Business Owner & Exit Planning

^{Westlake Village, California}You spent decades building it. The sale is only the beginning of the next decision.

For business owners in the Conejo Valley, a sale isn't an endpoint — it's the moment your financial life changes shape. We help you plan the years before, during, and after, so the transition serves the life you want next.

Begin with an Exploratory Call See How We Work

Sorensen Wealth Management is an independent wealth management firm in Westlake Village,
California, serving successful families, business owners, and executives since 1986.

^{Who We Help}Planning for owners whose next chapter is already taking shape

Much of your wealth may still live inside the business. That makes the decisions ahead different from anything a portfolio alone can answer.

Owners a few years from selling

You're not on the market yet, but the horizon is real, and the choices you make now shape the timing, the tax picture, and what you walk away with.

Owners in an active transaction

A letter of intent is on the table or a deal is underway, and the structure of the sale is about to shape your finances for decades.

Owners after a liquidity event

The sale has closed. Now proceeds, taxes, and "what do we do with this" questions all arrive at once, and many of the old rules no longer apply.

Executives with concentrated positions

Equity compensation, a large single stock position, or deferred comp has created real wealth, and real complexity to work through.

^{Before · During · After}The arc of a transition

A sale has three chapters. Often, planning only covers one. The transaction gets all the attention, but the decisions that shape your life are spread across the whole arc — and the earlier they're considered, the more options you tend to have.

^BEFORE

Preparing: Understanding what the business may need to provide, how timing and deal structure could affect the tax picture, and what "enough" would actually look like on the other side. Coordinated with your CPA and transaction counsel.

^DURING

Deciding: As terms take shape, so do the financial consequences — cash versus earnout, timing of proceeds, concentration risk. We help you see how each choice ripples into the years that follow.

^AFTER

Redeploying: Proceeds need a purpose. Income, taxes, family, giving, and what comes next all move from abstract to immediate — and in many cases, this is where a clear plan matters most.

^{The SWM Wealth Navigator}A relationship, built in five deliberate steps.

The Wealth Navigator is how every client relationship at Sorensen Wealth Management begins and deepens. It is the same process for every family we serve.

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^{Step One}

Exploratory Call

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A relaxed first conversation about what stage of life you are in, what feels unsettled, and whether there is a mutual fit.

^{OBJECTIVE: CLARITY ON FIT AND THE RIGHT NEXT CONVERSATION.}

II

^{Step Two}

Connection Visit

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We map the people, priorities, and decisions already shaping your financial life so the relationship starts with context.

^{OBJECTIVE: A CLEARER PICTURE OF WHAT MATTERS MOST RIGHT NOW.}

III

^{Step Three}

Possibility Session

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We examine what your resources may be able to support and where the biggest planning choices or tradeoffs live.

^{OBJECTIVE: A MORE CONCRETE SENSE OF WHAT MAY BE POSSIBLE.}

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^{Step Four}

Vision Meeting

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Planning, investments, and next-step priorities are aligned around the life your wealth is meant to support.

^{OBJECTIVE: A MORE INTENTIONAL PATH AND CLEARER DECISIONS.}

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^{Step Five}

Ongoing Relationship

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As life evolves, the work continues through reviews, planning decisions, and thoughtful coordination over time.

^{OBJECTIVE: CONTINUITY, CONTEXT, AND A STEADY DECISION PARTNER.}

^{Ownership, Specifically}Business owners might face the following questions

These are not just financial questions. They're life questions — the kind that surface once a sale moves from someday to soon.

"What happens after the business sells?"

A liquidity event creates options and complexity at the same time. Thoughtful sequencing, before and after the sale, shapes everything that follows.

Transition

Finding steady ground when everything changes at once.

"Who am I when I'm not running it?"

For many owners the business is identity as much as income. The financial plan is only part of it; the harder question is what the next chapter is meant to hold.

Identity

Planning for the life, not only the money.

"Will the proceeds actually last?"

Wealth that arrives all at once feels different from wealth that accrued slowly. We can help you see what possibilities exist for you in the decades ahead.

Longevity

Exploring ways to turn a one-time event into long-term income.

"How do I take care of the people I care about?"

Family, key employees, causes that matter. A sale is often the moment these intentions become concrete. We help you think them through alongside your attorney.

Legacy

Aligning the outcome with what matters most.

^{Common Questions}FAQ

A few answers specific to this page. Our full FAQ library covers more about the firm and how we work.

Earlier than most owners expect. The decisions that shape your life after a sale — timing, structure, what "enough" looks like — are easiest to influence before terms are set. That said, we work with owners at every stage, including well after the sale has closed.
No. We do not provide legal or tax advice. With your permission, we coordinate alongside your CPA and transaction counsel so the planning, tax, and deal pieces are considered together rather than in isolation.
Yes. Proceeds need a purpose — income, taxes, family, giving, and what comes next all move from abstract to immediate once a sale closes, and in many cases this is where a clear plan matters most.
That is often the best time to begin. Understanding what the business may need to provide, how timing and structure could affect the tax picture, and what the other side looks like tends to widen your options rather than narrow them.
Fit is less about a single number and more about complexity, responsibility, and the desire for a deeper advisory relationship. The Exploratory Call is how we find out together.
The Exploratory Call is brief and unhurried: you tell us what is on your mind, we describe how we work, and we both decide whether a Connection Visit makes sense. Nothing is prepared for you to buy.

^{Client Testimonials}In their words

The families we work with, on what the relationship has meant.

View all client testimonials

The testimonials displayed are from current clients. Clients were not compensated and there are no material conflicts of interest. Testimonials may not be reflective of the experience of all clients and are not a guarantee of future performance.

When You're Ready

Begin with a conversation, not a commitment.

If you are looking for an advisor who starts with the life rather than the portfolio, an Exploratory Call is the natural first step.

Schedule an Exploratory Call