Image details: Exit Sign served by picapp.com
As baby boomer business owners near retirement, they should be devising an exit strategy - the plan to exit your business gracefully, to preserve maximum value. If you haven’t done this, you’re not alone. One recent study by White Horse Advisors LLC found that 87% of baby boomer business owners didn’t have a written exit plan.
The usual “strategy,” states Bankrate.com, is “manage til you drop” which indicates the lack of any sort of clear plan. The problem with neglecting a plan is that you’ll not be able to maintain the value of your business if you drop dead or become disabled.  In fact, I have the ability to think of lots of things that might happen. It’s not pleasant to think about. Brent Dees (About.com guide for Small Business Information) calls them the “Four D’s: Death, Disability, Divorce, Departure.”
My suggestion: Begin thinking about this, think about the Four D’s, and begin putting together a written plan. Matter of fact, I should be doing the same thing myself.
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