Financial Planning Considerations Before Selling Your Business
By Jane Carey & Peta Nunn (Perks Private Wealth)
Most owners start thinking about a sale by focusing on valuation. That’s understandable — the number matters. But in practice, the financial side of an exit is far broader than the sale price alone. It determines the life you step into once you leave day‑to‑day operations, and it shapes how much freedom and stability you will have afterwards.
When I spoke with Peta Nunn, Director at Perks Private Wealth and my own long‑term financial planner, her message was simple: early clarity reduces stress, tax, risk and regret. The planning should start well before you ever meet a buyer.
Begin with the life you want after the sale
Before looking at offers or imagining best‑case scenarios, it helps to understand the practical side of the next chapter. Not the high‑level version — the real, costed, after‑tax picture.
For many owners, this includes questions such as:
What lifestyle do I want after exit?
Will I move straight into retirement, begin a new venture, work part‑time or spend time on other pursuits?
What will that lifestyle actually cost?
How much after‑tax money will I need to support it sustainably?
These aren’t abstract questions. They shape your minimum acceptable sale price and give you a grounded sense of what a “good” outcome really means. Many owners discover too late that a deal that looks strong on paper doesn’t fully fund their next chapter once tax and fees are taken into account.
Clarity early helps prevent that gap.
Why structure matters more than most people realise
Sale price draws the attention, but the structure of the deal is where critically important. The elements that make the biggest difference are:
Capital gains tax exposure
Eligibility for concessions, including the small business CGT concessions
Whether the deal is structured as an asset or share sale
Timing across financial years
How superannuation can be used to support the transition
Once a contract is signed, the room to manoeuvre reduces dramatically. Planning two to five years out gives you options you simply don’t have later. It can materially increase the funds you retain and reduce unnecessary complexity during the transaction.
Managing concentration risk
It’s common for founders to have most of their wealth tied up in the business. Years of reinvestment, retained earnings and personal guarantees all pull owners into a position of deep concentration.
From a financial planning perspective, this creates risk — especially if you’re relying on a single liquidity event to fund long‑term financial security.
Peta’s advice is to consider diversification earlier than you think. This might include extracting some value before selling, even through simple steps such as dividends or balance sheet clean‑ups. It also means taking a realistic view of what your personal financial position will look like once the business is no longer there to generate income.
Timing beyond market conditions
Most owners think of timing in terms of industry cycles, buyer appetite and economic conditions. All of that matters — but personal timing plays an equally powerful role.
Your age, health, family circumstances, succession considerations and retirement plans all influence the right moment to step away. When these line up with business readiness, the process tends to feel far less pressured and you can move at the pace that suits your long‑term objectives.
It’s not simply about selling — it’s about what comes next
The financial component of an exit can feel technical, but it’s ultimately about something more practical: converting years of hard work into a stable, well‑planned future.
In my own experience, having expert guidance long before you need it creates a calmer path through the sale process. Peta has been my financial planner for many years, and I’ve seen first‑hand the difference early planning makes — both financially and emotionally.
The decisions you make before going to market often matter just as much as the decisions you make once an offer is in front of you.
A question to consider
What financial questions are you delaying or avoiding because they feel too far away — and how might early clarity change your exit experience?
For further information on financial planning for business exit contact Peta Nunn and Perks Private Wealth