Should Small Business Owners have a Retirement Plan?

Small business owners juggle many day-to-day tasks such as meeting payroll, serving customers and with other expected and unexpected issues. With so many immediate priorities, it can be difficult to find time to focus on the future, especially a future that may be a decade or more away.

Surveys have found that more than half of small business owners do not have a retirement plan in place. To properly tackle retirement, small business owners should consider the following:

1. Set a goal.

This seems obvious, but setting a goal for your business and envisioning what you plan to do at retirement is crucial. Whether you choose to sell the business, hand it down to family or a colleague, close the business (which often requires selling assets like equipment) or sell out a partnership, this decision will ultimately inform how you prepare for retirement.

Surveys have also found that small business owners are not confident they will have enough savings to retire comfortably. Along with your business plan, be sure to work with a financial advisor to discuss a personal retirement savings goal and how you can meet it.

2. Build a retirement plan.

It’s vital to begin planning and saving as soon as possible, since age contributes to how aggressive your savings plan needs to be.

There are a few factors to consider when building your plan. If you want to sell your business at retirement, be realistic about its market value. While it’s impossible to predict how the economy, real estate market and other factors will impact a business' future worth, obtaining a valuation range can better prepare you for all outcomes. If you’re relying on the funds from selling your business at retirement and believe you can easily get Rs.5 crores only to discover your top potential bid is Rs.4 crores, that dip in savings could highly impact your retirement plan.

Business owners wanting to "cash out" of the business at retirement still need to save cash now. It is tempting to put all profits back into a business, especially in early growth years, but doing so shortchanges you in the end.

3. Think about growing your business.

Most of small businesses are sole proprietorships, meaning the owner has essentially replaced his or her income at a corporation with self-earned income. If your goal is to sell your business, you need to grow. Unfortunately, sole proprietorships don't sell – that would be like buying a job instead of a business.

If you want to increase the value of your business, add employees (at least three to four) and grow revenue. This means being less tactical and becoming more strategic in managing the business. Don't just run the whole business top-to-bottom day in and day out. Enlist the outside help of an accountant or banker as you hire and grow your services.

An owner of a well-run growth company can easily get 50-70 percent of the value of assets in a buy-out or about three to four times the revenue. Investing now may make a big difference in your retirement nest later.

4. Be smart with finances.

For small business owners, preparing for retirement is work. It goes beyond setting aside a percentage of your paycheck into a savings plan. Setting a goal, finalizing a plan and being educated on the best options for you and will all aid in attaining that dream of a post-entrepreneur life of luxury.