[Inside Look] Behind Evolve

When the Exit Planning Institute Executive team comes together to brainstorm the Summit theme each year, there are many factors that come into play. It causes the team to focus on our goals and look ahead to where we, as a company, are headed. This year, the Summit theme is Evolve. Increase your credibility. Enhance your leadership skills. Accelerate exit decisions.

Evolve is more than just where you are going in the future. While formulating this theme, the EPI team began to reflect on where we have been. If you look at the Summit themes over the past few years, they have been focused around building your base: Triggering Owner Action, Exit is Now, and the Advisor of the Future have all lead us to Evolve. Exit Planning Institute Vice President, Scott Snider, remarked that this is what we have been doing internally at the EPI global headquarters and externally in our exit planning community. We realized that we have built a solid foundation and now it is time to Evolve. It is time that we harness the knowledge base that we have created and take action in all aspects of EPI. We have been building up our team, our advisor network, and our customer path and it is time to progress and Evolve into something bigger.

What does Evolve mean to the EPI family?

Snider began to think about how far EPI has come. Back in 2012, EPI was an organization that certified and generally supported about 120 Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPAs). We are now considered a robust education company in the exit planning community. To us, it is now more than just the certification. Our focus is not only on providing the best industry content, but also how we can develop and support CEPAs in order to help them connect and educate owners.  We now have 30-35 chapters that provide a platform for CEPAs to educate other advisors in the community, we offer 150 online webinars each month we certify 500 new advisors a year, and support national companies with their exit planning programs. Snider strives to remain forward thinking and ensures that is always the focus of EPI.

Evolve is the combination of reflecting on what you have done and then looking forward to where you want to be. EPI plans to create more robust long-term paths and deeper education. Right now, we are focused on evolving with our customers needs and getting out ahead of them. While studying marketplace trends, our team realized that there is a need for deeper dives into unique paths. The 2019 Summit will feature a handful of deep dive workshops into specific topics such as Human Capital Advisor, Mastering the Triggering Event, Working with the Family Enterprise, Accelerating Your Exit Planning Practice Workshop.

How will this Summit be different from previous Summits?

From an attendance standpoint, this Summit will be the largest. At this point, we are 70 percent sold out and are on track to sell out in the next few weeks. The San Antonio location will allow EPI to completely takeover one space and transform it into exit planning central for the three days we are there.

In addition to the attendance, we have more partners than ever before. This has enabled EPI to offer more networking opportunities, tools, and resources at this Summit.

The first day will feature keynotes and general sessions, whereas day two mimics a CEPA program featuring an engaging case study and group work. We are also introducing a third day, which will feature the deep dive workshops, where you can study from experts spanning multiple specialties.

Each year, our team strives to create a unique twist. You will notice that the power sessions are back, but with a new theme. New research will also be presented in the form of a ‘Family Feud’ style game show. Two exit planning teams will face off and get inside the mind of an owner. Another special event is the SM2 after party which is your opportunity to gather with industry leaders and learn how they can help you drive results.

What is next for EPI?

The enormity of the 2019 Summit is just the beginning of the evolution for EPI. We have built our team and knowledge base and are ready for the next steps. As we prepare for our biggest event of the year, we cannot help but to stop and take a moment to revel in how far we have come. This is just the beginning for EPI. We will continue to live through our brand promise: An education company committed to providing top professional advisors the best industry content, ongoing practice support, and owner education resources but also expand upon it. You can expect to see a deeper customer path, so not only can you have knowledge in each section of exit planning, but also be an expert in each section. The Exit Planning Institute is ready to Evolve and we want you to be there with us.

More than a credentialing company.

“This Methodology is Going to Supercharge My Practice!” -Justin Goodbread, CEPA, CFP®

Official ‘Exit Planning’ Definition: Exit planning combines the plan, concept, effort, and process into a clear, simple strategy to build a business that is transferable through strong human, structural, customer, and social capital. The future of the business owner, his/her family, and the business itself are addressed by exit planning through creating value today.

Exit planning is not just a plan (or a keyed-in report to print out for an owner). It is a strategy rooted in execution that grows value while expanding options so that an owner can transition the business on his/her terms when they are ready. It aligns the business, personal, and financial needs of the owner. Good exit planning utilizes the Value Acceleration Methodology™ to move clients through discovery, prepare, and decide gates. Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA) educate the owner on all of the exit options and enters an engagement with an exit-option-agnostic perspective as to truly serve the business owner’s diverse needs. CEPAs collaborate with a seasoned, multi-disciplinary team of professionals to support the success of the business owner and use each other’s specialties and expertise to the benefit of the project. [view the award-winning methodology]

“Why did I earn CEPA when I already had an exit planning designation? Simple, the network. The quality of the EPI advisor network is unmatched.” -Paul Meyer, CEPA, CBEC

Do you consider your COIs or your referral network as the #1 source for new business? Look no further for your next membership affiliation. Formed in 2005 to serve educational and resource needs of financial planners and wealth managers, CPA/accountants, attorneys, commercial lenders, M&A advisors and business brokers, management consultants and other business advisors, the Exit Planning Institute is considered the standard trendsetter in the field of exit planning across the globe. It is the only organization that offers the Certified Exit Planning Advisor Program (CEPA) and qualifies for continuing education credits with twelve major professional associations, making it the most widely accepted and endorsed professional exit planning program in the world. [find a CEPA in your area]

“As a CPA, nothing is more important than exit planning.” -Bill Kenedy, CPA/ABV, CFF, CEPA

Our founders paved the way for the organization we are today. In the past three years alone, EPI has grown by more than ten times. We support and enable thousands of professional advisors who are leading the way in their local marketplaces across the globe. We invite you to join the community and experience the EPI difference.

We are powered by a dedicated staff, industry experts, and market leaders, that are passionate about providing top professional advisors the best industry content, ongoing practice support, and owner education resources. From humble beginnings, EPI has grown to become the exit planning market leader while staying focused and true to our mission. We are an education company that certifies and supports more than 900 CEPAs (and counting) as well as thousands of advisors worldwide through national, regional, chapter, and virtual education. Explore our history and make plans to play a part in our future. [explore the EPI history timeline snapshot]

“You want to have the best credential in the industry. So my advice is that you have to go with Exit Planning Institute.” -Vincent Mastrovito, CEPA, CBEC

Do you want help in an increasingly commoditized or oversaturated marketplace? Do you want just another designation for your business card or do you want the credentialing education that helps you adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing industry? You’ve come to the right place.

The Exit Planning Institute creates an exit planning “ecosystem,” and due to the diverse nature of exit planning, EPI has fostered a hyper-engaged exit planning community. This community includes CEPAs, other collaborative advisors, strategic alliance partners, academicians, the media, and business owners from across the globe made up of 15 countries, 44 U.S. States and representing over a dozen different professional disciplines. To serve this elite and cross-functional community on one major platform, EPI produces the best content as it relates to exit planning, succession planning, and value acceleration, provides ongoing advisor support and practice development, and creates connectivity to transitioning business owners. [connect with us today]

Explore the unmatched professional development experience and gain your next competitive edge in 2019.

The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) Program is the most widely endorsed and accepted exit planning designation in the marketplace today. Experience the EPI difference and determine if earning the CEPA designation is the next strategic move for you to reinvent yourself in a changing marketplace. Visit www.EarnCEPA.com today.