Pillar
Step-Up Legacy Plan
The Step-Up Legacy Plan is John Allen's structured SBA bank-financed sale of an A/E/LS firm to key employees, where the seller receives the proceeds at closing with no multi-year earn-out. It is a practical ESOP alternative built for firms under $15 million in revenue that want a clean exit without an employee stock ownership trust and its six-figure setup costs. SBA 7(a) loans fund the transaction, and the bank handles the rest. Owners who have spent decades building their firm deserve a transaction that pays them out on day one.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
Why the Employees You Trained May Be Your Best Exit Strategy
Your best buyer is often already on your payroll. The people you trained hold the knowledge, clients, and culture an outside buyer would pay a discount to get.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
The Step-Up Legacy Plan: A New Framework for A/E Firm Ownership Transition
A framework for transitioning an A/E firm to its own employees using SBA financing, so the seller is paid at closing and the buyers own it outright.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
Selling to a Third Party vs. Keeping It in the Family
A third-party sale hands your A/E firm to a stranger. Keeping it in the family, your employees, preserves the culture. How the two exits actually compare.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
The Succession Timeline Most A/E Firm Owners Get Wrong
How long succession really takes for architecture and engineering firms, the three-to-four year countdown that works, and why selling to employees is faster.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
Retiring TO Something: Life After Selling Your A/E/LS Firm
The owners who handle the sale well built a life waiting. How the step-down process gives A/E/LS firm sellers runway instead of a cliff.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
Case Study: How a 28-Person A/E Firm Owner Exited with Step-Up
How a 28-person A/E firm owner exited with Step-Up: SBA financing, independent valuation, paid at close, and a clean control transfer.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
Who Bears the Risk? Capital Structure in A/E Firm Ownership Transitions
Compare 6 A/E firm ownership models by seller risk and liquidity. SBA buyouts, ESOPs, MBOs, EOTs, co-ops, and seller financing analyzed by who bears the financial risk.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
ESOP Alternatives for A/E Firms: SBA-Friendly Employee Buyouts
ESOPs cost $150,000 or more to set up and rarely fit firms under $10 million in sales. See how your employees come in with as little as 5% down and you are paid at closing.
Step-Up Legacy Plan
SBA Employee Buyout vs. ESOP vs. MBO vs. EOT vs. Co-Op vs. Seller Financing
Compare 6 employee ownership models by seller risk, cash at closing, and complexity. SBA buyouts deliver the lowest seller risk and highest upfront liquidity.