Abby Donnelly: Business Succession Planning, Leadership Transitions, and Life After Exit

Full Episode Page: Abby Donnelly: Business Succession Planning, Leadership Transitions, and Life After Exit

Nick Berry sits down with Abby Donnelly to reveal why true business succession planning starts long before a term sheet appears. They explore values-based selling, internal versus external successors, the messy emotions behind ownership transfer, and Abby’s portfolio life model for a meaningful next chapter. Expect actionable insights and a few “never thought of that” moments.

Find Out

• How to prepare early for a smooth, profitable succession
• What values-based selling means for your exit price
• Whether insiders or outsiders best match your exit goals
• Her take on grooming leaders into confident successors
• Best and worst ways to design a portfolio life

Links

• The Leadership and Legacy Group
• An Insider’s Guide to Succession and Exit
• Abby Donnelly on LinkedIn

Chapters
03:50 The Business Exit Transition Process
06:14 Identifying Successors
08:48 Financial Dynamics of Business Exit & Succession
12:00 Internal vs. External Successors
14:50 Leadership Transition & Successor Development
17:31 Portfolio Life Plan for Owners
20:20 Crafting Your Storyline for the Next Chapter
23:34 Recognizing Transferable Skills After Selling
31:34 Factors for a Successful Business Exit
33:46 Start with the End in Mind
37:46 The Challenge of Transitioning Out of Ownership
41:53 Ownership vs. Leadership in Succession Planning
45:09 The Holistic Approach to Business Succession and Exit

Too many priorities, not enough clarity? In ~6 minutes, get a free 90-Day Business Growth Roadmap: your stage snapshot, the single constraint to fix now, your top 3 moves, and a week-by-week plan you can start Monday. 

Grab yours: https://www.nickberry.info/roadmap

New here? Meet entrepreneur and business advisor Nick Berry.

The Business Owner's Journey podcast is where entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators join entrepreneur Nick Berry to share stories, challenges, and strategies from their journeys as business owners.

Nick Berry is known for creating the Business Alignment System™ and 5 Stages of the Business Owner’s Journey. He offers a (free) personalized 90-Day Business Growth Roadmap telling you exactly where you are today and what specific steps to take next.

🟢 Official: NickBerry.info. tBOJ is hosted by Nick Berry, produced by Nick Berry, Kelly Berry & FCG.
🟢 Sponsors: Redesigned.Business, FR, Entrepreneur's Edge