For Business Owners

Build wealth, not just the business.

A successful company has been built. Now the focus is making sure that success is creating income, protection, retirement wealth, and financial options for the owner and the owner’s family.

See How It Works

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Four connected areas (Protect, Align, Integrate, Distribute) around one owner-centered wealth strategy

70%

of businesses taken to market never sell, leaving the owner's wealth locked inside the company

Source: Exit Planning Institute

83%

of business owners wish they knew more about tax rules

Source: Justworks / Harris Poll, 2024

70%–80%

of an owner's net worth is trapped in the business, one illiquid and undiversified asset

Source: Exit Planning Institute

1 in 4

owners have a real succession or exit plan, so most face a transition unprepared

Source: Brown Brothers Harriman

Does This Sound Familiar?

The Owner Built The Business.  When Does It Start Building The Owner’s Wealth? 

1

MOST OF THE OWNER’S NET WORTH IS STILL TIED UP IN THE COMPANY VALUE ON PAPER

2

THE OWNER IS UNSURE WHETHER COMPENSATION AND DISTRIBUTIONS ARE OPTIMIZED

3

RETIREMENT ASSETS OUTSIDE THE BUSINESS ARE NOT WHERE THE OWNER WANTS THEM

4

TAX, INSURANCE, ESTATE, AND INVESTMENT DECISIONS HAPPEN IN SEPARATE CONVERSATIONS

5

THE OWNER IS NOT SURE THEY ARE PROPERLY PROTECTED AS A BUSINESS OWNER

6

THE OWNER EXPECTS TO OWN THE COMPANY FOR YEARS AND WANTS TO BENEFIT FROM IT NOW

If two or more of these sound familiar, the issue may not be the success of the business. It may be how that success is being converted into personal wealth.

See where the Owner Stands

Business Wealth Diagnostic

Starts With the Owner. 
Not the Valuation.

The Business Wealth Diagnostic is part of the Owning Differently Platform and helps uncover how well the business is supporting the owner’s personal financial life today across four connected areas of The Architecture.

P

Protect

Protect the business, owner, and family from risks that could disrupt income, continuity, or long-term value.

A

Align

Align compensation, distributions, and tax strategy so more of the value created by the business works for the owner.

I

Integrate

Build retirement resources and personal wealth outside the business so the owner’s future is not dependent on one asset.

D

Distribute

Coordinate continuity, succession, estate, and legacy decisions so ownership and wealth can transition intentionally.

Advise business owners?

Bring the Owning Differently approach into your practice.

Advisor Access
Matt Hertig, founder and author of Owning Differently

Why I Built This

I Built the Company. I Sold the Company. I Learned What I Wish I Had Done Differently.

Matt spent nearly 20 years building and running his own company before selling it.

While he built a successful and valuable business, he did not have a coordinated strategy for protecting that value and intentionally converting more of the business’s success into personal wealth during the ownership years.

That experience is what led him to create Owning Differently.

I understand the owner’s side of the table because I sat there.

  • Certified Exit Planning Advisor
  • Licensed financial advisor
  • Licensed insurance professional
  • Former founder / CEO

Matt provides financial advisory services through his relationship with Unity Financial Planning Group, an RIA.

Learn More About Matt →

The Plan

Strategy First. Solutions Second.

We start by understanding what owning the business is doing for the business owner today. From there, advisors help identify priorities, coordinate the right professionals, and guide the appropriate strategies.

The Owning Differently process helps identify where business value, personal wealth, and ownership strategy may be disconnected. For advisors, it creates a repeatable starting point for more complete business-owner conversations.

Advisor Access →

Owner Wealth Strategy

Compensation, distributions, liquidity, outside wealth accumulation, and owner economics.

Retirement Strategy

401(k), profit sharing, cash balance planning, and building retirement resources outside the business.

Business Protection

Key person planning, continuity, insurance, and protecting business and family value.

Tax Coordination

Coordinate with tax professionals to align tax strategy with owner goals and business economics.

Legacy & Transition

Estate planning, succession, ownership transfer, continuity, and eventual exit when appropriate.

Ongoing Advisory Coordination

Keep the strategy moving by reviewing priorities, coordinating specialists, and adjusting the plan as the business and owner's needs evolve.

Owning Differently and Owner Advisory Group Inc. provide strategy, education, diagnostic tools, and technology.

Start With a Conversation

Business Wealth Review

A 30-minute conversation focused on one question:

Is the business building the personal wealth the owner wants it to?

  • Review the owner’s current ownership picture
  • Identify the biggest planning opportunities
  • Discuss where wealth may be concentrated or exposed
  • Determine what deserves attention first
  • Decide whether a deeper Business Wealth Diagnostic makes sense
Owning Differently: Turning Business Success into Personal Wealth by Matt Hertig

The Book

Owning Differently

Turning Business Success into Personal Wealth

The book introduces a different way of thinking about ownership: the business should be supporting the owner’s financial life while they still own it, not only at a future exit.

Learn About the Book →

The Business Should Be Building More Than Business Value.It Should Be Building Wealth for the Owner.

Owners shouldn’t wait until the exit to build personal wealth. Advisors shouldn’t wait until the exit to help them do it.