Circle of Excellence: Profile of Inductee Julie Keyes

When a client says, “I don’t know what I would have done without you,” then Julie Keyes knows she’s done her best—and that gives her great satisfaction.

Keyes—part of EPI’s inaugural Circle of Excellence class—has experienced the ups and downs of business and decided to become a business coach to help others avoid the same pitfalls.

“I didn’t exit my business on my terms, so as I began rebuilding my career, I decided to help other business owners avoid the mistakes I made.” she says, “This included things like hiring family and friends, using up all your cash, and failing to tap into business advisors who were knowledgeable in areas I wasn’t.”

Keyes is the founder of KeyeStrategies, an advisory and public speaking firm that provides exit planning education and consulting to business owners across multiple industries. She’s also a national speaker and an advocate for women entrepreneurs. She speaks regularly—including at the 2024 Exit Planning Summit—about how advisors can build and support their woman-owned book of business.

She connected with EPI several years into her business coaching career.

“Time and again, I was acquiring clients who needed help with exit planning,” she explains. “I realized I didn’t know enough to help them. EPI helped me guide others on how to plan better.”

Today, she’s considered one of the best-in-class Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA) and enjoys sharing her experiences so others can learn.

Lessons from Julie

• In her blood: I’ve been a business owner most of my adult life. It was something I always knew I’d be. My parents were self-employed, they came from entrepreneurial families, and my siblings also own businesses.
  
• Launching pad: In 2015, Keyes learned about EPI and soon pursued her CEPA certification. She became such an EPI advocate that she launched the EPI chapter in the Twin Cities, joined EPI’s faculty, and launched her “Poised for Exit” podcast and book.
• Top of the class: Keyes is an EPI faculty member, a member of its Leadership Council, and has been recognized as a Thought Leader of the Year (2017 and 2022) and, most recently, inducted into the Circle of Excellence this year.
• Perfection impossible: “Best in class is not achieving perfection—that’s not possible. It does, however, have very specific tenants that define it—things like consistent service, outside-the-box guidance, forward-thinking and going beyond what is expected.”
• Net(work) worth: “Build a strong network of people—your network is your net worth.”
• Review, revise, repeat x3: “Vision and goals are so important, I revisit them at least three times a year and revise as necessary.”

Perhaps most important to Keyes is ensuring that what she says matches what she does. She does that—and encourages clients to do the same—by stating her beliefs in an action-oriented way.

“One of my action statements is I am a truth-teller. Stating it that way makes my actions clearer than simply saying I want to operate with integrity,” she explains.

Now as a leader—and inductee in the Circle of Excellence—her words and actions have more visibility. Still, in everything she does, Keyes shows she’s a woman of her word.

About the Circle of Excellence

The Circle of Excellence—a new yearly recognition of the people who have created the exit planning profession—is meant to acknowledge the people who have built community and the body of knowledge we all use to advise business owners. 

In our inaugural year, we inducted nine members to the Circle of Excellence at the 2024 Exit Planning Summit. Throughout 2024, we’ll profile each of them to highlight their contributions to the field of exit planning. 

Related Resources:

• The Exit Planning Summit
• EPI Thought Leadership Council
• Meet the Circle of Excellence Inductees