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by Partner Contributed Article on August 7, 2025
As an advisor working with business owners, you know the goal isn't just to attract more clients, it's to attract the right ones. Owners who need your help, value your advice, and are in a position to benefit from what you offer.
Many advisors focus on older owners nearing a transition. But there's another segment, often overlooked, that's growing fast and quietly shaping the next decade of entrepreneurship: millennial business owners.
They may be younger. They may be earlier in the journey. But they're building real companies with serious momentum, and they're looking for guidance. As author and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman famously put it, "An entrepreneuer is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down." That's the kind of energy millennial founders bring.
Millennial owners are not waiting until their businesses are fully formed to seek help. They're building as they go, and actively looking for advisors who can help them scale. If your services are geared toward value creation, this generation may be your most strategic long-term opportunity. The data in this article comes from Value Builder Analytics, a deep dive into more than 80,000 business owners who have completed the Value Builder Score Report, giving us a proprietary window into how founders think about their business and the road to a successful exit.
What the Data Tells Us
When we analyzed the data comparing millennial owner to other generations, we uncovered a ton of fertile ground for you to build meaningful relationships and deliver real value. Here are three insights that stand out:
Millennials Have a Longer Runway
When asked how long they plan to keep operating their business, millennials said 12.5 years, more than double the timeline of Boomer owners, who expect to exit in just 5.3 years. Get in early, and you're the advisor who helps them build through each stage of growth. Wait too long, and someone else will be in that seat when they're ready to sell. If your focus is on building long-term value, this is your opportunity to align with a generation that's ambitious, growth-minded, and in it for the long haul.
Who Gets the First Call is Changing
Among millennial owners, 36% say they'd turn to a coach or consultant for advice on building company value, just one point behind accountants at 37%. But among Boomers, that gap is much wider. 37% choose their accountant, while only 30% choose a coach. That six-point spread tells us something important: What used to be the clear first choice in terms of advisor called, is a two-horse race when working with millennials. It's a shift in behavior and potentially in budget. For advisors, it means coaching-style relationships aren't just complementary; they're often the entry point. If you offer coaching, lead with it. If you don't, it's smart to build referral ties with those who do, because often that's where millennial owners are starting the conversation.
Focus Your Marketing Where Millennials Are: Online
Nearly 1 in 3 millennial business owners have built an opted-in audience of up to 10,000 people through email lists, social media, or other digital channels. Compare that to a quarter of Boomers who report having no audience at all. That may be expected given their age, but it still marks a meaningful shift. For millennials, an online presence isn't a side project. It's a central part of how they do business. It stands to reason that digital fluency also shapes how they engage with others. If they've built their presence online, they'll very likely expect you to have one too. Reaching them means showing up where they already operate on LinkedIn, in webinars, through newsletters, and in short-form content that positions you as a credible source. Millennial owners will follow you before they ever talk to you, so make sure what they find builds confidence and invites connection.
The Bottom Line
Millennial business owners may not be ready to exit yet, but they're already building toward it. They're ambitious, digitally native, and open to advice. If you want to earn their trust, show up early, speak their language, and guide them through the climb.
