Most business owners don’t start thinking about an exit until they’re ready to leave.
By then, it’s often too late.
Not too late to sell, but too late to maximize value, avoid regret, and walk away on your terms.
Here’s the truth: every business is on the path to an exit.
You will eventually leave, one way or another. The only question is whether you’ll do it by design or by default.
According to the Exit Planning Institute, 75% of business owners regret selling their business just 12 months after the deal is done.
That number is staggering. And it usually comes down to three things:
These are not financial problems. They’re planning problems.
The market might be hot. Your revenue might be strong.
But that doesn’t mean your business is sellable.
Buyers don’t pay for potential. They pay for transferability, systems, team, and profit.
Ask yourself:
If the answer is no, that’s okay. But the earlier you start addressing it, the better your options become.
Life happens. Health issues, partnership changes, industry shifts, or just the desire for a new season—all of these can accelerate an exit timeline.
If you wait until you need to sell, you’ll be stuck reacting.
But if you prepare now, you buy yourself options:
Exit planning isn’t about leaving. It’s about building a business that could run without you—so you’re never forced to stay longer than you want to.
At Lattice, we help business owners prepare for a future exit by strengthening value drivers now—before it’s urgent.
We’ve created a short, free assessment to help you gauge where your business stands.
👉 Take the Business Assessment
It only takes a few minutes. The clarity it provides could shape the next decade of your life.
The exit clock is ticking. But you still have time to plan your exit on purpose.
