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Meet The Authors Attending the Author Showcase at the 2025 Exit Planning Summit

Written by Kellie Nock | Apr 22, 2025 3:00:00 PM

At the Exit Planning Summit, leaders in the exit planning space convene to share their passion for helping business owners grow more significant companies. With their expertise, these leaders have documented and authored various writings to teach, inspire, and innovate the space. Following is a collection of authors in the exit planning space who will attend the 2025 Exit Planning Summit Author Showcase. 

Join us on May 5th, 2025, at the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, as we showcase these must-read exit planning books.

Learn more about these authors and their books below! 

Christopher Snider, Walking to Destiny

For Business Owners. By a Business Owner. Walking to Destiny is not only your essential resource to understand what makes your business attractive and ready for transition; it is a business owner’s handbook to know how to rapidly grow value and ultimately unlock the personal wealth trapped in your most significant financial asset: Your Business.

The book is also designed to bridge the gap between advisors and owners to get them on the same page. From an advisor perspective, the Value Acceleration Methodology has become the leading process for exit planning and is prominently utilized by exit planning advisors worldwide. We want to change the outcome for business owners who have invested their lives in their businesses.

Order the second edition of Walking to Destiny!

Connect with Chris

Scott Bushkie, Finish Strong: Sell Your Business On Your Terms

Scott Bushkie provides sound advice and concrete steps so business owners can Finish Strong and exit their business on their own terms.

With more than two decades of insight, Scott covers everything from the importance of timing to buyer types, valuation, legacy, and lifestyle, with the ultimate goal of explaining options and providing peace of mind.

Owners can be confident in their right steps as they make what might be the largest financial transaction of their lives.

Read the book!

Connect with Scott

John D. Hanson, Winning Secrets: How a Dictionary and a Ruler Can Change Your Life and Heroic Leadership: Anyone Can Be A Courageous Leader

In Winning Secrets, John D. Hanson shares a journey that changed everything for him in 2017. After identifying three game-changing Winning Secrets,  he dedicated years to learning from highly accomplished individuals worldwide, subsequently discovering seven additional secrets. Now, he’s sharing them with readers.

Winning Secrets contains substantial, practical insights designed to help individuals reach their full potential to increase Impact, Influence, and Income. It all starts with the Right Definition, the Right Ruler, and the Right Celebrations. Master these, and the rest will follow.

 

Read the book!

In "Heroic Leadership: Anyone Can Be A Courageous Leader," John D. Hanson introduces two significant paradigm shifts that can fundamentally change how you lead and influence others. The current global landscape demands engaged and courageous leaders in professional settings, online platforms, and everyday interactions.

Whether you are a business leader, an aspiring professional, or someone eager to make a more substantial impact, this book provides a comprehensive guide. It teaches you how to engage, equip, and empower those around you through established leadership principles. Additionally, it reveals the essence of heroism and how its application can significantly enhance your leadership capabilities.

Read the book!

Connect with John

Julie Keyes, Poised for Exit

Exiting a business may be the biggest financial decision of a business owner's life—so why leave it to chance?

In Poised for Exit, Julie Keyes provides a clear roadmap to help business owners prepare for a successful and strategic exit on their own terms. Whether they are years away from selling or approaching the transition soon, this book's tools, checklists, and insights will help maximize value, minimize stress, and ensure a smooth transition.

Proper preparation is essential to help business owners safeguard their achievements and confidently embark on their next chapter. 

Read the book!

Connect with Julie

Kelly Knight, People: Dare to Build an Intentional Culture

A thriving business isn’t just about having the right people—it’s about creating the right culture. In People, the second book in the EOS Mastery Series, Kelly Knight shows how to build a deliberate, values-driven workplace that attracts, engages, and retains top talent.

Using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), this book provides a clear, actionable roadmap for defining your Core Values, fostering alignment, and eliminating the chaos of a haphazard culture. Whether you’re struggling with hiring, productivity, or team dynamics, People will help you shape a workplace where both your business and your employees can thrive.

 

Read the book!

Connect with Kelly

Tina Corner-Stolz, Your Seat at the Table

The peer advisory space is booming—but navigating it successfully takes expert guidance. In Your Seat at the Table, industry veteran Tina Corner-Stolz reveals the formula she used to build, scale, and sell a highly profitable Peer Advisory Council (PaC) business.

Drawing from nearly two decades of experience, Tina demystifies the jargon, shares real-world success stories, and lays out a step-by-step blueprint for launching, running, and growing a thriving peer group. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to refine your approach, this book will help you create an unparalleled Member Experience (MX) that keeps members engaged and your business thriving.

Read the book!

Connect with Tina

Justin Goodbread, Your Baby's Ugly

This book helps business owners improve their businesses in eight key areas that will set them up for growth in revenue and profits today, not just for eventually selling their business. By focusing on the present as shown, owners will have more sales, more profit, and even more exit options. 

Those who operate their own company, firm, or practice typically plan for everything ― except success. Too often, business owners focus only on generating an income from their operations; they fail to realize the real payoff comes from building an enterprise that has value beyond the income they earn annually. The result is a squandered opportunity to truly achieve the American Dream.

Read Your Baby's Ugly

Connect with Justin

Susan Latremoille, 9 Steps to a RichLife Retirement

A step-by-step guide to envisioning, planning, and living a RichLife in the next chapter for business owners. Susan emphasizes that retirement planning isn't just about money. It is also about time and how to spend it. Baby Boomers break the mold again! This time with their vital longevity. People retiring today need to plan for 25-plus good years that may well lie ahead of them. That's more than 1,300 weeks! More than 9,100 days! What are you planning to do over those 218,000 hours? No earlier generation has enjoyed such an extensive life in retirement. There are no role models for how to do it best. Happily, Susan Latremoille is a visionary guide. In this book, she lays out an effective 9-step process to maximize engagement, fulfillment, and happiness in every year, every week, every day, and every hour of retirement.

Read the book!

Connect with Susan

Marianne Oehser, Your Happiness Portfolio

This book focuses on how to thrive in retirement. It serves as a practical guide to overcoming the challenges that many face when transitioning out of their careers. Surprisingly, most people don’t even realize that they will encounter these challenges. The issue is that they are not prepared to handle the significant changes that come with retirement, including the need to replace certain aspects of their previous lives, such as their identity tied to their profession, the sense of making a difference, professional friendships, and the daily structure and rhythm they are accustomed to.

Above all, this book is a guide to creating a happy and fulfilling life. Just as business owners need a financial portfolio to support their retirement, they also need a Happiness Portfolio® to truly flourish in this new phase of life. A Happiness Portfolio goes beyond a simple bucket list, although bucket list items should certainly be included. It is a comprehensive plan for living every aspect of your life in a way that ensures a feeling of fulfillment and contentment. This portfolio encompasses vision, intention, and the amount of time and energy owners wish to invest in each of the eight non-financial areas of their lives.

Read the book!

Connect with Marianne

Tom William Deans, Every Family’s Business: 12 Common Sense Questions to Protect Your Wealth

Succession planning can be a challenging topic, but what if there was an easy way to begin the conversation? 

In Every Family’s Business, two strangers meet on a flight to Barbados and soon discover that they both work in family businesses. As they share stories of their successes and failures, one of them reveals 12 powerful questions that have guided his family's business for four generations.

This engaging, insightful, and practical bestselling novel helps families break the ice and initiate important conversations about their business's future. With a blend of sound business principles, love, and mutual respect, the book offers a proven method to ensure both family harmony and financial security.

Read the book!

Connect with Thomas

John Warrillow, Built to Sell


Most business owners started their companies hoping to gain the freedom to do what they want, work on their own schedule, earn the income they deserve, and eventually retire comfortably from their hard work. Unfortunately, according to John Warrillow, many owners discover that stepping away from their business is extremely challenging. This happens because they’ve created a company that relies too heavily on their personal involvement. Without them, the business can lose its value regardless of size or profitability. 

 

Read the book!

Connect with John

Renee Russo, Ready to Rise: Learn How to Elevate Your Energy, Achieve Your Goals and Realize Your Freedom to Live Your Life by Your Own Design. Upgrade Your System, Upgrade Your Life

Change is inevitable, but thriving through it is a choice. In Ready to Rise, Thought Leadership Council member Renee Russo shares her powerful personal transformation journey and offers a practical roadmap to help you elevate your energy, take charge of your circumstances, and design a life on your own terms. More than just an inspiring story, this book serves as a field guide filled with actionable insights and practical tools to help you rethink your energy management, break free from limitations, and create lasting change. With an easy-to-follow companion guide, you'll discover how to upgrade your system so you can enhance your life.

Read the book!

Connect with Renee

Andrew Cagnetta, Closing the Deal

Selling a business is one of the most significant financial decisions a business owner will make, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. In Closing the Deal, Andy Cagnetta, CEO of Transworld Business Advisors, shares over two decades of expertise to guide business owners through the complexities of selling their business with confidence and ease.

Whether owners are just starting to consider selling or are ready to finalize the sale, this book offers practical insights, expert advice, and actionable strategies to help them maximize their profit and minimize their stress. From dispelling common myths to avoiding costly pitfalls, Andy and his carefully selected team of experts provide the tools they need to achieve a successful sale.

Read the book!

Connect with Andrew

Carrie Kerpen, The Whisper Way: The Secret Formula for Female Entrepreneurs to Scale and Sell for Life-Changing Money

Women-owned businesses are thriving, but they still earn only half of what men’s businesses generate on average. When it comes time to sell, many women entrepreneurs often settle for much less than their male counterparts. The Whisper Way aims to change that.

Carrie Kerpen shares the proven process she used to scale her business to an eight-figure exit in this groundbreaking guide. Through a relatable fable featuring seven women entrepreneurs, Carrie provides actionable advice, leadership lessons, and strategies for transforming a lifestyle business into a sellable asset that generates substantial profit. With practical tools, evaluations, and clear implementation steps, The Whisper Way teaches how to close the exit gap, achieve business success, and sell a business for its true value. Whether an owner is just starting out, scaling, or preparing to sell, this book offers a path to financial independence and lasting success.

Read the book!

Connect with Carrie

Attend the 2025 Exit Planning Summit

Unlock your potential at the Exit Planning Summit, where advisors will experience the opportunity to evolve through experiences, people, and innovation. Enhance your approach to connecting with business owners, cultivate impactful relationships, and engage in conversations that lead to powerful exit planning strategies. Over the course of three days, you will forge lasting connections with influential business owners, setting the foundation for new opportunities to achieve the best outcomes for your clients. Don't miss out on this chance to grow and make a lasting impact!

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