Majority of U.S. business owners plan to sell, according to new UBS report detailing reasons

Amid concerns over tariffs and recession forecasts, the world’s leading entrepreneurs are displaying unprecedented optimism and are discreetly organizing for a generational wealth shift. Their reaction is one of collective indifference, coupled with a determined strategy to secure substantial profits in the coming ten years.

The recently published 2026 UBS Global Entrepreneur Report indicates that the planet’s most accomplished business founders are intensely positive, orchestrating significant expansions of their teams, and, crucially, getting ready for highly profitable business sales.

Based on a survey of 215 top founders with total yearly revenues of $34.3 billion, the report depicts a business elite largely undisturbed by broader economic challenges. A notable 68% of these entrepreneurs express optimism about their companies’ outlook for the next year. This sentiment peaks in Switzerland (83%) and Europe (74%), fueled mainly by strong consumer demand and swift tech progress.

Benjamin Cavalli, Head of Strategic Clients & Global Connectivity at UBS, commented that founders are choosing not to withdraw. “Entrepreneurs are not planning to cut back. They are planning to transform,” he stated, noting they are approaching the year with “exceptional fortitude.”

80% Plan to Expand Headcount in Five Years

Rather than retreating, founders are intensifying their growth efforts. Worldwide, 80% of entrepreneurs anticipate growing their employee base over the next five years, with 37% planning a major increase. Additionally, 45% are considering international growth or moving operations to access new markets. To enhance efficiency and profitability, they are eagerly adopting artificial intelligence, with 61% identifying AI as their top commercial tech opportunity. While they recognize dangers—including political unrest (42%) and the risk of large geopolitical clashes (35%)—they are countering these by improving operational efficiency and broadening their market reach instead of slowing down.

However, the most insightful finding from the 2026 report may be what lies ahead: a major transfer of wealth. After steering through an unstable economic period, a large number of founders are getting ready to sell.

The $34 Billion Exit Wave: Why Founders Are Finally Cashing Out

Roughly one-third (32%) of global entrepreneurs are seriously thinking about selling their businesses in the next five years. For founders aged 65 and older, this number jumps to 57%. U.S. entrepreneurs are at the forefront of this rush to exit, with an astonishing 63% intending to sell, far exceeding their counterparts in Europe (38%) and Asia-Pacific (18%).

When they sell, they aim for the best offer. Forty percent of those planning an exit anticipate selling to a strategic buyer in their sector, a decision frequently driven by the premium valuations that combined corporate operations can support. Just 23% intend to pass the business to family, and only 6% are considering an initial public offering.

This coming surge in sales is prompted by a clear awareness among founders: they have overlooked their personal finances. Almost a third (32%) of respondents concede they have not accumulated as much personal wealth as possible, having consistently plowed profits back into company expansion. In the United States, close to half (47%) report this shortfall in personal wealth.

Nonetheless, a change is underway. Globally, 42% of these growth-focused founders state their main priority will switch to building their personal wealth right after a sale. As they anticipate this financial gain, their worries are moving from corporate planning to personal legacy. Two-thirds (67%) are concentrating on how to assist their heirs in handling the coming wealth wisely, while 61% are deeply concerned with the tax implications of passing on their assets.

Focused intently on profitable sales and wealth preservation, the world’s entrepreneurs are assuredly tuning out current economic distractions, ready to exchange their executive roles for a sizable, deserved payout.

A Different Picture on Main Street

This optimism is not universal. The National Federation of Independent Business’s Small Business Optimism Index declined for the second month in a row in February, dipping 0.5 points to 98.8, as anticipated real sales levels fell 8 points to a net 8%—the poorest figure in almost a year. Plans to hire dropped to the lowest since May, and taxes continued as the chief worry for the third consecutive month.

The contrast between the UBS and NFIB data highlights a fundamental divide in the U.S. business environment. The entrepreneurs polled by UBS possess the resources and size to move operations, vary their markets, and fund AI. The small business owners monitored by the NFIB are dealing with tariff unpredictability, worker shortages, and rivalry from the large corporations implementing such technologies. “Strong sales and higher profits made February a better month for numerous owners,” explained NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg, “but competition from big businesses is straining Main Street companies as they cope with the present economic situation.”

The March NFIB poll will be the initial measure of small business mood following increased energy prices associated with the Iran War—introducing another factor into an already delicate forecast for the enterprises least prepared to handle it.

For this story, journalists used generative AI as a research tool. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.