Too many business owners don’t have a realistic plan for how to exit their business, earn a decent retirement income, and preserve the legacy they’ve built and the jobs they’ve created. They don’t understand their options and don’t have time to figure it out on their own. Because of this, they wait until they are ready to retire before they think about how to exit their business, and liquidation and closure becomes the default option. Unfortunately, this option shortchanges the owner and results in lost jobs and economic assets for our communities.

At this roundtable, we will discuss the options available to business owners and how we can support employee ownership in our rural communities to sustain our local economies and support entrepreneurs.