The History of Exit Planning
Sometimes, the best way forward is to look back at your history. Whether you began your journey as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) 10 years ago or last week, knowing the roots of the credential and how it has changed in the past two decades can be a great way to inform your own role as a CEPA and professional advisor.
Since its founding in 2005, Exit Planning Institute® (EPI) has been guiding advisors on this journey and providing them with the tools and mindset to help business owners create significant exits. This begins with Value Acceleration Methodology™, the exit planning methodology that emphasizes the importance of growing value prior to the exit and working with the owner to achieve significant growth to prepare them for their transition. The Value Acceleration Methodology contains three gates—discover, prepare, and decide. Through each of these gates, the CEPA and the owner can grow value through a tried and tested methodology that proposes the ultimate question at the end in the decide gate—should you continue to grow the business or exit now?
Per EPI’s own philosophy, exit planning is a clear, simple strategy to build the business through the four intangible capitals, which are human, structural, social, and customer capital. Key to its formation was the question posed by EPI Co-Founder Peter Christman who asked in 2001, “Am I truly meeting my client’s objectives?” Peter’s question led to the eventual formation of EPI four years later, where a holistic approach to business ownership and exits took center stage.
Exit Planning in 2025
While EPI’s vision for exit planning has expanded over the past 20 years, the core concepts have remained as a steadfast guide for CEPAs to guide business owners on exiting on their own terms. With a strong and growing network of CEPAs across the globe, leaders like 2024 Exit Planner of the Year Amy Wirtz have created key insights on where exit planning is in the modern day using their experience and expertise in the field.
Amy emphasizes the connections between CEPAs and business owners as well as the connection between CEPAs and their fellow advisors. Some key points Amy notes are strategic business owner engagement, educational and networking events, and educating the CEPA’s referral network.
For strategic business owner engagement, Amy says there are two key points to focus on, which are direct outreach and going where the business owners already are.
“This dual approach ensures that you’re either pulling business owners toward you or meeting them where they already feel comfortable, expanding your opportunities to build valuable relationships,” she says in her Top Five Tips for Finding Your Place in the Marketplace. Read more of Amy’s tips for success here.
Educating and networking are also vital in today’s modern exit planning strategies. Teaching clients and fellow advisors on the Value Acceleration Methodology gives them a structured and proven framework that can take what feels like an abstract question and provides step-by-step guidance on how to create value, answering that question.
Networking events also give CEPAs a competitive edge, providing them with industry insights and relationships that are based on a common goal to grow professionally.
“Because of the evolution of the Exit Planning Institute, CEPAs now have more resources than ever to create owner-education-focused marketing events,” Amy says in her Top Five Tips.
A great way to stay connected as a CEPA is to join your local CEPA chapter, a list of which can be found here. These Chapters host individual events, both live and virtual, that can connect CEPAs and advisors to foster connectivity and achieve that growth in an increasingly connected world.
Exit Planning of the Future
It is daunting to think of the future, and everything that that entails. But as a CEPA, your mindset is already working on two tracks, both the present and future for the business owner. While markets evolve, trends ebb and flow, and technology changes, the core aspects of exit planning remain steadfast.
Cultivating strong relationships between CEPAs and business owners, aligning the personal, financial, and business legs of the stool, and committing to consistent value creation are all touchpoints in exit planning. Exit planning and the Value Acceleration Methodology teach us the importance of adaptability and flexibility, two traits that are necessary for staying ahead in an ever-changing world.
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