We work with a lot of business owners. And the most common mistake we see isn’t a bad investment decision — it’s a structural one.
The business is the retirement plan. Everything flows back into it. The owner takes a modest salary, reinvests the profits, and assumes that when it comes time to sell, the proceeds will be enough.
Sometimes that works out. But it’s a concentrated bet — one asset, one buyer, one market at one point in time. And it means that the owner’s personal financial security is completely tied to a transaction they can’t fully control.
What we help business owners build instead is a parallel track: a personal wealth base that grows independently of the business. Maxing out retirement vehicles, managing compensation strategically, building a taxable investment account — all of it designed so that by the time a liquidity event happens, it’s a windfall, not a lifeline.
The business sale becomes an accelerant, not the foundation.
If you’re a business owner and your personal net worth outside the business is thin, that’s worth addressing now — not when you’re 60 and trying to negotiate an exit.
For informational and educational purposes only. Not investment, tax, or legal advice. Lake Hills Wealth Management is a Registered Investment Advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Our current Form ADV, Part 2A is available at adviserinfo.sec.gov.