strategies. Develop a comprehensive plan to ensure your business continues to thrive with a new owner or leadership team, mitigating any concerns of stakeholders during the transition.

Navigate the complex tax landscape related to business exits. Learn strategies to minimise tax liabilities and maximise net proceeds from the sale. This session covers the tax implications of various exit strategies, providing insights on structuring your exit in a tax-efficient manner.

Consolidate your learning and planning into a cohesive, actionable exit plan. Set clear milestones, assign responsibilities, and establish a timeline for your exit. This session focuses on the execution of your exit strategy, ensuring you are prepared to navigate the process smoothly and efficiently.

I recently completed the FiMBO programme – a 12-session journey designed to help business owners like me better understand the financial planning to help grow and eventually sell your business. 

The FiMBO programme is not only worthwhile but also essential for anyone considering growing or selling their business. If you’re ambitious and envision retiring in the next 10 to 20 years, this programme is incredibly useful. But for those, like me, who are developing an exit plan within the next five years, FiMBO is almost indispensable.

It has equipped me with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complex process of ‘Business Exit’ and I could not be more grateful for this transformative experience.

Chat Heroes

Paul Lawton

Chat Heroes

Programme benefits

The Exit Planning 101 program is designed to help business owners work towards a successful business exit and understand the options available to them. Here are some of the key benefits of attending the program:

  • Understanding Exit Options: Exploring the various exit strategies available, such as selling to an outside party, transferring ownership to family members, selling shares to employees, or merging with another business.

  • Valuation Insight: Offering guidance on how to value a business accurately, including understanding the factors that can influence a business’s value positively or negatively.

  • Financial Health Assessment: Helping you assess the financial health of your business to ensure it’s attractive to potential buyers or successors. This might include strategies to improve profitability, reduce expenses, or streamline operations.

  • Legal and Tax Considerations: Providing information on the legal and tax implications of various exit strategies to help owners minimise liabilities and maximize returns.

  • Succession Planning: For businesses considering an internal transfer, guidance on how to plan for succession, including training and transitioning leadership.

  • Preparing for Sale: Tips and strategies for making the business more appealing to potential buyers, such as improving business processes, customer diversification, and creating a compelling business narrative.

  • Negotiation and Deal Structuring: Guidance on how to negotiate a sale or transfer deal, including structuring the deal in a way that meets the owner’s financial and non-financial goals.

  • Emotional Considerations: Acknowledging and addressing the emotional aspects of leaving a business, including planning for the owner’s next chapter post-exit.

  • Leveraging financial data analytics and modeling: to aid in the exit planning process, offering a data-driven approach to maximize the business’s value at exit.

  • Flexible Course Schedule: The program is delivered online and consists of 12 sessions, each lasting 45 minutes, with additional time for live Q&A. This means that you can attend the sessions at your own pace and on your own schedule.

  • Valuable Resources:  The program provides you with the tools and resources necessary to improve your exit planning process.

  • Affordable Pricing: Your first session is free to attend, your investment in the full program is just £297 + VAT.

  • 12 months attendance included: You can join any session in the Exit Planning 101 programme for 12 months.

  • Reports and business planning models included: Delegates attending the full programme are provided with 3 months free access to ‘Enhanced Performance Reports’, ‘Business Growth & Forecasting Models’ and ‘Business Valuation & Due Diligence Reports’ all powered by VFD Pro. (Subscription value, £717 +VAT). 

  • Early Satisfaction Guarantee: After your free introductory session, you can choose to enroll in the full 12-week FIMBO programme. If, by the end of the week 4, you feel that the programme is not meeting your expectations for improving sales, profit, or cash flow, you may request a full refund*.

    *Refund requests must be submitted by the end of week 5 with a brief summary of your participation and reasons for dissatisfaction. After week 5, the guarantee period will expire.

Join the experts on these weekly sessions

Each member of the team is committed to supporting your business growth and development. Please make contact using the links below.

Cliff Spolander | Business By Design

Business By Design came into being through sheer frustration at seeing so many business owners being unable to exit their business successfully, leaving them with very few choices at the end of their business journey.

Gareth Anderson | Head of Business Management at Allica Bank

An experienced corporate and commercial banker, Gareth has spent 17 years working in banking and financial services, with much of that time spent working closely with SME’s both as a Relationship Director and in various leadership roles across client facing and Product Teams. Having spent years working with companies across sectors from retail & wholesale, technology and healthcare, Gareth’s passion is on supporting the plans and financial ambitions of SME business owners, helping them build resilience into their business models to navigate through times of uncertainty.

Jeff Lermer | LJA Accountants

With over twenty-five years of experience in the accounting profession, Jeff’s flair for generating innovative tax planning and his astute advice have assisted numerous clients and their businesses. Jeff’s creative mind and lateral approach to improving tax efficiency for clients has ensured the firm remains cutting-edge.

Hilary Rowland | Next Chapter Retreats

Hilary Rowland works with business leaders and owners and their teams, offering executive coaching and masterminds. She also offers retreats to senior executives who may have run out of steam, be stressed and burnt out or who have come to a turning point in their lives such as redundancy, career change, business exit, retirement or medical diagnosis, a situation where they know they need to find their next chapter and they don’t know how to go about it. These retreats offer space and time for reflection and planning.

Adam Pickford | Highlight People

Highlight People – HR and People Development Retained and ad-hoc HR expertise Each has 20+ experience of working in HR in corporate and SME Adam is passionate about learning and a natural developer of others who gets a buzz from helping people to grow and businesses to prosper. Adam can help you get the best from your employees as you prepare for exit .

Debbie Molyneux | Highlight People

Highlight People – HR and People Development Retained and ad-hoc HR expertise Each has 20+ experience of working in HR in corporate and SME Debbie loves to understand what motivates people and uses her expertise to ensure they are set up for personal and business success. Debbie can help you get the best from your employees as you prepare for exit .