The Academy · Si Harris
Business exit planning for Australia and New Zealand
Build a business that can thrive without you. Create a clearer path to selling, handing over or stepping back.
You have put years into your business. Your next chapter deserves the same attention. The Academy helps owners connect their exit strategy with practical improvements to the business, so a future transition starts with preparation.
Exit planning for business owners across Australia’s eastern seaboard and New Zealand, with Si Harris based in Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands.
What is business exit planning?
Business exit planning is the process of preparing a business and its owner for a future change in ownership or leadership. It brings together the owner’s goals, business value, operational readiness and succession arrangements to guide a sale, management buyout, family transition or gradual step back.
You do not need an immediate intention to sell. Better systems, clearer responsibilities and less dependence on the founder can make the business easier to run while preserving future options.
Is it time to start?
- The business still relies on you for key customers, decisions or day-to-day delivery.
- You are considering retirement, a sale or a handover to family or management.
- You want to understand what could hold back business value or buyer confidence.
- You need a practical sequence of actions to prepare for your next chapter.
Five connected parts of a stronger exit plan
Each part addresses a different question: where you want to go, what needs attention and how the business will make the transition.
Exit strategy
Decide what a successful exit means for you. Consider a third-party sale, management buyout, family succession or staged withdrawal, alongside your preferred timing and future involvement.
A clear strategy gives the preparation work a purpose.
Reverse due diligence
Look at your business through a potential buyer’s or successor’s eyes before a transaction begins. Identify questions around financial reporting, customer concentration, key staff, documented systems and reliance on you.
Use those findings to prioritise gaps while there is time to address them.
Exit roadmap
Turn the strategy into a sequence of actions. Set priorities, assign responsibility and agree review points so preparation becomes part of running the business.
Succession planning
Prepare people to carry the business forward. Consider who will lead, how knowledge and relationships will transfer, and where capability or decision-making gaps need attention.
Leadership succession and ownership succession may need different timelines.
Business valuation and value readiness
Understand the factors that can influence business valuation, including sustainable earnings, risk, customer quality, systems and management depth. Use that understanding to focus preparation on what a buyer may assess.
Discuss your valuation needs with Si, including whether a formal independent valuation is required for your purpose.
From exit strategy to practical action
Your priorities depend on your business and intended exit. An exit roadmap can bring the following work into a manageable order:
- Clarify your goals. Define your preferred outcome, timing and role after the transition.
- Assess readiness. Use reverse due diligence to identify operational gaps and questions a buyer or successor may raise.
- Prioritise improvements. Focus on financial visibility, repeatable systems, leadership and reducing founder dependence.
- Prepare the handover. Document responsibilities and plan the transfer of knowledge and relationships.
- Review progress. Revisit the roadmap as the business, your circumstances and potential exit options change.
For support with implementation, explore The Academy’s business coaching services.
Exit planning across eastern Australia and New Zealand
Based in Bowral, NSW, The Academy welcomes enquiries from business owners across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, including Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne, as well as New Zealand, including Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Whether you are preparing a business for sale or considering succession, start with your goals, your business’s current position and the work needed before a handover. Contact Si to discuss support for your location and circumstances.
Ownership transfers can involve local legal, tax and financial requirements. Your preparation should account for these with the appropriate advisers in Australia or New Zealand.
Business exit planning FAQs
What is the difference between an exit strategy and an exit roadmap?
An exit strategy defines your preferred outcome, such as a sale, family succession or management buyout. An exit roadmap sets out the actions, responsibilities and milestones needed to prepare for that outcome.
What is reverse due diligence?
Reverse due diligence is an owner-led review of the business from a potential buyer’s or successor’s perspective. It helps identify risks, missing information and operational gaps before formal buyer due diligence begins.
When should I start planning my business exit?
Start before a sale or handover becomes urgent. Allow time to improve records, strengthen management, document systems and reduce reliance on you. The right preparation period depends on your business’s readiness and intended exit.
Can I plan an exit without selling my business?
Yes. Exit planning can support family succession, a management transition or a gradual reduction in your day-to-day involvement. It can also help you keep running the business with clearer responsibilities and stronger systems.
How does business valuation fit into exit planning?
Business valuation helps inform expectations and preparation priorities. Sustainable earnings, risk, transferability and market conditions can influence value. A formal independent valuation may be required depending on the transaction and its purpose; an eventual sale price also depends on the buyer and deal terms.
Can I enquire from outside Bowral?
Yes. The Academy welcomes exit planning enquiries from across Australia’s eastern seaboard and New Zealand. Contact Si to discuss your location, business and the support available.
Plan your next chapter
Let’s talk about your business exit plans
Tell Si a little about your business, what you want from your exit and your preferred timeframe. Complete the form below to start a conversation about your next steps.
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