The buyer is demanding a lengthy Transition Services Agreement where I must remain involved as an advisor for twelve months. How do I structure my daily role during this TSA period so I can step away from operations immediately without breaching the contract?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A poorly structured Transition Services Agreement, or TSA, can turn your post-sale life into an operational nightmare. If you do not set hard boundaries, the buyer will treat you as an on-call employee to solve every minor daily fire.

To protect your freedom, you must clearly define your roles, tasks, and hours within the legal agreement. Do not agree to a vague advisory role. Specify the exact number of hours per week you will provide, and ensure that those hours decline rapidly over the course of the agreement. For example, negotiate twenty hours a week for the first month, ten hours for the second month, and five hours a month for the remaining period.

Next, direct all operational questions to your leadership team. Before closing, formally transition your daily responsibilities on the Accountability Chart to your Integrator and department heads. Make it clear to the buyer that your role is purely advisory and strategic, not operational.

If the buyer's staff contacts you directly about a daily issue, redirect them to the appropriate seat on the Accountability Chart. By establishing these boundaries early and relying on your self-sufficient leadership team, you can fulfill your contractual obligations without getting dragged back into the daily grind.