Laurie Barkman - Don't Wait Until You're Exiting to Plan Your Exit

Laurie Barkman - Don't Wait Until You're Exiting to Plan Your Exit

From My Worst Investment Ever Podcast by Andrew Stotz

May 18, 2026 · 40 min

About this episode

Laurie Barkman discusses the importance of planning your business exit well in advance.

BIO: Laurie Barkman is a Certified Exit Planner, M&A Advisor, and founder of The Business Transition Sherpa®. STORY: Laurie explains why it's important to start planning your exit plan five to seven years before and what you need to do during that period. LEARNING: Don't wait until you're exiting to plan your exit. "Don't wait to do exit planning when you're exiting, it will be too late. Start five to seven years out. This gives you time to make an impact for change, make the business more attractive and ready, and to also make yourself more ready." Laurie Barkman Guest profile Laurie Barkman is a Certified Exit Planner, M&A Advisor, and founder of The Business Transition Sherpa® . As the former CEO who led a $100 million company through acquisition, she helps business owners build valuable, sellable companies and exit on their terms. Laurie is the Amazon best-selling author of The Business Transition Handbook: How to Avoid Succession Pitfalls and Create Valuable Exit Options and hosts the award-winning podcast Succession Stories , rated in the top 2.5% of podcasts globally. Get a complimentary business assessment . See how an acquirer would evaluate your business…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Stotz

Guest: Laurie Barkman

Topics covered

  • exit planning
  • business transition
  • M&A advisory
  • investment strategy
  • business valuation

Keywords

  • exit planning
  • business transition
  • M&A advisor
  • business valuation
  • investment strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Business Transition Sherpa

Books & works: The Business Transition Handbook: How to Avoid Succession Pitfalls and Create Valuable Exit Options

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