The Best Time to Plan Your Exit Strategy Is Now

Exiting a business is not something you do overnight – it’s a process that requires foresight, structure, and preparation.

Oxygen8 Business Consultant Ann Gibbard explains why business owners should start thinking about exit strategy early, even if selling isn’t on the horizon yet.

What Are Your Exit Options?

There’s no one-size-fits-all path. You may consider:

Sale to an investor
Sale to another business (takeover)
Family succession
Management or employee buyout
Public listing on the NZX

Each path requires different preparation – and timelines.

Questions to Ask Before You Choose

Before deciding how you’ll exit, clarify:

Do I want to fully retire or stay involved part-time?
Will I need to extract all my wealth now, or can I accept a staged payment?
How much do I need financially for the next phase of life?
Is my business structured to operate without me day to day?

How to Prepare for a Successful Exit

Once your direction is clear, it’s time to optimise your business:

Get your finances in order
Prepare clean profit and loss reports, file tax returns, and ensure budgets are current.
Reduce key person risk
Train others to take over. Document systems, passwords, and roles.
Improve systems and appearance
Just like painting a house before selling – fix what’s broken. Modernise software, clean up branding, and refresh your website.
Know your market
What do similar businesses sell for? Speak to a business broker or accountant about recent deals.
Time it right
By planning ahead, you can wait for the market – instead of taking a desperate offer when you’re burnt out.

Client Story: Canoe & Kayak North Shore

“Oxygen8 gave us a new direction, better systems, and the confidence to evolve. Our business has grown, and we’ve even found time to breathe again.”
– Greg & Debbie, Canoe & Kayak North Shore

Greg and Debbie inherited a long-standing retail business that needed modernisation. With Oxygen8’s support, they restructured operations, refreshed their store layout, and focused on systems that supported growth and future succession planning.

The result? The best year in the store’s 25-year history, a surge in commercial sales, and new digital marketing efforts that helped them reach more customers – while giving them more personal time and long-term direction.

Final Thoughts

Don’t wait for burnout or a buyer to force your hand. The best exits are planned, not rushed.

Oxygen8 can help you prepare your business, increase its sale value, and exit with confidence – whether you’re aiming for retirement, reinvestment, or reinvention.

Meet the consultant: Andy Burford

With a rich background in SME ownership and general management, Andy Burford knows how easily business owners can become overstretched-so consumed by day-to-day operations that they lose sight of the bigger picture. That broader perspective is where opportunities lie-the same ones that inspired the business in the first place.

Andy provides dedicated business consulting support that helps owners stay focused on what really matters: driving stronger profits, increasing business value, and realising long-term vision.