Sean Hutchinson doesn’t sit still much.
Along with business partners, he’s founded five companies. He’s led a fast-growing global company. He’s also the third-generation heir to his family’s custom millwork manufacturing business.
And, wherever his focus is at the moment, he’s constantly pursuing better solutions—and evolving.
“In business, it’s what we refer to as sustainable continuous improvement,” says Sean. “Improvement means you have to embrace change—and that requires a posture of learning.”
As the partner for Strategic Development and Partnerships for Ready for Next Advisory Group, Hutchinson offers a unique value accelerator program that helps business owners act today to create options for tomorrow. As an heir to a family business himself, he enjoys working with family-owned business owners because he gets to learn about and untangle to intricacies of American family businesses.
“Family-owned businesses are fundamentally human: puzzling, complex, and deeply interpersonal,” says Sean. “It makes for fulfilling work.”
An early adopter of the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA) credential, Hutchinson earned his designation in 2008, making him one of the first 100 people to become a CEPA. He’s been a value growth advisor to the Exit Planning Institute, a faculty member, and a Summit keynote speaker. And many in our community know him as an important mentor.
“Everything I do can be traced back to someone who supported and mentored me,” says Sean. “I want them to share in the recognition I received as part of the inaugural Circle of Excellence.”
Sean's leadership philosophy emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, effective communication, and exceptional client experiences. His approach not only inspires those around him but also sets a standard for excellence in the field of exit planning.
“Good leadership is about serving others. Like the coach of a team, you’re judged by the quality of the athletes you coach.”
“It can be lonely being a leader—it’s a job not everyone wants. But you should have vision and clarity, and be willing to take chances to evolve.”
“You have to be a good communicator in this field. It starts with asking good questions and ensuring a feedback loop with owners. Good questions help you gain insight into how your customer thinks, processes, and engages with the world.”
“You can have all the well-trained advisors, but if customers aren’t having a good experience, you won’t be best-in-class. You can be technically good, but if it doesn’t feel good to the client, then you’re missing the mark.”
“I strive to be a daily learner, and I feel satisfied when I learn something new. I want my peers and coworkers to do the same.”
“Exit planning is still on the front end of an exponential curve. I’m always turning the dials to see if we can produce a better result—then sharing what I’ve done to innovate with the value acceleration methodology.”
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.