Whether you plan to exit in 2 years or 10, increasing business value now gives you more freedom, better options, and a higher return when it’s time to move on.

Family succession allows you to keep the business legacy alive, reward loyal family involvement, and maintain continuity with employees and customers. However, selling to a relative involves more complexity than it seems, especially when it comes to pricing, taxes, and relationships.

An Employee Stock Ownership Plan is a type of retirement plan that gives employees ownership interest in the company. Instead of selling to an outside buyer, the business owner sells part or all of the company to a trust that holds shares on behalf of employees.

You can’t plan a successful exit without first knowing what your business is worth. Whether you're preparing for a sale, transitioning to a family member, or exploring buyout options, a valuation for exit is essential.

If your business owns significant equipment, vehicles, inventory, or real estate, your exit plan can’t rely on simple deal structures or vague estimates. Asset-heavy businesses face complex decisions around valuation, tax treatment, and ownership transfer—all of which can impact your sale price and post-exit tax liability.

For many small business owners, selling to a third party is the most common and financially rewarding exit strategy—but it’s also one of the most complex.

Partnerships can be powerful—but only when both parties have a clear path to enter and exit. Without a formal exit strategy, dissolving a partnership or transitioning ownership can lead to conflict, tax issues, or even litigation.

Selling a business isn’t the finish line—it’s the starting point of a new chapter. Too often, owners think of the sale as the end of the story. In reality, what happens after the sale can define your financial freedom, personal fulfillment, and legacy even more than the transaction itself.

ESG practices have gained significant momentum in corporate strategy conversations—but for privately-held businesses, the question remains: will ESG increase or decrease my company’s value? As valuation professionals, we’ve modeled both outcomes.

The structure of your chart of accounts can make or break the accuracy of your business valuation.

At the heart of the ESG conversation are two competing philosophies—stakeholder capitalism and free market theory. These perspectives don't just shape opinions on ESG; they shape how companies operate, how investors allocate capital, and how value is defined.

Short Answer: Yes—knowing your business value is essential, even if you're not selling.

How did ESG rise from a fringe philosophy to a concept that today influences trillions in global investment decisions? Let’s take a step back and explore the origins of ESG and its integration into the business world.

For years, a company’s cost of capital has been determined by familiar variables—market risk, size, industry, and firm-specific factors. But in today’s evolving business environment, ESG factors are beginning to reshape the equation.

As ESG gains traction in boardrooms and funding circles, many privately-held business owners are asking a practical question: will it help—or hurt—revenue?

Many business owners fail to fully appreciate (or know) their company's value. This often stems from common mistakes and misconceptions about business valuation. In this article, we'll explore why most small business owners undervalue their company and how to avoid these pitfalls.

When business owners think about ESG, they often picture environmental audits, employee programs, and compliance paperwork. But there’s one area ESG affects that’s flying under the radar: your interest rate.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are often framed as opportunities—for growth, for branding, for alignment with investor values. But beneath the optimism lies an underexamined reality: for privately-held businesses, ESG introduces real and measurable risks.

Valuing a business with fluctuating income is one of the most common (and most complicated) challenges in small business valuation....

When business owners talk about valuation, one term tends to dominate the conversation: EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes,...