I was in my mid-twenties, as rich as I'd ever been on my own, and broke.

I should have been quite happy. The landscaping and snow/ice management company I started when I was 16 had just been acquired by a strategic buyer – a competitor who liked our people, processes, customers and equipment so much that they bought my business. As a teenager I had built a successful company with more than 20 employees.

But right there, before my eyes, my name was being promptly removed from the side of one of the seven trucks involved in the sale of my business.

Related: 17 Founders share how their first business idea helps them today

Let the way you sit define you

The problem was clear: my stool was loose.

Think of business ownership as a three-legged stool: personal, financial and firm. When you're building value—not just dollar value, but intangible capital like people, systems, and ideas—in your company, you need that bench to be sturdy and comfortable. This means stretching between all three legs.

I had sold a business, and eight months later, it was clear that one of the things I took with me was a rocking chair. I had done no personal planning before my exit. Like many new entrepreneurs, I made the mistake of thinking that owning a business was just business. So after coming out, I didn't have any personal plans and I didn't know what to do next. I had spent years so focused on the business that I wasn't excited about the vision for my next phase.

This time, in the business I own now, I'm focused on building a business that matters—one that, when an exit comes, the outcome aligns with my business, personal, and financial goals. My business is not just what I wake up and do every morning. It is a financial asset that fits into my personal and financial plans. Instead of making a business plan, I let my personal plan drive everything I do. Owning a business is part of that personal plan—but only part. It's helping me build a company where I'm comfortable and ready to leave.

Related: When should business owners start developing an exit plan? Here's what you need to know.

Getting out of the way

The fact is one exit is coming for you and your business. Half of all exits in this country are caused by the 5Ds: death, divorce, disability, disagreement or distress. If you have a serious illness or sudden death, what will happen to your company? And since most of an entrepreneur's wealth is locked up inside their company, what assets will you be able to pass on to your family?

Fruitful exits happen to important companies – not necessarily just the successful ones. To have an important company, it must be highly valuable, transferable, attractive at every point and compatible with all three legs of the bench. The value cannot be about you and your ideas. It should be value that continues after you're gone. And to build value, you'll need to get out of the way.

Get out of the way tip #1: Decentralize

My current company has 35 employees. As an owner, I know two of my strongest points are people and culture. Because I follow the Value Acceleration Methodology—a strategic framework for executing exit planning that focuses on what I can do now to increase the value of my business—I complete continuous 90-day sprints to mitigate risk through business improvements. One risk I'm focusing on right now is DECENTRALIZATION for I know that when my exit comes, the business cannot be for me.

I recently took a month off from my business to get married. When I came back, every goal we set for my time away was hit. But what I noticed was that the culture was not the same. Without me driving the culture every day, the company was not the same. This tells me that we need to work to build teams and processes that begin to instill culture in the business.

Related: 6 critical reasons why culture should be at the top of every CEO's agenda

Get out of the way tip #2: Educate yourself

Important companies are ready for transition at any moment. To be ready for the transition, you need to know that your company has value, whether to an external or internal buyer.

Participating in a formal value enhancement process prior to the transition is essential. It's not a single experience, because while you're building toward an exit, your goal is to be ready to exit at any moment, agnostic to specific exit options. Educate your business by conducting annual business assessments, assessing your personal, financial and business goals and making what you've learned a priority action plan it is key.

Get out of the way tip #3: Get help

You don't have to do this alone. Seeking a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, or CEPA®, can help you develop your own plans—based on a proven framework—that align with your business, personal and financial goals.

Exit planners uncover risks in an owner's business, help build significant value before a transition, and align an owner's business, personal and financial goals. And, because you're paying attention to all three legs of the stool, you may need more than one. They may specialize in financial advice, legal assistance, accounting or leadership and can connect you with other planners to help you build your own advisory team.

Getting out of the way doesn't mean sitting out

While it's important to build a meaningful company that's worth going after the owner, going off the beaten path doesn't mean you're leading in the absence. In fact, the work of building a significant company is intensive. As entrepreneurs, we often feel like the lines are blurred between who we are and who our business is. For the people who work in your company—and the value a potential owner can see in your company—it's essential that the business becomes more than just you.