Sow wisely for business success - Part 3: Planning the perfect exit

In the third of the three part series on how to successfully grow your business, Lesley Stalker, Paul Webb and Simon Paterson, partners at the Robert James Partnership, give practical advice on how to plan for exit.

For many entrepreneurs, an eventual sale is the single biggest reason for starting a company in the first place. Many business owners see a lifetime's hard work ruined due to poor planning, a lack of awareness of the value of the business and a failure to master the basics of selling a company In fact, you could end up paying up to 40% more tax than the allocated 10% rate for capital sales. Here's our practical guide to ensuring you know what to do when the time is right to sell up and release the equity in your business.

Plan ahead

Ideally exits should be planned as soon as possible, or in cases where the intention is to sell the business after a certain period of time (e.g.