The Business Owner’s Guide to a Successful Exit (Ep. 11)

What does life look like after selling the business you’ve poured decades into building? How do you prepare for one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make?

In this episode, Jamie Hopkins and Kate Duffy are joined by Mark Bradford, CFP^®, ChFC^®, CRPC^®, AEP^®, AWMA^®, CEPA^®, Director of Wealth Planning at Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors, to explore the critical process of exit planning for business owners. They discuss why understanding enterprise value matters more than cash flow, the importance of assembling the right advisory team, and the stark differences between internal and external transitions.

The conversation also covers common pitfalls, emotional challenges of letting go, and what happens when business wealth suddenly converts to liquid assets.

Key takeaways:

• Why 70-80% of small businesses put up for sale fail to sell, and how proper planning changes outcomes
• The difference between building a job versus building transferable enterprise value in your business
• How internal family transitions require different strategies than selling to private equity or third parties
• Why the personal side of exit planning often creates more challenges than the financial aspects
• What to do before the sale to maximize value and avoid costly mistakes during due diligence