ONWARD
Charting the Next Phase of Your Entrepreneurial Life
About ONWARD
As private wealth advisors, we have a great deal of experience supporting successful middle market entrepreneurs. Our aim when working with entrepreneurs is to help better position them, their family and their company so they can successfully navigate the process of a transaction if, and when the time is right.
Far too often, however, we have found that even under the most successful of circumstances — where our clients got everything they wanted out of a deal, and then some! — there was still a level of dissatisfaction.
This isn’t just our experience — the data backs this up. According to the Exit Planning Institute’s Readiness Survey, 75% of business owners “profoundly regretted” selling their business 12 months after finalizing the deal. Certainly, much of that regret can come from a poor deal — if not the valuation of the deal, but the impact of the deal on their employees, the trajectory of the company and other factors.
But we have also found that even in the best of circumstances, few entrepreneurs are adequately prepared for the mental and emotional changes and challenges of life that post-sale will present to them. They haven’t thought through “what’s next?”
As you consider a move into the next phase of your entrepreneurial career — switching tracks and heading on a new path — it’s important to keep in mind that the same key factors that made you a successful entrepreneur apply to how you approach your post-sale life. Preparation and planning.
Entrepreneurs need to begin this crucial step BEFORE they sell their company, if possible. Reason being is that not only does planning for this transition lessen the emotional burdens placed upon your shoulders during the transition, but it could also impact how you evaluate aspects of potential deals. It’s important to have an idea of what you want to do next so that you don’t end up becoming boxed out of pursuing those plans by the terms of the current deal.
The ONWARD Series
A successful wealth strategy process benefits from a team of advisors, collectively focused on the goals specific to you, your business and your family. Below, you will find insights and strategies published by the NewEdge team on what it means for an entrepreneur to have a wholesome wealth strategy rather than a simple financial plan.
Articles, Webinars & Media Appearances
Gen X: Navigating the In-Between
Born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, Generation X (“Gen X”) stands as a pivotal cohort that bridges the gap between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Often dubbed as the “latch-key generation” – referring to growing up with double-income parents and coming home from school to an empty home – Gen Xers were shaped by their Baby Boomer parents who instilled in them the value of hard work and self-reliance.
Recipe for a Roll-up
Entrepreneurs in the middle market are often approached by private equity firms or strategic buyers with attractive offers to acquire their businesses. Many of these buyers are conducting the transaction as part of a roll-up strategy. In recent years, the middle market has been rife with roll-up activity, and this trend is likely to continue. In an economic environment where rates are most likely to decrease, we expect more activity and greater opportunities for founders to exit their businesses.
ONWARD: Episode 7
This is Onward, a compilation of insights and strategies the team at NewEdge has published on what it means as an entrepreneur to have a wealth strategy, rather than a simple financial plan. In our latest episode of Onward, partners and advisors across NewEdge Wealth share stories about the importance of finding your financial quarterback and the significant role they play.
Onward: Navigating Your Wealth After an Entrepreneurial Exit
Just like meticulously crafting a business plan to guide the company’s growth, it is essential to approach post-sale planning with the same level of intentionality and forethought. While the sale of a successful business represents a monumental personal and financial milestone for an entrepreneur, it also ushers in a new set of financial planning challenges to optimize and protect that newfound wealth.
The Executive Edge: Bob Higgins
From his humble beginnings in Ellsberg, Kentucky, to his transformative experiences in the U.S. Air Force and beyond, Bob Higgins, President and CEO of Barge Design Solutions, shares valuable insights into leadership, resilience, and continuous learning.
Highlights from the 2024 Onward Conference
The second annual Onward Conference was a continuation of our series that helps entrepreneurs better position themselves, their family, and their company so they can successfully navigate the process of a transaction if and when the time is right.
OK, Boomer
As the baton is passed from Boomers to Gen X and Millennials, a notable “age wave” is set to facilitate the transfer of businesses through exits and other transitions. And once again, these unique generations will have needs that differ from others.
ONWARD: Episode 6
This is Onward, a compilation of insights and strategies the team at NewEdge has published on what it means as an entrepreneur to have a wealth strategy, rather than a simple financial plan. In our latest episode of Onward, partners and advisors across NewEdge Wealth share stories about the importance of finding your financial quarterback and the significant role they play.
ONWARD: Episode 5
This is Onward, a compilation of insights and strategies the team at NewEdge has published on what it means as an entrepreneur to have a wealth strategy, rather than a simple financial plan. In our latest episode of Onward, Alain Toto, Managing Director at Waterfall Asset Management, joins Ghislain Gouraige, CEPA®, Partner at NewEdge Wealth, to discuss the role private equity firms can play in a transaction and how business owners should be prepared.