Business Owners
Business Owners
Business Owners—You built something that matters. Now what?
You’ve spent years turning vision into payroll, patents, and proud customers. The next leap—from hands on operator to hands free owner—demands the same grit plus a fresh playbook. We knit together the personal and the professional so your exit isn’t a finish line; it’s a launchpad.
How We Can Help
Value Acceleration Roadmap
Using time-tested methodology, we benchmark today’s enterprise value, outline “quick wins,” and stage longer term transformation tasks that can help raise a future sale multiple without derailing day to day ops.
Exit Ready Tax Strategy Playbook
Multi year modeling shows the impact of Section 1202 QSBS exclusions, 1042 rollovers, or installment sales, so you can choose the structure that keeps more in your pocket when the wire hits.
Personal Net Worth Bridge
We help translate illiquid business equity into a post sale cash flow ladder, marrying proceeds with pre existing IRAs, 401(k)s, HSAs, and brokerage assets for durable, tax efficient income.
Enterprise Risk Shield
Review and (when needed) redesign buy sell agreements, key person life insurance coverage, and owner replacement funding to protect value while a deal is pending.
Legacy & Impact Integration
Tie a donor-advised fund (for upfront deductions) or a family foundation into the closing package so your generosity scales with your liquidity event rather than becoming an afterthought.
Brittany Gautreau, CEPA®
Founder & Lead Wealth Advisor
After 12 years guiding clients in a key leadership role at her previous firm, she built Tenacity’s process to give you the same edge: one dashboard designed to unite every account, a specialist network that speaks with one voice, and a plan that adapts as fast as your ambitions. From an internship at the Seattle Federal Reserve to ops leadership at American Express Financial Advisors, Brittany’s two decades (and counting!) in the industry prove the power of consistent action. She now channels her resolve into clear, actionable guidance for clients planning their next chapter. Outside the office, you’ll find her road-tripping with her husband, Zach, or supporting foster care, veterans, and anti-trafficking causes.
Women In Wealth — You deserve clarity and confidence through life’s financial turning points.
Life can change fast, and money gets more complicated when it does. Divorce. Losing a spouse. Caring for an aging parent. A serious illness. Or simply stepping into retirement after a successful career. Women In Wealth deserve a steady financial partner through every transition with clear planning, coordinated strategy, and a calm next step. We’re often a strong fit for women who:
- have $1,000,000+ in investable assets
- are widowed and navigating inherited wealth
- are divorced and rebuilding clarity & control
- are nearing retirement after a successful career and want a coordinated plan
How We Can Help
Equity Compensation Blueprint
Scenario analysis for ISOs, NSOs, and RSUs pinpoints optimum exercise dates, AMT exposure, and sale windows, designed to help you capture upside without potential surprise tax bills.
Deferred Comp & Bonus Optimization
Strategies designed to Layer 401(k), mega backdoor Roth, and non qualified plans so today’s income fills tomorrow’s lower tax brackets—while a cash reserve “sleep fund” keeps you liquid between vesting dates.
Investment Peak Portfolio
Low cost ETFs, direct indexing, and a vetted sleeve of private credit or real estate funds (when appropriate) align growth potential with your risk budget—no performance chasing required.
Tax Efficient Income Layering
Multi year bracket projections identify potential Roth conversion windows, charitable bunching years, and harvest loss targets to help shave avoidable taxes each April.
Career Protection Suite
Own occupation disability, umbrella liability, and cyber fraud protections to help defend the balance sheet you’ve worked so hard to build—because one lawsuit shouldn’t unwind decades of discipline.
Transition Cash-Flow Roadmap
Create a clear picture of income, expenses, accounts, insurance, and timing — so decisions feel steadier and less urgent.
Misty Stoddart
Managing Director & Wealth Manager
Rooted in Southern values and shaped by life across the West — from Southern California to Idaho and Montana — Misty brings warmth, perspective, and steady leadership to every relationship she builds.
With more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Misty serves as Managing Director & Wealth Manager at Tenacity Wealth Management. She specializes in working with women navigating major transitions — widowhood, divorce, retirement planning after a successful career, and other life changes that can make financial decisions feel heavier than they should.
Misty is known for her thoughtful, personal approach: listening first, anticipating what’s coming, and building clear, coordinated strategies designed to help women protect what they’ve earned, regain clarity, and make confident next-step decisions.
Outside of work, Misty is often found exploring the outdoors, traveling, cheering on her kids, and gathering with the people she proudly calls family. She is also an official Wish Grantor with Make-A-Wish North Idaho.
Business Services
Scale & Grow:
Fuel today’s momentum. Build tomorrow’s value.
Early-stage and mid-career owners lean on us for cash flow optimization, retirement plan design, and Key Person life insurance coverage to help protect today’s momentum while adding enterprise value for tomorrow.
In practice, that often includes:
- 401(k) or Cash‑Balance plan design that tilts more dollars toward owner accounts.
- Tax‑credit mapping for Research & Development or energy incentives.
- Key‑Person Plus” life insurance coverage that funds a temporary talent gap if you’re sidelined.
Exit & Transition:
When it’s time to move on, don’t leave money—or opportunity—on the table.
When it’s time to move on, our exit strategies, tax-efficient structures, and lifestyle income mapping help convert years of sweat equity into liquidity (and a life you love).
Typical tools we deploy:
- Pre sale quality of earnings reviews.
- Section 1202 and 1042 rollover analysis.
- Coordinated deal structures that spread proceeds across tax years while protecting spouse and estate priorities.
Invest & Distribute:
Wealth that works long after the business card comes down.
Once you’ve transitioned out, the game changes. Your focus shifts from growing wealth to protecting it and living off of it. We craft disciplined, tax-efficient investment and withdrawal strategies designed to provide income without anxiety.
Your plan may include:
- Low-cost ETFs or direct indexing.
- Tax-loss harvesting and proactive rebalancing.
- Withdrawal sequencing based on future RMDs and lifestyle goals.
Legacy & Impact:
Make your money do more—for the people and causes you care about most.
From family governance frameworks to charitable giving and multigenerational wealth transfer, we help extend the good your wealth can do on your terms and timeline.
Your plan may include:
- Donor advised funds for high impact giving.
- Generation skipping or dynasty trust design (through our in-house counsel).
- Family governance playbook that turns tough money talks into productive annual summits.
Faq
Questions from Business Owners
What we often hear from owners preparing for a future exit, sale, or transition
When should I start planning to sell or exit my business?
The short answer? Probably sooner than you think.
If you want to fully step away from your business in the next 3-7 years, we generally believe you should start preparing at least 2-3 years in advance. That gives you time to make the business less dependent on you, clean up the financials, strengthen cash flow, document systems and processes, and make sure you are personally ready to walk away.
We often say, “I should have started yesterday.” That’s because business owners do not always get to choose the exact timing of their exit. Health changes, family circumstances, economic conditions, or an unexpected offer can accelerate the timeline.
Next step: If you think an exit may be somewhere on the horizon, start by getting clear on what your business is worth today and what needs to change before it is truly ready to sell.
How do I know if my business is actually ready to sell?
We look at three kinds of readiness:
- Business readiness: Can the company operate without you? Are systems, processes, and key relationships shared with other members of the team?
- Financial readiness: Are the books clean? Are personal expenses removed from the business? Are owner draws reasonable and consistent? Can a buyer clearly see the real profitability of the company?
- Owner readiness: Are you emotionally and mentally prepared to receive offers, hand over control, and truly walk away?
A business may be profitable and still not be ready to sell if the owner is required for every major decision.
Next step: Ask yourself honestly: “If I disappeared for 90 days, could this company continue operating without me?” If the answer is no, that is a good place to start.
How do I know how much I need to sell my business for?
This is where we use what we call the Wealth Gap.
We look at what your business is worth today, what you currently spend to maintain your lifestyle, what you have saved outside the business, and what your eventual sale proceeds could reasonably support after taxes and transaction costs.
Then we reverse engineer the numbers.
A business may be worth $1 million, $5 million, or $10 million - but the real question is whether the amount you actually keep after the sale will support the life you want afterward.
Next step: Before deciding on your “number,” calculate the income you will need after the business is gone and compare that to your likely net sale proceeds.
My business is my retirement plan. Is that enough?
Maybe - but we would not assume so until we do the math.
Many owners believe they know what their business is worth based on what it earns for them today. But a future buyer has to agree with that value, and the business has to be able to prove it.
Even if the business ultimately sells for a meaningful amount, that money may need to support 20, 30, or more years of retirement.
That is why we encourage owners to start building wealth outside of the company long before the sale. Retirement accounts, brokerage accounts, and other investments can help reduce the pressure on the business to fund your entire future.
Next step: Find out what percentage of your net worth is tied up in the company today. If almost everything is in the business, it may be time to start diversifying.
Why do my CPA, attorney, and financial advisor need to work together before I sell?
Because a business sale touches far more than the sale price.
Taxes, legal structure, financing terms, estate planning, retirement income, investment strategy, and the timing of the transaction can all affect what you ultimately walk away with.
At Tenacity, we often describe ourselves as the financial quarterback. We help coordinate the trusted advisors involved in the process so everyone is working toward the same goal.
That may include your CPA, attorney, valuation professional, business broker, insurance professional, or other specialists.
Next step: If your advisors are currently working in separate silos, consider bringing them together before major decisions are made.
