Business owners preparing to sell, transition, or pass on their companies often discover a significant gap between what they receive and what they could have planned for—a gap that Certified Exit Planning Advisor Dan Conklin says is frequently measured in seven figures. In his new book, Business Strong, Beyond the Trap, Conklin argues that this shortfall is not a failure of ambition but a failure of preparation.
Conklin, founder of the exit-planning coaching practice Bizical Fitness, has released the book as a guide for owners at any stage of their business journey. The book introduces the V.R.T. Going Vertical methodology, a framework built around three pillars: Valuable, Repeatable, and Teachable. It identifies eight value drivers that distinguish a sellable company from one that functions primarily as its owner’s high-income job.
Structured around six stages of an owner’s journey—The Calling, The Training, The Crossroads, The Close, The Legacy Path, and The Champion Mindset—the book allows readers to start wherever their business currently stands. It includes a 24-week owner sprint, exit planning worksheets, and a glossary of exit-planning terms.
“You built something most people would never attempt,” Conklin writes in the book’s introduction. “This book makes sure it’s worth everything you put into it.”
The implications for business owners are significant. With millions of baby boomer-owned businesses expected to change hands in the coming years, the difference between a planned exit and an unprepared one can determine whether an owner’s life work translates into lasting financial security or a missed opportunity. Conklin’s practice, bizicalfitness.com, works with companies generating $900,000 to $15 million in annual revenue, a segment where exit outcomes often hinge on preparation.
Conklin holds Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and Certified Employee Ownership Advisor (CEOA) credentials and has advised business owners across a range of exit structures, including stock sales, ESOPs, family transitions, and employee ownership arrangements. He is also an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) and holds Series 7 and Series 66 securities licenses, serving as an Investment Advisor Representative at Hunter Street Investment Advisors, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm. His work focuses on helping owners build sellable, transferable companies and on advising those considering employee ownership as an alternative to private equity sales.
Business Strong, Beyond the Trap is available through major retailers and at bizicalfitness.com. Published by New York Publishing Labs, the book arrives as more owners seek ways to protect the value they have built. For those who have spent years building a company, the book’s central message is that the time to prepare for an exit is long before a buyer appears.
