Our Exit Planning Philosophy: Value Acceleration Methodology

Our Exit Planning Philosophy


Exit planning is business strategy.

Official ‘Exit Planning’ Definition: Exit planning combines the plan, concept, effort, and process into a clear, simple strategy to build a business that is transferable through strong human, structural, customer, and social capital. The future of the business owner, his/her family, and the business itself are addressed by exit planning through creating value today.

Exit planning is not just a plan. It is a strategy rooted in execution that grows value while expanding options so that an owner can transition the business on his/her terms when they are ready. It aligns the business, personal, and financial needs of the owner. Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA) educate the owner on all of the exit options and enters an engagement with an exit-option-agnostic perspective as to truly serve the business owner’s diverse needs. CEPAs collaborate with a seasoned, multi-disciplinary team of professionals to support the success of the business owner and use each other’s specialties and expertise to the benefit of the project.

The Value Acceleration Methodology

The Value Acceleration Methodology™ is your strategic framework for executing exit planning. This value management system makes the timing of an exit irrelevant. Exit planning is laser-focused on what you can do right now to grow the value of the business and drive income. Forget the future. Focus on today. By focusing the approach on building a business with characteristics that drive value and integrating the owner’s personal and financial objectives into it now, there will be many options to exit on the owner’s timeline and terms.

These concepts are covered in depth in EPI CEO, Chris Snider’s book, Walking to Destiny: 11 Actions an Owner Must Take to Rapidly Grow Value and Unlock Wealth. Download the Value Acceleration Methodology origin story and case study now.

Download 'The Perfect Exit' Chapter

About Exit Planning Institute:

The Exit Planning Institute (EPI) is an education company that provides exit planning education to advisors and middle market business owners.  We view exit planning as a strategy, not an event.

EPI leads the professional services profession with the best industry content, ongoing support, and owner education platform. These platforms align with our mission to: Change the outcome for Business Owners and Build Significant Companies.

Only 2 out of every 10 businesses that come to market actually sell. We want to increase the number of saleable businesses.

Only 30% of family businesses successfully transition to the second generation, only 12% transfer to the third, and the success rates diminish from there. We want to improve those intergenerational transitions.

Of those that succeed in the sale of their business, 75% experience “profound regret” within one year of exiting their business. We want to understand why and create strategies that achieve profound success, wealth, and satisfaction.

EPI is an education company, powered by an elite community of top advisors and owners, all focused toward creating a valuable, transferable future for the business marketplace.