Home / Our Services / Business Continuity & Exit Planning

Business Continuity
& Exit Planning in Portsmouth, NH

For entrepreneurs and small to
mid-size business owners.


Serving Portsmouth NH, Portland ME,
Boston MA, and beyond.

Complimentary Consultation

You’ve Built a Great Business. What’s Next?

Every business owner eventually exits their business in some way or another. We provide business continuity and business exit planning and strategies to assist owners experiencing either forced or unforced business exits.

Forced Business Exits

Forced business exits most often happen as a result of death, disability, or going out of business circumstances.

How We Help

We work with you to develop a plan that works under multiple scenarios so that you aren’t caught flat footed. We may not know exactly how you will exit your business, but by having a structurally sound plan in place, we can adapt your exit based on where life takes you with the goal to ensure the business carries on as you wish.

Unforced Business Exits

Unforced business exists often occur when a business owner chooses to sell, retire, or just close the doors of their business. 

How We Help

We work with you to evaluate how much money you need as part of the deal for your exit, and we determine how the deal will be structured for all involved.

We help answer questions like:
Will I remain working for the new owner?
What will that look like? Full-time? Part-time? Consultancy?
How long will I stay? Will I take a lump sum and move on? How can I protect and ensure that my key staff are retained and rewarded?

Our Business Exit & Continuity Planning Process

Guyton/Forge’s business exit planning services begin with business continuity planning. This helps ensure that while you’re building your company, you’re getting value from it and have contingencies in place if something should go wrong. Then, we focus on ensuring that you position yourself to extract the maximum value out of your company leading up to, and during, the actual exit.

Business Exit Plans Include

Current market evaluations

Client business evaluations

Exit modeling and simulations

Routine meetings to refine goals


Meet Joe & Andrew

Joe Guyton is the principal and founder of Guyton Group and a Certified Business Exit Planner (CExP™) with over 35 years of experience helping owners of small and mid-sized family operated businesses define their exit strategies.

Andrew is the principal and founder of Forge Financial and grew up around family and closely held businesses. He is well versed at helping business owners navigate their business continuity strategies such as key man, buy sell agreements, deferred comp, and more.

Joe and Andrew both help owners in the NH Seacoast, greater Boston metro, southern ME, and throughout the United States through flexible virtual meetings.

Joe & Andrew Can Help You Answer Questions Like…

When should I engage with an advisor? 

What should the team look like?

How do I determine if I should look at an outside buyer and/or inside buyer?


Joseph Guyton

Principal & Founder | Guyton Group

RICP® CExP™ AEP® CLU®

603-766-9200
[email protected]

Read Joe’s Bio

Joseph H. Guyton is Principal of The Guyton Group. He has over 35 years of experience providing professional knowledge in retirement income planning, pension, profit sharing and business succession. Joe’s clients include high net worth business owners and individuals. As an RICP® with extensive training, Joe can provide expert advice on a broad range of retirement topics including income needs and objectives, estate issues and other risks to the retirement income planning, social security, health insurance, housing decisions, and income taxation strategies.  He understands the many problems people face today as they prepare to exit their businesses.  He helps all his clients increase access to their wealth on a guaranteed and tax-advantaged basis.

Education:
Pennsylvania State University – Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting
The Richard Irwin Graduate School at The American College – Business Succession Planning – Certificate
The Richard Irwin Graduate School at The American College – Estate Planning and Taxation – Certificate

Professional:
The Guyton Group – Principal
CIGNA – Formerly a Field Representative

Professional Designations, Organizations, and Committees:

CExP™- Certified Exit Planner
RICP® – Retirement Income Certified Planner®
AEP® – Accredited Estate Planner®
CLU® –   Chartered Life Underwriter®

2019 President – Executive Committee of Leaders Club by Guardian Life Insurance Company of America®

Million Dollar Roundtable
– Court of the Table
– Top of the Table
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors New Hampshire Estate Planning Council
Association for Advanced Life Underwriting
International Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors
Guardian’s Leader’s Club, President’s Council, Chairman’s Council
Guardian Elite
Recipient of the Robert Effenson Award

Registered Representative and Financial Advisor of Park Avenue Securities LLC. Financial Representative of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Guardian, its subsidiaries, agents, and employees do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Consult your tax, legal, or accounting professional regarding your individual situation.  CA insurance #0A96200.

This award is not issued or endorsed by Guardian or its subsidiaries. The annual Five Star Wealth Manager award [2022] is based on criteria developed and obtained by Five Star Professional. No compensation has been provided by the adviser in connection with obtaining or using the third-party award.

Million Dollar Round Table is endorsed by but not affiliated with Guardian or its subsidiaries. Applicants must annually qualify for membership based on productivity and pay an annual fee.

National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors is endorsed by but not affiliated with Guardian or its subsidiaries. Members must pay an annual fee.

Guardian endorses and establishes the criteria for Guardian awards/recognition.

Andrew Guyton

Principal & Founder | Forge Financial

603-766-9200
[email protected]

Read Andrew’s Bio

Ever since Andrew was a kid, he had a knack for savings money and small businesses.  He started from humble beginnings selling paperweights made from rocks and lemonade in his front yard.  His passion for business grew into a lawnmowing service and his entrepreneurial spirit grew from there.  Given his knack for business, Andrew also became a good saver at a young age, influenced by his father Joe who owned a financial planning business.  As Andrew moved through life, his drive to be a business owner coupled with the habits he learned around money at a young age catapulted him into the financial planning business, and the rest is history.

Andrew started his practice in 2012 in Boston MA after working in the tax department at Liberty Mutual.  Andrew’s practice quickly grew, and so did his family.  In 2014 he married his wife Jenn, and they moved to New Hampshire where they settled on the Seacoast and now have 3 children, James, Claire and Owen.  At that time, Andrew and his father Joe combined forces and branded The Guyton Group.

Andrew enjoys sharing with his clients not just what financial planning options are out there, but most importantly how they can be part of a larger strategy to put his clients in a position of strength so they can work through whatever life throws their way.  Andrew works to deliver a cohesive strategy across many disciplines in the financial planning space so that his clients feel confident that they are protected and taking advantage of opportunities. 

 Andrew earned his BS in finance from Providence College and is an alumnus of Governor Dummer Academy.  He was named 4 under 40 by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors in 2018 and also recognized as a qualifying member of the Guardian Leaders Club, Executive Club, Presidents Council, and Centurion club.  He serves on the board of director for the Seacoast Chapter of Veterans Count and takes pride in supporting the military in his community where he hosts a charity tournament since 2018 with the proceeds going to Veterans Count. 

In his free time, he enjoys time with his wife and children, playing golf, working in his yard and watching airplanes.  Andrew loves meeting new people and spirited conversation around football.  

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Find out what Guyton/Forge can do for you.


Complete our online form or call 603-766-9200.

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