For those of you who work heavily in the exit planning community, you are familiar with one common challenge in the business owner community: lack of awareness.  Owners don’t necessarily understand what exit planning really is, what you do as an exit planner to help them, or what the immediate benefits or impacts are to their business.  Moreover, transaction advisors (whether brokers, investment bankers, PE firms, etc.) often don’t spend much time considering how to better bridge the distance between themselves and pre-transaction advisors, specifically exit planners, who frankly could make their jobs a lot easier once an owner determines they are ready to sell.

At EPI, we constantly push to spread awareness across the financial advisory industry, as well as the business owner community.  We strive to help educate the larger market on what exit planning is, why it benefits all involved, and how exit planning is the key to becoming the trusted advisor that can truly help an owner achieve successful and fulfilling transition when they are ready.  It is not uncommon to also see advisors position themselves as exit planners when what they mean is something very different, and certainly without offering a holistic process that address an owner’s business, financial, and personal needs.  And after ten years of certifying top advisors with the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation, we are pleased to see the trends that show the market is moving in a much more holistically-minded direction.

Last week, InvestmentNews published an article, “How Advisers Can Become Small Business Exit Planning Specialists,” listing three steps that can help a professional advisor work effectively with small, middle-market business owners.  Step two was simple: “Obtain the right credentials,” citing both CEPA and CExP as designations to look for…[read full article]

As the market evolves, CEPAs are driving best practices and elevating the business, financial, and personal performances of businesses across the globe.  Continue to work on your craft, build your circle of influence, and change the outcome for business owners.  The industry is watching.