Before you start your journey, it is important that you know your destination. Similarly, in any business planning exercise it is beneficial to establish your objectives before you start to plan. Nowhere is this more important than in exit planning.

To enable business owners to clarify their business and personal aims and objectives, we have produced an owner's self-diagnostic document. The questions in the diagnostic are based on our experience of what issues owners should be focussing on as they attempt to map a path to the sale or succession of their businesses.

You can access this form by clicking on this Self Diagnostic Form link. This form can be completed on-line. To complete the form, take the following steps:

1. Fill in your details on the form.
2. Once this is completed, save the form onto your computer (the computer will invite you to save the form when you are ready).
3. You will find it easier to complete the form if you read the Schedules to the form at the bottom of this page.
4. Once your form is saved, it is ready to be attached to an e-mail.

Once you have completed the form you have the following options:

1. Do nothing (!)
2. Consider the conclusions you have reached and if you are a sole trader progress your exit plans, with or without expert help.
3. If you have co-owners, consult them and/or key advisers with a view to getting your exit strategy plans under way.
4. Contact us to arrange an appointment to discuss the decisions you have reached with a view to taking your exit planning further.
5. Send the completed diagnostic to us for us to review and to come back to you with our recommendations as to what you should do next. There will be no obligation on you until we have agreed a way forward and any costs involved. You can send the completed report to us by e-mail.

Our approach is to discover what you consider to be your personal and business objectives, or your particular exit problems and to deliver the best solutions. We believe that the business owner and ourselves can best understand the core exit planning issues through the owner's self-diagnostic. Having completed the diagnostic, we hope that you will agree with us!

Schedules to the self diagnostic form

1. Schedule 1
2. Schedule 2
3. Schedule 3
4. Schedule 4