March 10, 2016

Research from the Small Business Administration indicates that there are over 3.7 million small businesses owned by veterans across the country. These make up approximately 9% of U.S. companies overall. Entrepreneurs and veteran business owners certainly make important contributions to growth in the American economy as well as business creation, but they need to be aware of the challenges associated with ignoring their business succession planning.

In a recent national study, veteran business owners indicated that they were more likely to say they were in the process of winding down their business than the general population. This could be due to the fact that the majority of veteran business owners tend to be older than individuals in the general population and therefore more likely to be thinking about retirement or other life changes that would encourage the close of a business. There are several important things you can do in this process.

• Start planning
• Identify your transition options
• Prepare for a comprehensive business evaluation

Going through each of these stages can be especially helpful for protecting your interests and ensuring that you are adequately prepared for moving on from your business.