Knight's tale

Sarasota business owner Tracy Knight recently heard a nightmare story from a friend in Orlando who sold her own company. The worst part: It took five years to go from listing to closed deal.

That prompted Knight, founder of Knight Marketing, which specializes in health care, travel and building products, among other sectors, to think hard about her own exit strategy. With one child out of a college, another halfway there and a recent 50th birthday, those thoughts only grew more pressing. Knight founded the company in 1997, and work, in a growth period in the early 2000s, mostly consisted of print products, such as newsletters, annual reports and related materials. Clients over the years include the Cleveland Clinic, Sarasota County tourism agencies and Venice-based window firm PGT.

“When you have a business as long as I have, it's very personal. It's your baby,” Knight says. “Anyone who built a business doesn't want to just close the door. They want to see it grow.”