Estate Planning for Business Owners
Protect the business you've built and ensure its successful transition

Your Business Deserves Protection
As a business owner, you've invested years of hard work, resources, and passion into building your company. Your business isn't just a source of income—it's your legacy. Without proper planning, everything you've built could be at risk from taxes, family disputes, or forced liquidation. At Ozark Trust & Estate, we help business owners create comprehensive succession and estate plans to protect their companies, minimize taxes, and ensure a smooth transition to the next generation or chosen successors.
Schedule a ConsultationCRITICAL ISSUES FACING BUSINESS OWNERS
Business Continuity
Without proper planning, your business operations could be disrupted or even halted following disability or death, potentially destroying its value.
Tax Burden
Your business may be subject to substantial estate taxes, potentially forcing heirs to sell or liquidate the business just to pay the tax bill.
Family Disputes
Conflicts can arise between active and non-active family members in the business, particularly when ownership transfers without clear management plans.
Liquidity Issues
Business owners often have most of their wealth tied up in their business, creating challenges for estate taxes and providing for family members.
Key Person Risk
Many businesses rely heavily on the owner's skills, relationships, and knowledge, making transition particularly challenging without preparation.
Liability Exposure
Your personal assets could be at risk from business liabilities without proper entity structuring and asset protection planning.
OUR SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
Comprehensive Business Succession Planning
Ensure a smooth transition of ownership and management with a structured plan:
- Identifying and grooming successors within the family or management team
- Creating management transition plans separate from ownership transition
- Establishing clear timelines and milestone events for the succession process
- Developing contingency plans for unexpected events such as disability or premature death


Buy-Sell Agreements
Create legally binding agreements that ensure business continuity:
- Establishing clear terms for ownership transfer upon triggering events (death, disability, retirement)
- Setting fair valuation methods for business interests
- Funding agreements with life and disability insurance for liquidity
- Creating mechanisms to keep the business in family hands or transfer to key employees
Business Entity Structuring
Optimize your business structure for liability protection, tax efficiency, and succession:
- Evaluating and restructuring business entities (corporations, LLCs, partnerships)
- Creating family limited partnerships or limited liability companies for ownership transition
- Establishing voting and non-voting interests to maintain control while transferring value
- Implementing holding company structures to separate valuable assets from operating entities


Tax Minimization Strategies
Reduce potential tax burdens on your business and estate:
- Implementing lifetime gifting strategies using valuation discounts
- Creating Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) for business interests
- Establishing Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs) to freeze estate values
- Planning for potential estate tax liquidity needs through insurance and other mechanisms
Ready to Protect Your Business Legacy?
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help you create a comprehensive business succession and estate plan tailored to your unique situation.