+1.800.660.6238

Succession Planning

Secure Your Legacy. Protect Your Business. Plan for What’s Next.

IA Business Advisors helps business owners in the trades create succession plans that:
  • Preserve your culture, values, and reputation
  • Identify the right exit path — family, employee, or external sale
  • Clarify ownership, leadership, and decision-making
  • Build confidence for your future — and your team’s future
succession planning meeting

Without a Plan, the Business You Built Could End When You Walk Away.

Too many owners in the trades delay succession planning until it’s too late — often because they’re too busy running the day-to-day.
But without a clear, strategic plan for who takes over, how they’ll lead, and how value will be protected, you risk losing:

  • Decades of reputation and relationships
  • The loyalty of your team and clients
  • The financial return your hard work deserves

At IA Business Advisors, we see this every day — owners approaching retirement or burnout without a clear path forward. Whether you’re considering a family succession, ESOP, or third-party sale, our role is to bring clarity, structure, and strategy to every step.

Succession Isn’t Just About Leaving — It’s About Leading the Transition.

IA Business Advisors serves as your strategic partner throughout the entire transition process. We help you:

  • Define your goals and timeline for stepping back or exiting
  • Assess potential successors — internal, family, or external
  • Maintain cultural alignment through change
  • Establish financial clarity and valuation support
  • Manage emotional and operational barriers that can stall progress

Our role is both advisor and facilitator — guiding tough conversations, aligning stakeholders, and ensuring every decision supports long-term success.

Talk with a Succession Advisor

The SMART Management System Turns Complex Transitions into Clear, Measurable Steps.

Succession planning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Our SMART Management system brings structure and accountability to every stage:

  • Discover: Assess readiness, risks, and goals.
  • Design: Build your roadmap — leadership, timeline, and structure.
  • Drive: Execute the plan, monitor progress, and adjust as needed.

With SMART Management, you’ll have clarity on what needs to happen, when, and by whom — ensuring your business stays stable through every phase of transition.

Learn About SMART Management

Real Results. Real Business Continuity.

Our clients don’t just plan for succession — they achieve it with confidence.
Through our SMART process, businesses in the trades have:

  • Transitioned ownership without losing key employees or clients
  • Increased valuation and funding readiness before exit
  • Maintained continuity of operations through leadership changes
  • Strengthened team alignment and communication

“IA Business Advisors helped us clarify our ownership path, align our leadership team, and ensure the culture we built would outlast us.”

Start Today. Leave Nothing to Chance.

Your business deserves more than an uncertain ending. Whether you’re planning to retire in one year or ten, the best time to start preparing is now.
IA Business Advisors brings decades of experience helping trades businesses secure their legacies and build the systems for a successful handoff.

Improve Business Performance Today
Growth Roadmap

Succession Planning Thought Leadership