Entrepreneurship
Howard Stevenson defines Entrepreneurship as the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled. Typically, we think of entrepreneurs as people who start businesses and are willing to risk loss in order to make money. In reality, an entrepreneur is anyone who spots an opportunity and decides to pursue it regardless of the resources currently at their disposal.
- Manufacturer Stuck in the “Neutral Zone”
 Here is how exit planning helped a business owner out of the Neutral Zone.
This manufacturer reached out to an exit planning consultant after receiving a book on planning as a gift from a local professional. He was in no particular hurry to leave his business. In the preceding twenty years ... - NQDCs – Funding and Forfeiture
 In our last article, we discussed Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) plans as a tool to compensate key employees for achieving long-term goals. One component of such plans is the fact that they are frequently unfunded and legally considered an unsecured promise to pay.
Nonetheless, both plan sponsors and recipients often want a funding mechanism to set aside assets, manage cash flow, or hedge the liability. In addition, employers typically want conditions under which they can rescind the plan for cause, including failure to achieve the objectives the plan was designed to incentivize. - NQDCs – “Let Me Count the Ways”
 Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) plans are a powerful tool for incentivizing and retaining key employees. They offer virtually unlimited flexibility in methodologies, objectives and rewards to suit a company’s strategies and goals.
What is “unqualified?”
Quite simply, NQDCs are discriminatory. Some owners shy away from that term, but discrimination isn’t automatically illegal. ... - How Much Does the Big Picture Really Matter to Your Business?
 It’s hard to have a business conversation today without someone invoking “the Big Picture.” The 24-hour news cycle runs on urgency, outrage, and uncertainty—and it needs a constant supply to keep attention locked in. The result? Everything sounds like a crisis.
Wars. Tariffs. Sanctions. Inflation. Interest rates. Cyberattacks. Political standoffs. Supply ... - Business Ownership Isn’t What It Used to Be
 If you’ve been a business owner for a long time, you’ve lived this shift firsthand.
Many Baby Boomer owners started out alone—just an idea, a customer, and a willingness to take a risk. Hiring that first employee was a milestone. Now, years later, some of those same businesses employ dozens or ... - Quality of Earnings and Technology Costs
 When a Quality of Earnings audit identifies deferred technology, the price can be magnified many times. Are you deferring technology costs?
A few months ago, a subscriber to our planning tools called with a tech support question. “Your software doesn’t work,” he said. After some investigation, we identified the problem. He ... - The Inexperienced Advisor – An Exit Planning Horror Story for Business Owners
 This is a cautionary tale for business owners—one that’s “based on a true story.” The facts are real, although the exact sequence of events might raise questions if the IRS were to take a closer look.
A small business owner received a $1,000,000 offer to sell his company. He had already ... - What Business Owners Should Know from the 5th Annual Exit Planners Survey
 Between February 1 and March 2, 2025, ExitMap conducted its 5th annual survey of professionals who help business owners plan successful exits. This is the only survey that gathers insight across multiple advisory specialties—offering a wide-angle view of the professionals supporting entrepreneurs like you during one of the most critical ... - The Exit Planning Fallacy – A Business Owner’s Perspective
 One of the most common sales pitches you might hear from someone claiming to help you “enhance value” goes something like this:
“I’ve reviewed your company and believe it’s worth $4.2 million today. With the right planning, it could be worth $7.7 million. Would you rather exit with $4.2 million or ... - Decisions Made from Fear
 When Fear Dictates Decisions
I can’t. We won’t. I shouldn’t.
Sound familiar? These thoughts creep in as your business grows. You’ve overcome a lot already—taking that first leap, pushing through uncertainty, making tough calls when the stakes were high. But now, you have something to lose. The fear of getting it wrong can paralyze progress.
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