Owner-managers 2–3 years out
The tax and the price are decided before the ‘for sale’ conversation.
Leave on purpose
Exit planning that starts years before the ‘for sale’ conversation.
Tax, timing, who buys, and what the accounts need to look like when they do.
4.9TrustpilotChecked 16 Oct 2026 · 182 reviews
ICO ZA551114XeroFreeAgentSageQuickBooks
What exit planning actually is.
Most owners leave a business once. The tax and the price are decided by decisions you make two or three years earlier. We plan exits for owner-managers who want a trade sale, a management buy-out or a clean wind-down, with CGT, warranties and the numbers in the same conversation.
Quoted first
Quote
Confirmed in writing before we start. Cancel anytime.
Start 18–24 months out
In the number
- Readiness review
- Tax path
- Buyer map
- Deal support
Quoted separately
- The scope, once we have seen the file
- Any catch-up sitting behind the last filed set
- Work that happens once, not every year
What is in the package.
Everything below is included in the quoted fee. Nothing here is billed twice.
4 lines, all included
- Readiness review
- What a buyer will hate in the accounts, and how long it takes to fix.
- Tax path
- BADR, earn-outs, share vs asset sale. Modelled, not sloganned.
- Buyer map
- Trade, MBO, family, wind-down, each needs a different 24 months.
- Deal support
- We sit with you through heads of terms and due diligence questions.
You probably need this if
Signs you need exit planning
- You have a date in your head and no plan on paper
- The accounts would embarrass you in due diligence
- Related-party balances would take a page to explain
- You do not know whether you are selling shares or assets
The desk
Consultancy
Reply
Same day before 4pm
Stack
Xero · Sage · QB · FreeAgent
Switch
We write the letter
Exit Planning
Who it is usually for
Families and MBOs
A different 24 months than a trade sale.
Owners who might wind down
Closing is a tax path too, not a failure of imagination.
Three steps, start to finish.
No onboarding theatre. We scope it in writing, put a named accountant on it, and tell you the date it lands.
- 01
Horizon
When do you want out, and what does ‘enough’ look like after tax?
- 02
Repair
Normalise earnings, tidy related-party balances, document the revenue.
- 03
Go to market
We work with your broker or corporate-finance adviser, or help you find one.
In plain English
Exit Planning, written properly
Most owners leave once. The work starts two years earlier.
Exit planning is readiness, tax path and buyer type in the same conversation. We look at what a buyer will hate in the accounts, how long it takes to fix, and whether Business Asset Disposal Relief still fits. Trade sale, management buy-out, family, wind-down, each needs a different 24 months.
Six weeks is a fire sale
Two years is comfortable. Eighteen months is workable. We sit through heads of terms and due diligence questions with your broker or help you find one. A valuation is usually the first exhibit, not a surprise in week two of exclusivity.
Exit Planning FAQs
Two years is comfortable. Eighteen months is workable. Six weeks is a fire sale.
No. You can sell assets, pass it to family, or close it. The tax is different in each case.
Yes, a valuation is usually the first exhibit in an exit plan.
Both offices
One number. Whichever desk you land on.
01925 670289- Warrington
- Ragan House, 674 Knutsford Road, WA4 1JHMap
info@countplus.co.uk
Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00. Same-day response before 4pm.
Write to a human
Accounts, tax or consultancy. Pick a topic.
Countplus Accounting, since 2019
Ready to hand exit planning to a named accountant?
Get a monthly number in a minute, or book a call. We reply the same day before 4pm.
Get a quote, or call the desk on 01925 670289, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. Write before 4pm and a named person answers the same day.