Exit Planning Strategy with Expert EOS Implementer Lorie Clements

Why Most Business Owners Aren’t Ready to Sell

If you're a founder thinking about selling your business in the next year, your business exit strategy might already be behind schedule. Exit planning isn’t just a checklist – it’s a long-term strategy that affects your operations, your finances, and your identity as a founder.

Lorie Clements, an Expert EOS Implementer and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), guides entrepreneurs through this high-stakes transition. Her advice? You can’t shortcut a strong exit planning strategy, and if you want real value, you have to start now.

The fantasy of a 6-month exit

Too many founders believe they can prep and sell their business in a matter of months. But according to Lorie, a smart business exit strategy actually takes closer to two years.

That means two years of real exit planning: streamlining operations, tightening financials, and, perhaps most important, mentally preparing to replace yourself in your business and step away from your life’s work.

Most owners don’t realize how unready they are, especially when it comes time to turn over a clean set of years of normalized financials and operational measurables.

“Almost none of the founders I work with are actually prepared when we start,” Lorie says.

And no, you can’t expect your broker or other sell-side advisors to do it all. “Expect due diligence to feel like a root canal,” she adds. “Your books, your team, your operations – everything will be under the microscope.”

But exit planning for business owners isn’t just about logistics. It’s about mindset. “Someone’s going to call your business ugly,” Lorie warns. “You have to remember that it’s not personal.”

The emotional side of letting go of your business

Exit planning isn’t just about spreadsheets and multiples – it’s a full-on identity crisis. Founders are used to being the center of their companies. Selling means redefining their purpose.

That’s why Lorie emphasizes getting your head in the game. “It’s not just about the financial plan – it’s about having a plan for what comes next. What are you walking towards?”

Her advice? Start with honesty. Talk to your spouse. Talk to your leadership team. Assemble a circle of objective, no-BS advisors who can help you keep your head when the process gets chaotic (because it will).

Your business should be able to run without you

One of the smartest moves in any business exit planning strategy? Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) – a proven framework that helps leaders run their businesses with clarity, consistency, and control.

“EOS builds structure that can easily be used to remove dependency on the owner,” explains Lorie. “That’s critical. If your business can’t run without you, what are you even selling?”

Buyers are drawn to businesses that operate independently of their founders. EOS creates that independence through systems – scorecards, accountability charts, clean data, and a playbook that’s easy for outsiders to understand. That kind of operational clarity directly translates into value during a sale.

Lorie doesn’t offer exit planning for business owners outside of her EOS work for a reason: the system is a big part of laying the foundation for a successful exit. And because a successful exit planning strategy is deeply personal and complex, EOS provides the structure needed to make it achievable.

Get your finances in order – yesterday

In any solid business exit planning strategy, clean financials are a must. According to Lorie, founders often don’t realize how messy their books are until a buyer starts asking tough questions. By then, it can be too late to fix things without losing value.

“Buyers need to trust your numbers,” says Lorie. That means bringing in finance and accounting partners early – teams who can get your books in order, track key metrics, and act as strategic thought partners.

If you’re wondering what kind of outsourced accounting services you should be utilizing for your business, Lorie recommends working with experts like kept.pro, who can help make your financials due diligence-ready. Clean books don’t just reduce friction – they increase valuation and confidence at the negotiation table.

Bottom line: if you're serious about your business exit strategy, your financials need to be airtight.

Lessons from the trenches

After nearly 1,000 full-day EOS client sessions and countless exit planning conversations, Lorie has seen the same truths play out again and again. Her biggest lessons? They echo familiar business clichés, but with hard-won credibility.

• “We hire employees. And then humans show up.”
• “Uncommunicated expectations are just premeditated resentments.”

People management is the real work, and no framework, not even EOS, can fully shield you from the messiness of it. But intentional structure, like EOS, makes that work clearer, more manageable, and more objective.

• “There is no luck in business. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."

That’s the other half of the equation: disciplined execution and the patience to see it through. Unrelenting effort, anchored by sound frameworks and objective guidance, from your EOS implementor, to your advisors, to your outsourced accounting provider, and beyond, is what gives owners their best shot at a strong finish.

Because you don’t get a clean exit by accident. You get it by doing the work long before the deal is on the table.

About Lorie Clements

Lorie Clements is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor and Expert EOS® Implementer, having delivered over 900 sessions to 130 clients in a wide variety of industries. Prior to starting her advisory practice, she served as President of a transportation company, COO of an innovative Healthcare IT company, CFO securing investment capital for solar energy power plants, and in Vice President roles for business development, sales & marketing. She has led companies from start-ups, and P/E backed firms to turnarounds and growth stage companies across nine industries and seven countries. Lorie holds an MBA from Rice University and a BBA of Finance from the University of Texas in Austin. She currently lives in San Diego with her three daughters and husband, and she enjoys ocean paddleboarding and adventurous travel.