Exit Planning Process

Transitioning a business to the next owner is one of the most important events in an entrepreneur’s lifetime. The success or failure of this experience is directly related to how well a host of personal, business, and financial issues related to the business transition are understood and handled. Missing one step in the process can mean not making a deal or leaving hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars on the table or even sinking a deal.

The professionals at Lyons Solutions have helped clients successfully resolve these issues over one hundred times during their careers. Our experience can make a big difference for you.

Lyons Solutions Business Transition Exit Planning process is designed to help business owners identify which direction to take given each owner's personal and financial objectives. Specific recommendations include:

• When to Business Transition the business
  
• The pros and cons of different Business Transition strategies
  
• The current fair market value for the business
  
• Options for enhancing the value of the business prior to a sale
  
• How to structure the sale to maximize the proceeds you receive
  
• How to minimize the tax consequences of an Business Transition.

These goals are then integrated into each part of the Business Transition Exit Planning process, providing the directional framework against which the relevance of all Exit Planning action steps are measured.

As part of the Business Transition Exit Planning process, we collect critical details and insights from owners and key management. Once the information is understood, we begin to assess the company’s strengths, weaknesses and value drivers.

Our conclusions are then presented as part of the final Business Transition Planning Report. These conclusions then become an integral part of our Business Valuation Analysis and our Strategic Recommendations.

At Lyons Solutions a detailed business valuation is an integral part of the Business Transition Planning process. Our valuations are designed to be comprehensive, yet easy to use and understand.

Lyons Solutions business valuation report features:

• Three different valuation approaches - Income, Market and Asset
  
• Detailed narrative and analysis and easy to read schedules and graphs that present information in a user-friendly format.
  
• A comparison of the financial performance of the client’s company versus the financial performance of other companies in the same industry.
  
• Detailed information (including the price and terms) about the sales of similar companies.

As part of the Business Transition Planning process we develop a detailed analysis of 54 company specific value drivers and present an action plan for maximizing the value of the client company prior to sale or transfer.

Some businesses require few adjustments; others require several years of fine tuning in order to maximize their value when needed. Our trained professionals help "coach" business owners through the process of value enhancement by acting as: Mentors, Sounding Boards, Outside Resource Providers, Facilitators, and Coaches.

By developing a blueprint to capitalize on stregths and shore up weaknesses, we help our clients maximize the value of their business before deciding to sell. In many cases this process can add millions of dollars to the final sales price.