1
Names
who’s in charge
A backup with real authority, written into your company documents, with bank and payroll access set up before anything happens.
The Business Backup Plan
What happens to your business if something happens to you?
If you don’t decide, the state decides. And the state gives your family almost nothing.
4.6 stars on Google · 500+ owners
A flat-fee business succession plan for Iowa and Texas owners. Most plans finish in 45 days.
Without a plan, the state decides.
Five ways it goes wrong. Every one of them is preventable.
What a Business Backup Plan does
You named a guardian for your kids. Who’s the guardian for your business?
Names
2
Keeps
the doors open
Your employees get paid, your vendors get paid, and the person stepping in has a one-page sheet telling them what to do the first week.
3
Decides
who gets the business
Your documents say what happens to your ownership and who gets paid for it. You decide, so the state doesn’t.
Pick your plan
BRONZE
Get Organized
Your business grew. Your paperwork didn’t.
- Two attorney meetings
- Business structure review
- Operating agreement or bylaws, created or updated
- A named backup with payroll and signing authority
- A written plan for whoever steps in
- Company meeting and minutes
$5,490
Start Bronze, $5,490 Most popular
SILVER
Protect Your Family
Make sure it gets to them.
- Everything in Bronze
- Wills for you and your spouse
- Powers of attorney over the business
- Healthcare directives
- A plan for who inherits and who manages
- Signing with witnesses and a notary
$5,990
Start Silver, $5,990 GOLD
Plan Your Exit
Get paid for what you built. For owners selling in the next 18 months.
- Everything in Silver
- A plan for what to sell and what to keep
- Sale-readiness review with a fix-first list
- Retention agreement for a key employee
- 12-month follow-up
- Printed and digital binders
$8,990
Start Gold, $8,990 Enrollment is paused. Call (515) 994-0404 in Iowa or (512) 881-1117 in Texas.
No meeting needed. Your 45 days start the day you pay (60 for Gold). Printed binder available with Silver at checkout, $249.
Questions first? Call (515) 994-0404 in Iowa or (512) 881-1117 in Texas.
Done in 45 days.
- Day 1Pay. Your intake arrives by email.
- Week 1Intake and first meeting.
- Two weeks laterYour drafts.
- Before day 45Review and sign.
- Day 45Done.
The clock starts when you pay. If we’re still waiting on information or signatures from you on day 45, we send your documents ready to sign, with a checklist of what’s left. Gold runs 60 days.
Own the business with someone other than your spouse?
Add Protect Your Partnership at checkout for $3,490. It’s the agreement that says what your family gets, when, and where the money comes from. If you own the business with your spouse, you don’t need it. Every plan treats the two of you as one owner.
Gold
Sometimes the contracts are the most valuable thing a business owns.
In Gold, we review your key contracts to see which ones a buyer can take over, and which ones would walk out the door with you. Contracts that transfer can raise what a buyer will pay.
Why we built this
Early in my career I helped a family whose father had just died. He was one of three partners in a restaurant group. Three locations, and each partner ran one. His family assumed the business would take care of them. That’s what it was for.
Instead they got locked out.
Nobody was cruel. His partners didn’t want the family running a restaurant, which makes sense. They couldn’t write a big check without hurting the company, which also makes sense. And nobody had planned for this.
So the state decided. The family got the right to distributions that nobody had to make. No vote, no say, no right to see the books. The business he spent decades building was worth almost nothing to them the day he died.
A plan would have changed all of it.
Matt Nuzum, business succession planning attorney, Surge Business Law
The price you see is the price of the finished job
-
Priced to the finish line
Each plan covers the whole job, from your first meeting to signed documents.
-
Choices, not surprises
Pick Bronze, Silver, or Gold. The only add-ons are for business partners and a printed binder, and both are priced on this page.
-
Your approval first
We never start billable work without it.
What’s not included
- Meetings and revisions after day 45 (day 60 for Gold)
- Tax advice. We coordinate with your CPA.
- Setting up new companies or a trust if your plan recommends them, quoted separately
- Renegotiating contracts that can’t transfer, quoted separately
- Negotiating or closing a sale
- Resolving a dispute between owners
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a business succession plan?
Yes. Lawyers call it a business succession plan; we call it a Business Backup Plan because that’s what it does. It names who runs the business if you can’t, says who gets your ownership and how they get paid for it, and, with Gold, prepares the business for a sale. It works for a family business, a business you own with partners, or one you run on your own.
What questions does the plan answer?
Three. What happens if you die, what happens if you can’t work, and what happens when you’re ready to stop. The plan answers each one in writing.
When do the 45 days start?
The day you pay. Not the day of your first meeting. Your intake form arrives right after checkout so you can start the same day. Gold runs 60 days because there’s more to do.
Do I need a meeting before I buy?
No. Checkout takes about five minutes, and your two attorney meetings are included in Bronze, Silver, and Gold. If you’d rather talk first, book a free consultation or call (515) 994-0404 in Iowa or (512) 881-1117 in Texas.
What if I don’t have an operating agreement?
We write one, in every plan from Bronze up. If you have one that no longer fits, we revise or replace it. Corporations get the same treatment for bylaws.
I already have a will. Do I still need this?
A will says who inherits your ownership. It doesn’t say who can run payroll next week, and it can’t give your family rights your company documents don’t allow. Silver and Gold make the two work together.
What if I have a business partner?
If you own the business with your spouse, you don’t need anything extra. Every plan treats the two of you as one owner. For any other co-owner, add Protect Your Partnership at checkout. It’s the agreement that says what happens to an owner’s share, how it’s valued, and where the money comes from.
Do I need a separate buy-sell agreement attorney?
No. Protect Your Partnership is a buy-sell agreement written by the same attorneys who prepare your Bronze, Silver, or Gold plan, so it matches your company documents and your family’s documents. Add it at checkout.
Which plan is right for me?
Bronze if your paperwork never caught up with your business. Silver if people depend on the business income. Gold if you’re thinking about selling in the next 18 months.
Do you work with businesses outside Iowa and Texas?
Bronze, Silver, and Gold are available to businesses in Iowa and Texas. Our succession planning attorneys work from our Johnston, Iowa and Round Rock, Texas offices, and most meetings are virtual.
Trusted by Business Owners Across Iowa and Texas
Google Reviews
Krystal H
Aug 2026
G
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent firm! I received top-notch service from start to finish. The team was professional, helpful, and exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for exceptional service.
Fluff & Beyond
Jul 2026
G
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Matt and his team have helped us more than words can express. Starting a business while facing some challenges was incredibly stressful, but they guided us through every step of the process and gave us the confidence to keep moving forward. Their knowledge, professionalism, and support made all the difference in helping us get our business off the ground. We truly can't thank Matt and his team enough. Highly recommend! Thanks Matt!!
Mitchell Williams
Feb 2026
G
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Surge Business Law was great to work with during the process of setting up our business partnership. They were responsive, knowledgeable, and made everything feel seamless from start to finish. I worked directly with Matthew Nuzum and he was excellent — professional, thorough, and easy to communicate with. Highly recommend.
You built it for them. Make sure it gets to them.
Decide now, so the state doesn’t.
Texas: (512) 881-1117