The best exits are built years before the buyer shows up

Exit Planning Three to Five Years Out: structure, share ownership and tax-efficient extraction

Most owners think about exit planning when an approach lands or burnout hits — and by then, the most valuable options are already off the table. David explains why the difference between a good exit and a great one is usually made three to five years out: getting the company structure and share ownership right, extracting wealth from the business tax-efficiently along the way so the sale isn't the only payday, using pensions and allowances that disappear at completion, and making sure the business isn't so dependent on the founder that the price reflects it. He also covers the personal side buyers never see — knowing your own number, so you negotiate from clarity rather than emotion. Whether an exit is two years away or ten, he shows owners how to build their plan, one worth having, on their own timeline rather than a buyer's.

About David Shepherd

David Shepherd, podcast guest

Managing Partner – Business owner, Kingsford Wealth Management | Host, The 6 Minute Partner Podcast for Lawyers

17+ Years in financial services4 Major financial institutions in his career backgroundDipPFS Diploma-qualified Personal Finance Society member£50M+ Client business exits advised

David Shepherd helps high-earning professionals make sense of financial planning when their work, family life, and lack of time make long-term decisions easy to defer. His perspective comes from both sides of the financial world: the technical, markets-driven environment of investment banking, and the more personal, long-range work of financial advice.

David began his career in investment banking, working with organisations including Santander, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Barclays. He was drawn to the numbers, but over time realised that the work he valued most was not just analysing markets or managing financial detail. It was helping people make clearer decisions about their future. David transitioned into financial advice after reassessing his career direction and retraining through the Chartered Insurance Institute exams. He went on to build his expertise in financial planning and now works with successful individuals, professionals and business owners on building and managing their wealth.

Today, David works with professionals who are intelligent, ambitious, and often time-poor. He has a particular focus on lawyers and city professionals, along with successful business owners and people who have exited multi-million-pound businesses. A recurring theme in his work is that capable people can still neglect their own planning because they are busy solving complex problems for everyone else.

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