Getting to Exit: How to Leave Your Business on Your Terms by David Reid explores one of the most important yet frequently postponed decisions for business owners: how to prepare for leaving the business they have spent years building.
Rather than focusing only on selling for the highest possible price, the book approaches exit planning through objectives, timing, financial needs, business preparation, and the life an owner wants after the transition.
Book Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Book Title | Getting to Exit: How to Leave Your Business on Your Terms |
| Author | David Reid |
| Pages | 262 |
| Language | English |
| Publication Date | August 1, 2026 |
| Book Link | Amazon India |
Review
At the center of Getting to Exit is a straightforward idea: every business owner will eventually leave their business in some way, so planning for that transition matters. David Reid draws on his own experience as a CEO and founder who spent 20 years growing a company to more than 100 employees before selling it at a premium valuation.
The author’s experience eventually led him to develop a 10-year plan for his own exit. That experience forms the foundation of the book’s nine-step framework, which is designed to give business owners a structured approach to preparing for an exit.
One of the book’s key themes is understanding the why behind an exit. Instead of treating the sale price as the only objective, Reid explores the importance of determining what the owner actually needs financially, when they want to leave, and what they want their life to look like afterward.
The book also examines ten different ways to exit a business and the characteristics associated with each approach. This creates a broader perspective on exit planning while encouraging business owners to connect their chosen path with their individual objectives.
Another major focus is preparing the business itself. Reid discusses the difference between working in a business and working on it, along with the importance of creating a business that can support a premium valuation. The book also introduces a system for identifying an ideal buyer years before the owner is ready to sell.
Through practical tools, personal experiences, and a structured framework, Getting to Exit presents exit planning as a long-term process rather than an event that begins when an owner finally decides to sell.
Final Thoughts
Getting to Exit presents business exit planning as a deliberate, long-term process built around personal objectives, financial preparation, business value, timing, and buyer strategy. David Reid combines his entrepreneurial experience with a nine-step framework to explore how owners can prepare for a transition on their own terms.