BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANNING FOR A CONFIDENT, TAX-SMART EXIT
You've spent years building your business. How you leave it matters just as much as how you ran it.
At Proffitt Corner Advisors, we help business owners plan the transition on their own terms, with less tax, less risk, and a clear path forward.
$1.3M+
Client Tax Savings
50+
States Served Nationwide
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- IRS Enrolled Agent
- Integrated Tax & Exit Planning
- Nationwide Client Base
- Confidential Advisory Process
PLAN YOUR BUSINESS TRANSITION WITH CONFIDENCE
Most business owners don't have a succession plan.
Only because they keep putting it off till the end. And by the time they’re ready to exit, the window to do it well has already narrowed.
Business succession planning is deciding what happens to your business when you step away, and structuring that transition to protect its value, reduce taxes, and keep things running without you.
At Proffitt Corner Advisors, we work with business owners well before the exit date. That time is what makes the difference between a decent outcome and a great one.
WHAT IS BUSINESS SUCCESSION AND EXIT STRATEGY PLANNING?
Two terms, two distinct goals, and both matter depending on where you are and what you want to do next.
Proffitt Corner Advisors helps you understand which one applies to your situation.
Business Exit Strategy Planning
Exit planning is about maximizing what you walk away with. It focuses on preparing the business for a sale or transfer and choosing the right path forward. It’s the financial and strategic work that happens before the deal closes.
Business Succession Planning
Succession planning is about continuity. It looks at what happens to the business if you leave, retire, or can no longer run it. It keeps the business stable through the transition, whether you’re handing it to a family member, a partner, or your management team.
COMPREHENSIVE BUSINESS TRANSITION PLANNING
Whether you're handing off to family, selling to a buyer, or transferring to your team, we build the strategy around your timeline, your goals, and your tax situation.
Succession Planning
BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANNING
Structured plans to transfer ownership and leadership smoothly, so the business keeps running, the people are taken care of, and nothing gets left to chance.
Succession Planning Services Include:
- Leadership transition planning and successor identification
- Ownership transfer strategies for partners and co-owners
- Family business succession and multi-generational planning
- Buy-sell agreement planning and structuring
- Tax-efficient transfer structures (trusts, gifting, installment sales)
- Continuity planning for unexpected events
Ideal For:
Family-Owned Businesses
Professional Service Firms
Partnerships
Multi-Generation Companies
Exit Strategy Planning
BUSINESS EXIT STRATEGY PLANNING
Strategic planning to help owners exit at the right time, for the right value, and with as little tax exposure as possible. We look at every option and build the one that fits your situation.
Exit Planning Strategies Include:
- Business valuation and exit readiness assessment
- Tax-efficient sale structures (asset vs. stock, installment sales)
- Sale to a third party — strategic or private equity buyers
- Management buyout planning and financing structure
- Family transfer strategies using trusts and gifting
- ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) evaluation
- Pre-sale financial cleanup and value improvement
Ideal For:
Owners Planning Retirement
Entrepreneurs Preparing for Sale
Partners Seeking Buyouts
Businesses Preparing for M&A
THE RISKS OF WAITING TOO LONG TO PLAN
Every year without a succession plan is a year of unnecessary risk to your business, your family, and the money you've built up.
Here’s what Proffitt Corner Advisors sees happen when owners wait.
OUR PROVEN EXIT AND SUCCESSION PLANNING PROCESS
Every client goes through a five-step process, built to assess where you are, clarify where you want to go, and get you there with the best outcome possible.
(Free Consultation)
Business Assessment
We look at your financials, ownership structure, key value drivers, and personal goals, so we understand what you’ve built and what a good exit actually needs to look like for you.
(Business Valuation)
Valuation & Goal Setting
We establish a current business valuation, identify your financial goals after the exit, and set a realistic timeline that shapes every decision going forward.
(Custom Strategy)
Strategy Development
We choose the right succession or exit path and build the tax structure, risk mitigation plan, and ownership transfer framework around it. No templates. No copy-paste plans.
(Hands-On Execution)
Implementation
Legal structuring, tax elections, leadership transition planning, and operational improvements all get put in place before you need them, not during the deal when it’s too late.
(Annual Reviews)
Ongoing Monitoring
We review your exit readiness every year, build business value over time, and adjust the plan as your goals, tax laws, or market conditions change.
WHAT IS BUSINESS SUCCESSION AND EXIT STRATEGY PLANNING?
Two terms, two distinct goals, and both matter depending on where you are and what you want to do next.
Proffitt Corner Advisors helps you understand which one applies to your situation.
Sale to a Third Party
Selling to an outside buyer, a strategic acquirer, or a private equity firm typically delivers the highest sale price. It requires clean financials, documented operations, and a deal structure that minimizes your tax bill on the proceeds.
Best for: Owners seeking maximum value at exit
Internal Transfer
Transferring to a co-owner or management team keeps the business in familiar hands. It requires a funded buy-sell agreement, a fair valuation, and a financing structure, plus a clear plan for who leads after the transfer happens.
Best for: Owners who want continuity and team stability
Family Succession
Passing the business to a family member is the most personal exit and the most complex to do right. Valuation, gift tax rules, fair treatment of heirs, and leadership readiness all need to be addressed before the transfer is made.
Best for: Family-owned businesses with an identified successor
ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan)
An ESOP transfers ownership to employees through a trust structure and comes with real tax advantages for the selling owner. It preserves the company’s culture and gives employees a direct stake in the outcome.
Best for: Owners who want to reward their team and reduce taxes
BUSINESS OWNER WE HELP
Proffitt Corner Advisors works with owners at different stages; some are planning for years, others are close to the door. What they all have in common is a business worth protecting.
- Family-Owned Businesses
Multi-generational companies where succession planning has to balance business continuity, fair treatment of heirs, and leadership readiness, all at the same time.
- Professional Service Firms
Law firms, medical practices, accounting firms, and consulting businesses where the owner is central to client relationships and the transition has to be handled carefully.
- Manufacturing & Distribution
Asset-heavy businesses where equipment valuation, inventory, and day-to-day operational continuity all play a role in how the sale or succession is structured.
- Startups Preparing for Acquisition
Founders who’ve built something buyers want and need a tax-efficient deal structure before they start talking to acquirers.
- Established Small & Mid-Size Businesses
Growing businesses where the owner is ready to step back and needs a plan that protects what they’ve built, funds their retirement, and keeps the team stable.
- Partnership Businesses
Multi-owner businesses that need clear buy-sell agreements, partner buyout structures, and succession plans that work for everyone involved, not just the owner who’s leaving.
WHY BUSINESS OWNER TRUST OUR EXIT PLANNING SERVICES
Most advisors help with one piece of the exit.
Most advisors help with one piece of the exit. Proffitt Corner Advisors covers the whole picture, from valuation to tax structure to the day you hand over the keys.
Tax and Financial Planning Work Together
We don't just help you structure a deal. We build the tax strategy around it so the sale proceeds, the entity structure, and your personal financial plan are all pulling in the same direction from day one.
We Handle Complex Ownership Structures
Multi-owner businesses, family partnerships, holding companies, and businesses with real estate inside them, we've worked through the complex scenarios that most generalists refer out.
We Work With You Years Before the Exit
We don't just show up when there's a deal on the table. We work with you years before the exit date, which is the only way to actually improve valuation and reduce taxes before the sale happens.
Built Around You, Not a Template
Every business exit is different. Your industry, your ownership structure, your buyer type, and your personal goals all shape what the right plan looks like. We build it specifically for your situation.
Fully Confidential
Exit planning involves sensitive financial and strategic information. Every engagement is handled with complete discretion. Your advisors, your employees, and your buyers don't need to know what we're working on until you're ready.
IRS Certified Enrolled Agent
Amber Proffitt holds the highest IRS credential for tax practitioners. Fewer than 65,000 EAs are currently authorized nationwide, and she brings that directly to every exit engagement.
Serving All 50 States
Based in Maryland, we advise business owners across the country with the same personalized, advisor-led approach regardless of state or deal type.
Confidential & Secure
All client data is stored on a secure, encrypted system. Your financial and business information is handled with complete discretion at every stage of the planning process.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The earlier, the better — ideally 3 to 10 years before your target exit date. That window gives you time to improve your valuation, set up the right tax structures, identify a successor or buyer, and handle the legal groundwork before you're under any pressure to close. If you're closer to the exit than that, Proffitt Corner Advisors can still build a plan around where you are.
It depends on the complexity of your business and how close you are to your exit date. A simple plan with a clear successor can come together in a few months. A multi-owner business, a family succession with estate planning, or a sale to an outside buyer typically takes one to three years of active work and benefits from starting earlier.
That depends on your industry, your revenue, your profit margins, your customer concentration, and how dependent the business is on you personally. A proper business valuation looks at all of these. Many owners are surprised to find their business is worth more or less than they assumed. Proffitt Corner Advisors helps you understand where you stand and what drives the number.
The taxes depend on how the sale is structured. An asset sale treats different components differently. Goodwill may be taxed at capital gains rates, while equipment and inventory trigger ordinary income. A stock sale is generally taxed at capital gains rates. State taxes, depreciation recapture, and the timing of when proceeds are recognized all affect the final number.
Yes, and it's one of the most common succession paths for family-owned businesses. The key is doing it correctly. A family transfer needs to be structured at fair market value or through approved gifting strategies to avoid gift and estate tax issues. We use installment sales, trusts, and discount strategies to make the transfer tax-efficient and legally clean.
There's no universal answer. It depends on your goals, your timeline, and your business. At Proffitt Corner Advisors, our expert team looks at all of the options you may have and helps you choose the one that actually fits.
EXPLORE MORE SERVICES
START PLANNING YOUR BUSINESS TRANSITION TODAY
Your business took years to build.
Don’t leave the exit to chance. At Proffitt Corner Advisors, our business succession planning services give you a clear, tax-efficient path to protecting your legacy, getting the value you’ve earned, and stepping away on your own terms.
- Protect Your Legacy
- Maximize Business Value
- Reduce Tax Impact
- Ensure a Smooth Transition
