Three Instant Takeaways from the State of Succession and Exit Planning Survey

By Brian D. Sparks|July 26, 2025

PivotPoint Business Solutions recently completed its 2nd Annual State of Succession and Exit Planning in the Horticulture Industry Survey. Once again, PivotPoint partnered with Meister Media Worldwide (publisher of Greenhouse Grower as well as American Fruit Grower and American Vegetable Grower), Advanced Grower Solutions, BEST Human Capital and Advisory Group, and Hathaway and Lane Direct to bring clarity to one of the most important, and often overlooked, questions owners are facing in our industry: How do you transition out of your business without regrets?

This year, the PivotPoint team took the survey a step further. In addition to measuring the core drivers of business value and readiness, the 2025 survey also explores some of the most pressing challenges horticulture owners face today: immigration, tariffs, climate change, rising insurance costs, and access to capital. These external pressures (named “Pulse questions”) may be beyond your control — but how you prepare your business to face them is not.

The 2024 survey results gave owners a much-needed baseline for personal, business, and financial readiness — helping them see where they stood among their peers. The 2025 survey builds on that foundation by benchmarking progress, uncovering new trends, and offering insight into how owners are actively working to build long-term value.

Over the next few weeks, Greenhouse Grower will publish a series of articles breaking down key themes and trends that emerged from the survey results. Before we get there, however, I want to provide just a few of my own instant takeaways.

One of the Pulse questions asked about what keeps owners up at night; specifically, it asked survey respondents to select their top three issues created by the Trump administration’s policies or economic conditions that concern them the most. I was rather shocked to see that immigration and labor was not the top issue, as this is something that usually leads the list. It turns out that the top concern among owners is a potential recession, cited by 68% of respondents. Tariff policies came in second at 56%, followed by the rising cost of insurance (39%). Tied at 36% was immigration/H-2A/H-2B visa programs and the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Businesses reliant on imported products, equipment, and supplies will likely experience the greatest potential impact. Sourcing more from U.S. suppliers may help businesses blunt tariff’s impact on pricing.
How ready is your business to transition to a new owner or buyer? This area saw the greatest year-over-year improvement, with average scores rising from 3 to 5 out of 10. Key drivers of business readiness include a strong team, reliable systems, clearly defined processes, a clear growth strategy, and minimal reliance on the owner.
It was refreshing to see how the documentation of systems and processes for operations, human resources, and administrative functions is evolving, with a positive shift taking place. The number of owners who keep SOPs “in their head” dropped to just 6%, while 36% are now documenting systems online or electronically and sharing as needed. According to analysis within the survey findings, “Having a strong team is step one. Making sure they know how to do their jobs consistently and efficiently is step two. Documented, shared, and regularly updated operating procedures help reduce training time, eliminate costly errors, and improve retention — all of which will help keep product and service pricing down.

Watch for more survey results and analysis on GreenhouseGrower.com!