THE HIDDEN TRIGGER EVERY BUSINESS ADVISOR NEEDS TO UNLOCK GROWTH
- Brad Gaulin
- Sep 4
- 3 min read
After 12 years of business growth coaching, I ran into the same wall over and over again: business owners who felt they were doing “OK.”
They weren’t desperate. They weren’t on fire. Sure, they were busy, too busy, in fact - but that busyness was precisely the problem. They were consumed by the day-to-day, convinced they didn’t have the time (or the need) to embrace meaningful change.
And let’s be honest, why would they suddenly take on a new advisor of any kind (coach, accountant, lawyer, banker, consultant) if things seemed “OK” and they were already maxed out?
The truth is, they wouldn’t.
That’s when I realized what was missing: a trigger.
The Wake-Up Call: The Fear of Exit Failure
The trigger I discovered is the cold, hard reality that business owners can’t ignore:
80–90% of their net worth (wealth) is tied up in their business.
80% of businesses put up for sale don’t sell.
Of the few that do sell, 75% of owners regret it within 12 months.
Two-thirds of small and medium businesses simply shut down when the owner leaves.
Think about that for a second. All their years of sacrifice, late nights, missed family events, personal risks, can evaporate because they weren’t prepared to make their business salable.
And it’s not just about the owner. The ripple effect hits their family, employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. When an exit fails, everyone loses.
That threat of exit failure is the only universal trigger strong enough to break through the “I’m too busy” and “I’m doing fine” walls.
The Opportunity for Every Advisor
This isn’t just a coaching insight, it’s an opportunity for every trusted advisor.
Especially for your existing business-owner clients, you’re sitting on the trigger that can unlock deeper conversations and greater value:
Use the risk of exit failure to get them thinking beyond today’s fire drills.
Show them how lack of preparation could erase their wealth and legacy.
Position yourself as the quarterback who can assemble the right team of complementary experts around them.
Owners don’t need another siloed advisor. They need someone to connect the dots, to guide them through the two plans they need to develop and execute:
An Owner’s Exit Plan (clarifying their personal, financial, and legacy goals).
A Business Growth Transformation Plan (building a scalable, salable company that thrives without them).
Together, these two plans not only protect their wealth but also create the growth, resilience, and freedom they’ve been chasing all along.
Why Collaboration Is the Real Growth Strategy
Here’s the kicker: the best way to grow your own advisory business isn’t by going it alone, it’s by collaborating.
When you quarterback the exit journey for your clients, you naturally bring in other trusted experts; accountants, lawyers, financial planners, brokers, risk advisors, and growth coaches.
Not only does this give the owner confidence (“I have a whole team behind me”), it also strengthens your own practice. You stop being seen as a transactional service provider and start being valued as the indispensable advisor who makes maximum-value exits possible.
The Bottom Line
Business owners may be complacent. They may be busy. But they’re not blind.
When you shine a light on the staggering odds of exit failure, you give them a reason to act, and to act now.
That’s the trigger. The Fear of Exit Failure
And for you as an advisor, that’s the opportunity: to grow your business by quarterbacking theirs. Because every business owner deserves a maximum-value exit, and it’s your job to make sure they get it.
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Chief Transformation Officer
MExit Inc.
#exitplanning #exitexecution #successionplanning #transitionplanning #esgconsciousbusiness #esg #sellingyourbusiness #exitplanninginstitute #valuebuilders #capitaliz #quistinsights #growthstrategy #growthtransformation #scalingup #transformationalchange #transformativeleadership #culturaltransformation #traction #10xgrowth @Robert Welke @elizabeth McCrae @jeffrey Cullen @chuck Prenevost @exit planning institute @Phil Hammond @Pascale Hansen @Stefanie Curtis
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