The question of 'what happens when I want to step away from all this?' is one that keeps many business owners awake at night. 'How does my entrepreneur story end in a way that preserves the good I've built up, and looks after the employees and clients?'

For the owner who has spent a big chunk of their working life building up a business they passionately believe in, and nurturing staff they care about, traditional succession planning doesn't work.

Employee ownership is the new and better way of preserving your achievement. Done the right way, you can release value, preserve your legacy and pass on control without employees having to raise finance.

Financial expert, podcaster and author Chris Budd recently sold his own business to its employees through the UK's Employee Ownership Trust. But the movement for employee ownership is global – and interest in this alternative succession route is growing fast.

Employee ownership is about more than the ownership, however. It is about creating sustainable businesses. A focus on long-term sustainable profits; happy customers; happy employees.

The Eternal Business lays out a system for a business – and its employees – to transition to employee ownership. It provides a model and pathway to follow so that the business continues – maybe forever!

It will help anyone running or working in a business with a real purpose, and who is wrestling with the 'what next?' question.