Exit Ready: Rocks, Roles, and Results That Power Your Exit Plan

by Tyler Smith, Kelly J. Carter, Gino Wickman (Foreword)

"Exit Ready’s methodical, step-by-step approach transforms the daunting task of planning an exit into a predictable, value-maximizing process for any EOS company.”

—Gino Wickman

Author of Traction & Shine,

Creator of EOS®

Are you maximizing the value of your company?

Every business owner, without exception, will eventually exit their business. It might be a carefully orchestrated exit, the culmination of years of planning. Or, it could be thrust upon you unexpectedly, a sudden turn forced by circumstances beyond your control. What will happen to you and the business you’ve painstakingly built when it's time to step away?

Authored by experienced entrepreneurs Tyler Smith and Kelly J. Carter, Exit Ready shows you how to elevate your already well-run EOSⓇ company into an organization that's primed for a smooth, successful, and highly profitable transition, whenever that time may come.

In Exit Ready, you’ll discover how

Implement the Step-by-Step Model so you can layer exit-focused thinking onto each of the Six Key ComponentsⓇ of EOS.Utilize the Six1 Framework to coordinate your EOS efforts with your six trusted advisors.Follow the Exit-Ready Process to systematically assess your current state of readiness, identify gaps, and implement necessary changes to become Exit-Ready.Use the SxSE Exercises to implement every aspect of SxSE effectively and efficiently.
Exit Ready is about creating options, not limiting them or merely preparing for a distant sale that may occur someday. It's time to make your business stronger, more resilient, more marketable, and, ultimately, more valuable.

Start cultivating your Exit Ready company today.Learn more at ExitFocused.com

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2025

Reviews

[Gianfranco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Key insight

This book is a very interesting appetizer for all those who are starting businesses or who already have a very successful one but have not defined what the end of time will mean for their company in terms of its presence and role. I think few people think about this, but the book has made it very clear to me that we need to have a plan for that moment when, for one reason or another, we will no longer be part of our business. What will we do as individuals? What direction will the company take without our guidance? Well, this book helps not only to solve these mysteries but also to face them and prepare the ground in an appropriate way, so that when the time comes, we will be more than ready.

An excellent book, highly recommended.

[Kary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exit Ready tackles one of the most overlooked yet inevitable realities of entrepreneurship: every business owner will eventually exit their company. Whether the exit is carefully planned or forced by circumstances, the question remains—will your business be ready?

Smith and Carter, drawing from their own entrepreneurial experience, deliver a pragmatic guide built around the EOSⓇ (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework. What makes this book stand out is its refusal to treat exit planning as a one-time event. Instead, it reframes the process as an ongoing discipline—layered into the daily operations of a company.

The book introduces practical tools like the Step-by-Step Model, the Six1 Framework, and the Exit-Ready Process, each designed to help owners assess readiness, close gaps, and strengthen their organizations. These aren’t abstract theories—they’re actionable systems that integrate directly into EOS practices business leaders may already use.

What’s refreshing is the emphasis on creating options rather than forcing a sale. By embedding exit-focused thinking into the DNA of the business, owners not only prepare for a profitable transition but also build stronger, more resilient, and ultimately more valuable companies today.

If you’re an entrepreneur serious about long-term value creation, Exit Ready is essential reading.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘When your business is Exit-Ready, you’re in the drivers’ seat’ – Reliable instructions!

Authors Tyler Smith, an EOS Implementer, and Kelly J. Carter, co-founder and CEO of Beacon Retirement Planning Group, both guide their clients through the Step-by-Step Exit process. Their informed background experience is now placed before the public in this valuable guide that provides advice and instruction on how to navigate an exit from a business. For those unfamiliar, EOS stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System, and the authors manage to apply their recommendations for planning an exit from businesses of any size. Exit Readiness ‘transcends the mere act of selling; it’s about building a better, stronger. More resilient, and ultimately more valuable business today, while simultaneously securing your options and freedom for tomorrow.’ Superbly written, this valuable guide offers instruction plus excellent examples and tools for planning that inevitable exit from business. Recommended

[Steven Finkelstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you start a business, then you might put years of your life into it. Building it up can become a fixation or a veritable obsession for you. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this. If you have a Type A personality, then you may feel compelled to put all of yourself into an idea and not feel satisfied until you have seen it through and brought it to profitability.

However, not as many people think about what their exit plan will eventually be. Unless you plan on working at your company literally every day until you die, you need to start considering how to exit gracefully. This book explains how you can do that while still allowing the company to move forward, retaining the values and goals you have so carefully put in place.

[Almiria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exit Ready by Tyler Smith and Kelly J. Carter is an informative guide for anyone running an EOS company (a company that uses the Entrepreneurial Operating System). This business guidebook focuses on how you can prepare your company for a successful exit strategy that preserves what you’ve built up, whether the exit is sudden and unexpected or carefully planned. The authors teach practical strategies to help you assess your business’s exit readiness and plan your exit strategy.

One criticism I have is that the book doesn’t really give any guidance on how to make sure your EOS company is actually successful and well-run in the first place. This makes the book’s application a bit more limited than it could otherwise be.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of books about leading, growing business, and so on. But this is my first encounter with a book about how to prepare to leave a company. I like that the author explained really well that because life is moving constantly, eventually there will be an exit. So, making the process smooth is the aim of this guide. No matter if the exit is unexpected or planned, the step by step is a good way to internalize the things to do. The book also has exercises, which I find quite interesting.
A great read for anyone in a business or creating their own, the authors make sure of this idea of building a company that’s strong, resilient and ready for the ups and downs.

[Yolanda Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an entrepreneur I'm always looking for readings that can help me to improve my business at every level, not just the processes, profitability, culture, but also improving my vision and work as a leader, and this book helps me with a lot of that. This book helped me understand all the different possibilities and strategies existing so I can prepare if the moment comes and is time to sell or leave the leadership in someone else; it is not usual to find readings that equipped you with tools to know how to exit, and that for me was amazing. It is a book that shows all the options and makes your business stronger.

[Ivana S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exit Ready is a smart, practical guide for any entrepreneur who knows they won’t run their business forever but wants to do it on their terms. The book’s structure is a real strength. From the Step-by-Step Model to the Six1 Framework and SxSE Exercises, each concept is clearly explained and immediately actionable. I really appreciated how the authors shifted the mindset from “someday” to “start today.”

It’s about building a stronger, more valuable company. Whether you're years from an exit or facing one unexpectedly, this book helps you stay in control. Insightful, clear, and loaded with value, it is a must-read for any business owner serious about their future.