Your Business, Your Exit: A Strategic Framework for a Smooth and Profitable Transition

As Kelly Anne Parker wrote in “Welcome to The Exit Club: Meet Five Women Who Sold Their Businesses in 2025,” women are now considering their exits earlier and finding strategic partners that meet those goals. Years ago, there was a focus on competition/competitors, whereas now, there is a community-minded approach to growing businesses.”

With that in mind, when should founders consider selling their business? The answer depends on the founder’s goal when starting the business. While goals can evolve over time, it’s important to have a clear objective from the beginning. Having that vision helps guide key decisions about when, how, or whether to exit.

Thank you to Kelly, founder of Launch Grow Exit, an advising business that helps founders launch, grow, and exit their companies, for providing a framework for woman founders considering a business exit. Kelly sold her company, Send Ribbon, to UrbanStems in 2020.

Clarify Your “Why” and “Why you started your business?” Knowing your motivation helps shape the right kind of exit (e.g. full sale, partial sale, acquisition, internal succession). Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I want more time to pursue other interests?

• Do I want to shift gears into a new venture?

• Am I no longer motivated or are experiencing burnout?

• Is there a strategic opportunity to scale via a larger partner?

Understand Your Exit Options (editor’s note: consult an appropriate professional to explore).

• Sell to a Strategic Acquirer - Ideal if your company has strong brand value, IP, or loyal customers. These are usually larger companies (like PepsiCo acquiring Poppi or Flowers Foods buying Simple Mills).

• Private Equity or VC Buyout - You might retain some stake or stay on temporarily. This is often the case with brands that still have big growth upside.

• Employee or Management Buyout (MBO)- Keeps it “in the family,” and can align with mission/values.

• Sell to Another Founder/Entrepreneur - Great for niche, community-driven businesses.

• IPO or SPAC - Rare, but possible if you’re scaling big. Usually applies to tech or high-growth CPG brands.

Get Your House in Order Before entertaining offers:

• Clean up financials (have 2–3 years of clean books)

• Formalize your brand assets, IP, and contracts

• Make sure operations can run without you, which increases valuation and attractiveness to buyers.

Build Your Dream Exit Team You’ll want:

• M&A advisor or investment banker (to position and negotiate)

• Lawyer (who’s done founder exits)

• Tax advisor (so you don’t get blindsided by unexpected taxes)

• Mentors/peers who’ve exited before (do a quick LinkedIn search using words like “exited” and “acquired.”)

Think About Legacy. Once you’ve signed the paperwork, you no longer have control. What do you want your brand’s legacy to be post-exit? Do you care if the new owners change your product? Will you and your team stay employed? Is your mission preserved?

Being clear about this can help you negotiate not just the number, but the future.

Consider Your Next Move. Angel Investing, Starting Another Business. Traveling. Volunteering. Spending time with family and friends. The possibilities are endless. Planning your post-exit life helps make sure you’re running toward something, not just away from burnout. After my exit, I traveled to Europe, trained to run marathons, volunteered and took on projects that were interesting to me. Finding your reason for exiting is equally important!

Bottom line: Having an exit plan ensures you leave your business on your own terms, whether selling, passing it on, or closing. It protects your financial interests, helps maximize the value of your business when it’s time to move on and rewards all the sweat, blood, and tears poured into the company. A clear plan also provides peace of mind and direction for you, your team, investors, and successors.

Kelly Anne Parker is the bootstrapped founder of Send Ribbon, a corporate gifting company acquired by Series C Flower & Gift Startup UrbanStems in 2020. Before the acquisition, Kelly served in various growth and leadership roles at startups like Doordash and Indeed and Managed by Q, which WeWork acquired. Since the exit of her company, Kelly has founded Launch Grow Exit to help other women founders; launch, grow, and exit their companies. Kelly supports the Enthuse Foundation, hosting and organizing entrepreneur panels and fundraising on behalf of the organization.