Poised for Exit
Welcome to the Poised for Exit podcast! Poised for Exit is an under 30-minute strategic planning guidance podcast for busy small business owners. Each week you’ll hear certified exit planning advisor, Julie Keyes, talk with a range of entrepreneurs and professionals about preparing your business for a future transition. Guests at every stage of company ownership will share their personal stories and lessons learned about topics such as the anatomy of the exit planning process, developing a growth strategy, how to sell on your terms, exit planning for women small business owners, handling business diversity, and how to sell a family business. Whether you’re planning an exit in the near future or not, this show will provide you with the same action-oriented content that Julie utilizes while consulting with Keyestrategies clients. Building an exit strategy can be overwhelming, especially with all the decisions and details you have to consider. “Poised for Exit” will simplify the process and help you unwrap the unknowns, giving you more confidence in your planning process. Previous episodes are available for download, so if you are new to our show, you can listen to them in any order that suits you. Join us each week for timely, relevant content that will surely impact your business exit outcome! Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive your weekly episode link and stay updated on new strategic planning content. Find “Poised for Exit” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and others. Thank you to our Sponsors: Sunbelt Business Advisers and JAK CPA's. A special note of thanks to Tyler Keyes who produced the music for the “Poised for Exit” show.
Poised for Exit
The HR Mistakes That Can Derail Your Exit
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In this episode of Poised for Exit, Kristin Nordling, Founder and CEO of Lakeside HR Group, joins the show to discuss why HR should be viewed as a strategic business function—not simply a source of compliance support. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in HR, recruiting, private equity, and acquisitions, Kristin shares how overlooking the people side of a business can create costly problems during a sale.
The conversation explores what effective HR due diligence should uncover, including company culture, leadership gaps, key employee dependencies, and the ability of a team to successfully navigate change. Kristin explains why financial performance alone does not tell the full story and how culture and employee retention can ultimately determine whether an acquisition succeeds.
Kristin also shares how strategic HR can help owners reduce their company’s dependence on them, strengthen the leadership structure, and prepare key employees for a future transition. From identifying the need for a COO or integrator to using retention strategies such as stay bonuses and phantom stock, thoughtful people planning can protect both enterprise value and the owner’s legacy.
Whether an owner is preparing to sell soon or still several years away, the episode highlights why these issues cannot be addressed at the last minute. Building a transferable company takes time, and the right HR strategy can help create a stronger business today while positioning it for a more successful exit tomorrow.
Connect with Kristin Nordling here
Learn more about Lakeside HR Group here
Connect with Julie Keyes, Keyestrategies LLC
Founder, Consultant, Author, Pod-caster and Instructor