In exit planning, even the best strategy fails without team execution. Collaboration transforms a group of advisors into a coordinated team that can guide owners and their businesses from successful to significant. It’s these advisors who know who to collaborate with and who are often best positioned to boost business owner outcomes.
Exit planning spans valuation, tax, legal, wealth, operations, and succession. No single advisor can cover all aspects of an exit effectively.
Value Acceleration is a team sport, and it takes a unified team to reduce potential confusion for business owners and help keep projects on track, saving you from headaches.
Knowing what you need from a collaboration with an exit planning partner is crucial to its success. Before you decide which company or platform you’re going to invest your time and money in, take the time to draw up your game plan.
Are you looking for software to help simplify your processes and make working with clients easier? Maybe you’re looking for coaching to help you be the best advisor you can be? No matter what it is, consider your options carefully before you make a decision.
If it’s software, request a demo. If it’s consulting, request a meeting to discuss your goals and what you want to get out of that partnership.
Identify the gaps in your current process, the types of engagements you want to win more of, and where a partner could meaningfully expand your capabilities. The clearer you are about your goals and constraints up front, the easier it becomes to choose collaborators who complement your strengths rather than duplicate them and to structure partnerships that move the needle for your practice.
After you’ve ironed out your game plan, drafting your team is the next crucial step to creating a successful collaboration.
Think about this like you’re assembling an all-star team of valuation firms, tax strategists, M&A consultants, and more. The Exit Planning Institute’s® (EPI) partners offer a wide array of expertise to address common gaps that Certified Exit Planning Advisors® (CEPA) might encounter. Visit EPI's partner page to explore options and start building your all-star lineup.
On a football field, it takes all 11 players executing their roles for a play to be successful, and the same is true in the exit planning process. Even the most well-designed strategy can fall flat if the advisory team cannot consistently follow through on business, financial, and personal plans.
In Walking to Destiny, EPI Chairman Christopher Snider calls this Relentless Execution, or doing the work, delivering on the playbook, and getting things done for the owner, every single time. When advisors and partners commit to that level of follow-through, collaboration becomes a true competitive advantage in the market.
“At the end of the day, you still have to execute. You have to deliver. You have to get things done on both paths. Execution is how the game is won. Relentless Execution alone can be your advantage,” he writes.
There are plenty of partner options available to CEPAs, ranging from software to advisor coaching firms, making it possible to build a winning connection with whomever your partners are.
The Exit Planning Summit is a great place to meet some of the top CEPAs in the community, but also EPI’s partners as well.
While you’re in Nashville, take advantage of our new Summit Exploration Time after the final breakout sessions on April 20. This new block of time is designed to allow you to connect further with your exit planning peers, discover more of what the Exit Planning Summit has to offer, or recharge before the final day of your time in the Music City.
To learn more about the 2026 Exit Planning Summit in Nashville, visit ExitPlanningSummit.com, or check out our other blogs about the event.
The Exit Planning Summit is the premier exit planning event, spanning over the course of three days. It provides attendees the opportunity to experience hands-on education, make new connections with like-minded individuals, and spark innovation in the profession. It is the annual, global gathering for exit planning professionals committed to expanding their offerings to clients and becoming value-driven.