Many business owners dream of leaving a legacy. But few take the time to structure it.

In Puerto Rico, where most businesses are run by their founders or families, day-to-day operations often leave little room to think about what comes next. What would happen if you decided to sell your company tomorrow? Or if an emergency forced you to step away? Or if your son or daughter expressed interest in continuing the business, but you didn’t know where to start?

Preparing a business for succession or sale isn’t just about having the numbers in order. It’s about aligning operations, strengthening the team, protecting the brand, reducing legal risks, and leaving a structure ready to operate without you. And that takes time.

What many people don’t realize is that small changes in efficiency, culture, leadership, and planning can significantly increase a business’s value. A well-managed succession or sale process can be the difference between preserving a legacy… or losing it.

The key question isn’t “Do you want to sell?” but: Is your business ready to carry on—with or without you? Now is the time to reflect, to take a critical look, and to start making decisions that will prepare your company for the future. Your legacy deserves more than an improvised exit. And you deserve to know you did everything you could to prepare it well.

This post was published in Tu Negocio PR magazine from the Centro Unido Detallista (CUD)