Plan the exit on your own terms.
Succession, sale, and transfer planning for owner-operated businesses, family enterprises, and partner buyouts. Tax-effective, value-protective, and started years before the transaction, not weeks before.
- CA ANZ Chartered Accountants
- Registered Tax Agent 26081500
- Integrated tax and wealth advice
Most exits start three months before settlement. That is three years too late.
- You are thinking about selling or transferring the business but have no idea what it is genuinely worth.
- Your structure does not qualify for the small business CGT concessions you assumed you would access at sale.
- The next generation or a partner is meant to take over, but the transition has been a conversation, not a plan.
- Succession planning is most valuable when started two to five years before the transaction. By then there is time to restructure, build value, and put the right tax positions in place. Done close to settlement, options narrow and tax bills rise.
From valuation to settlement, managed by one team.
Engagements are scoped to the situation. Some clients need a three-year plan to maximise sale value; others need help with a family transition this calendar year. The scope reflects where you actually are.
Business valuation
Independent valuation using accepted methodologies (capitalisation of earnings, DCF, asset-based) so you know what the business is genuinely worth today.
Sale readiness
Cleaning up financials, removing personal expenses, normalising owner remuneration, and preparing the data room for due diligence.
Value-build plan
Identification of the levers that move sale value: client concentration, recurring revenue, gross margin, and management depth. With a multi-year action plan.
Capital gains tax planning
Modelling of the small business CGT concessions, 15-year exemption, retirement exemption, and the rollover options that may apply.
Family succession planning
Multi-generational transition planning, including gifting structures, family trust arrangements, and binding death benefit nominations.
Partner buyouts
Buy-sell agreements, business valuations for partner exits, and structuring the buyout to manage tax for both leaving and remaining partners.
Wealth structuring after exit
Working with our authorised wealth representative of Count Financial to model what the post-sale proceeds need to do for retirement.
Settlement support
Coordination with your lawyer through to settlement, including final adjustments, escrow, earnout structures, and post-completion tax positions.
From early conversation to clean exit, on your timeline.
- 01
Discovery
A call to understand the business, the timeline you are thinking about, and what a good exit looks like for you.
- 02
Valuation and diagnostic
An independent valuation, a diagnostic of where the business currently stands, and a written assessment of the value-build levers available.
- 03
Plan
We agree the timeline, tax plan, and the operational changes (if any) to lift sale value. The plan is written down with milestones.
- 04
Execute and settle
We run the tax structuring, coordinate with your lawyer and broker, prepare the data room, and support you through to settlement and beyond.
Succession handled by accountants who already know the business.
- CA ANZ Chartered Accountants
- Senior team members are CA ANZ qualified, with direct experience valuing, restructuring, and exiting owner-operated businesses.
- Registered tax agents
- Tax Practitioners Board registration 26081500. The CGT, GST, and stamp duty positions are all handled by registered tax practitioners.
- Wealth advice for after the exit
- Our authorised representative of Count Financial (AFSL 227232) advises on what the post-sale proceeds need to do for retirement.
- Integrated with your tax and accounting
- If we already prepare your books and tax returns, we know the business intimately. The succession plan rests on real data, not estimates.
- Long planning horizons
- We prefer to start succession conversations two to five years before the transaction. That is when the biggest tax and value moves are still available.
- Discreet and senior
- Succession conversations are led by senior team members and held confidentially. Engagements are scoped to your privacy needs.
Questions we hear most often.
Have a question that is not here? Call 07 3399 2300 or book a consultation and we will answer it directly.
When should I start succession planning?
Two to five years before the transaction is the ideal window. That gives time to restructure where helpful, build value where there are clear levers, and put the right tax positions in place. Done within twelve months of sale, options are usually narrower and tax planning is more reactive.
How is the business valuation done?
We use the methodology most appropriate to the business, typically a capitalisation of normalised earnings for established operating businesses, supplemented by discounted cash flow for high-growth situations and asset-based methods for businesses where the assets dominate the value. The valuation comes with a written report you can share with prospective buyers or family members.
What are the small business CGT concessions?
The small business CGT concessions are a set of tax concessions that, when eligibility tests are met, can significantly reduce or eliminate the capital gains tax on a business sale. They include the 15-year exemption, the 50% active asset reduction, the retirement exemption (up to $500,000 per person), and the rollover concession. Eligibility depends on turnover, net asset value, and the active use of the assets being sold. We model whether your business qualifies as a core part of the succession plan.
Can you handle a family succession instead of a sale?
Yes. Family succession is a common engagement. The work involves planning the timing and mechanism of transfer (gift, sale at market value, family trust restructure), modelling the CGT implications for the outgoing generation, putting wills and binding death benefit nominations in place, and helping the incoming generation step into the management of the business.
What does a partner buyout look like?
Partner buyouts vary widely depending on the entity structure (company, trust, partnership), the relative value being bought out, and the funding source. We typically start with a valuation, then move to structuring the buyout for tax efficiency for both sides, drafting the buy-sell agreement with your lawyer, and managing the documentation through to settlement.
How is succession planning priced?
We quote fixed-fee after the discovery call. The fee depends on the size and complexity of the business, the structures involved, the timeline, and whether the engagement runs through to settlement. Valuations are typically scoped as a separate fixed fee at the start.
More from the same team.
Tax Planning and Structuring
Pre-exit structuring that protects access to the small business CGT concessions and reduces the tax position at sale.
ExploreWealth Management
Authorised wealth advice on what the post-sale proceeds need to do for your retirement and intergenerational wealth.
ExploreBusiness Advisory
Two-to-three year value-build engagements that lift the sale value before the transaction comes to market.
ExploreReady to plan your exit while you still have options?
Book a consultation. We will tell you honestly where the value sits in your business today, what good would look like in two to five years, and what the engagement to get there would involve.