First of all,

Thanks for stopping by. 

I hope you stick around for a while.

My goal is to give you massive value.

To educate you in way that can change your life and put you on the path towards Personal Prosperity.

ExitPlanning.Online was founded on one BHAG.                                (Big Hairy Audacious Goal for all you Good to Great fans!). 

That goal is simple, educate business owners on how to build and harvest business value.

It has come to my attention that most (80%) of businesses in the United States are never transferred from first to second generation ownership. 

Stated another way, you have a one in five chance that you will be able to harvest any value from the business you spent the best part of your life building.

Zip. Nada. Nothing. The reward for a lifetime of hard work for the typical business owner.

I would love to assist you on changing the destination of your entrepreneurial journey, but even if I can't, I want to give you a basic framework of the challenges that you need to address to successfully transition to the next chapter of your life.

And, here is the really cool thing. A good exit strategy is basically the same thing as good business strategy.

So, if you follow the advice that I give you, you will reap rewards that are near-term and long-term in nature.

I have come to detest the words Exit Planning. (Even though I have a website branded with the name)

There are a couple of reasons why the phrase is unfortunate.

First, is that business owners think of exiting their business as something that is far into the future, so they don't need to worry about it now.

This is unfortunate, since you have a 50:50 chance that your exit from your business will be unplanned.

So if you haven't done anything to protect yourself and your other stakeholders in the event of a catastrophic event, then you are leaving the outcome to chance.

Also, a good exit strategy takes time to create and implement. 

Ideally, if you aren't already living life in value creation mode, then you need to start thinking about your exit at least three years before you intend to put your business up for sale.

Another consideration that you should be aware of, most buyers are going to expect that you are going to stick around to help ensure a smooth transition. So, you should add another year onto your timeline before you can full transition to the next chapter of your life.

Second, the things that you need to do create value in your business are the same things you should be doing to have a well run business.

Not doing what you should be doing is the reason why owning your own business can be stressful, the reason why you are unable to scale your business, and the reason why no one would want to buy your business.

I will teach you a system so that you become what I call a Value Creation Owner. An owner who creates a team that is hyper-focused on creating value in their business every day.

Over time, this value compounds and you create an amazing business that investors are excited to buy.

Third, it is not just about the business. It is also about you and those you love. It is about the life that you want to live.

There is more to life than your business. As you grow and progress along life's journey you will find that how you spend your precious time is more important than anything else.

Your business is a means to an end. Not an end, in and of itself.

The thing is, most of us are so busy living in the moment, that we don't take time to reflect on where we would like to be. 

Before we know it, most of our life has passed us by, and we wonder if we have led the best life that we could. Or, have we left some of the best parts on the table, because we never really had a plan.

I like to think of the whole Exit Planning Biz as that of what I call Strategic Prosperity Planning.

The Strategic Prosperity Planning processes teaches you how to find the time to reflect and strategize where you want to be with your business and your life.

Prosperity is not just financial. Although it is a major component.

True prosperity is creating an exceptional business that gives you the financial resources to pursue your dream and become the best version of you that you can become.

It also gives you the ability to provide for your family and to give back to your community. It provides you with the legacy of a life worth living.

If you are up for the ride, it is an exciting journey.

Let's get started.

To see how I chose this journey read on.

One of my favorite sayings is from Steven Covey, in his best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, "Begin with the End in Mind. 

My hope is that you will understand why this short phrase is so important to business owners everywhere. For most of you have a huge problem on the horizon.

Some call it a Perfect Storm.

This website exists because of a keynote address I heard. It all started when I went to the Leading Innovation in Finance Today and Tomorrow (LIFT²) Symposium at Wright State University in 2016. The keynote speaker was David Grau, the author of the best-selling Succession Planning for Financial Advisors: Building an Enduring Business. 

David talked about how most financial advisory practices never transition to second generation ownership. In essence a financial planner starts a practice, spends their life building it, and then the practice dies with its founder. He said only 10% of these practices survive into their next generation of ownership. This astonished me.

Being curious by nature I found myself on a journey to learn more.

It wasn't long before I ran across the first "State of Owner Readiness Report" by the Exit Planning Institute. It was there that I learned that it wasn't only Financial Planners that have a huge problem but American Business Owners have a huge problem.

It was during this event that I became aware of the biggest problems faced by entrepreneurs that no one is talking about. 

The problem is that most entrepreneurs spend their whole life creating businesses that are worth nothing when their owners are ready to transition to their next phase in life. 

So, the obvious question is there a way that this can be avoided?

The answer is yes.

However, there are some caveats here.

First, you need to acknowledge that there is a problem.

If you don't believe that there is a problem, then you certainly are not going to invest precious resources to solve it.

Second, you need to understand there is no quick fix for the problem.

There is a clear path to avoid the fate of creating  a business of no value as a result of your life's work, but you must chose to go on the journey.

Third, it is about the journey, not the destination. 

You will be challenged in many ways along the journey and you might still fail. But, to paraphrase Louis Pasteur, "chance favors the prepared mind.

Finally, you need a guide to help you on your journey.

I am here to be your guide on the journey. If you are committed to achieving the full measure of your potential.

About Our Founder

Rich Gulling, founder of ExitPlanning.Online is an expert at increasing the value of your business so you can sell it for top dollar. He has created over $30 million in financial benefit as a Value Creation Advisor. As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, he can help you develop your Exit Strategy so you don’t leave money on the table when you decide to transition to the next phase of your life. He understands that change is personal. He understands the transition you will need to make to become the best version of you. 

In previous lives Rich has worked as a pharmacist with management experience in retail and long term care pharmacies. He was a founding member of the Strategic Improvement Division of Good Samaritan Hospital where he used Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and Change Acceleration Process to drive operational improvement and cultural change. He added Design Thinking to his toolbox as the Project Leader for Designing and Building  the Dayton Heart and Vascular Hospital at Good Samaritan. He has been through numerous management and leadership development programs, too many to mention. Part of his mission is to make the knowledge that he has acquired to small business owners so help them on their path to success. 

Rich is also an internationally published author who has sold over 100,000 books world wide. An entrepreneur who has started and advised multiple companies and a geek who has an insatiable desire for learning.

Rich understands how hard it is to step outside of your box. He has the battle scars to prove it, and he also has experiences the rewards of taking the risk to stretch your opporunities.