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by Rob DiFranco on May 21, 2026
Your Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) credential is a strong foundation. But what’s the next step? How can you apply all this knowledge to your practice and secure more business-owner clients?
That’s what the Exit Planning Institute®’s (EPI) newest EPI Academy course is here to provide the answer to. In the Business Owner Prospecting and Engagement Mastery Series, you will learn strategies to attract, retain, and engage with your new and existing business-owner clients.
This course is designed to help CEPAs who already have a deep understanding of the Value Acceleration Methodology™ and want more consistent opportunities to apply what they learned in the CEPA program. Instead of starting from scratch, you’ll get a proven framework that helps you reach not just more owners, but the right owners for your exit planning practice.
Inside the Course
In the Business Owner Prospecting and Engagement Series, you’ll hear from active CEPAs and EPI President Scott Snider on how to educate your clients without making them feel “sold to,” while using Value Acceleration language learned in the CEPA program.
This course draws on EPI’s robust data on owner readiness, expectations, and behavior to provide advisors with proven ways to have successful interactions with business owners. Throughout the five sessions, advisors who enroll in this course will create prospecting and marketing materials to attract more business-owner clients.
They’ll also get specific strategies to tailor their pitch to the business owner’s demographics and background, drawing once again on EPI’s research, including the Generational State of Owner Readiness™ Report.
In addition to all of that, you’ll walk away with:
- A clear and focused prospecting plan tailored to the clients you work with.
- Email and conversation templates that you can put into action immediately with prospects.
- Greater confidence in initiating and guiding Value Acceleration conversations.
- Tools to build your brand as the most-trusted advisor and separate yourself in the advisor marketplace.
Meet the Instructors
Including Scott, instructors featured in this course are:
- Laura Ferguson, Chief Revenue Officer of the Value Builder System
- Shelley Lightfoot, COO at Strazzeri Mancini
- Scott Bushkie, Managing Partner and Founder of Cornerstone Business Services
- Adam Koos, President and Founder of Libertas Wealth
Across five weeks, you’ll join live, virtual sessions that fit into a busy advisory calendar. Each 90–120‑minute session combines instruction and case studies. You will also get access to open Q&As with instructors so you can ask specific questions about your practice.
At the end of the course, you will take a 40-question exam and earn a CEPA Mastery Series certificate after you pass. This course also offers CEPAs looking to earn continuing education hours, 10 Value Acceleration Knowledge hours.
Make the Most of Your CEPA
If you’re ready to move beyond “having a CEPA designation” and start consistently filling your calendar with qualified owner conversations, this series is your next step.
Reserve your seat in the next Business Owner Prospecting and Engagement Mastery cohort and turn the knowledge you gained in CEPA into a repeatable process for attracting, educating, and engaging the business owners you’re best equipped to serve.
About the Certified Exit Planning Advisor Credential
A Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) is a professional credential for advisors who wish to engage with business owner clients through the exit planning process using the Value Acceleration Methodology™. Through the CEPA credential, advisors can provide new offerings for clients and stand out from their non-CEPA peers, all while gaining access to education, resources, and a vast network of like-minded professionals.
Related Resources
- What is Continuing Education in Exit Planning?
- What is EPI Academy?
- Four Marketing Pillars Every CEPA Needs to Attract More Business Owner Clients