Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

What to Watch Out for When Getting Outside Advice

When you bring in an outside advisor — whether it’s an accountant, attorney, consultant, or broker — you’re doing the right thing. You’re acknowledging there’s something you don’t know and going to find someone who does. That’s smart ownership. But … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Exit Strategies, Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The 3% Problem in Advisory Work: A Guide for Business Owners

As a business owner, you belong to a unique group that makes up only 3% of the population. Yet, many advisors treat you like any other client—using the same approaches they apply to executives, professionals, or retirees. This is a … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Exit Options, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies, Leadership, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Building Value, Entrepreneurship, Exit Options, Exit Planning, Exit Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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. Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning, Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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. … Continue reading

Posted in Building Value, Entrepreneurship, Exit Strategies, Leadership, Management, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment