Artificial Intelligence is transforming business faster than most owners realize. Those who successfully navigate that transformation will have an enormous advantage. In this session, Keith Ross will break down how to identify real, attainable AI opportunities that improve efficiency, profitability, and valuation. You’ll learn how AI can de-risk an owner-led business by documenting processes, transferring institutional knowledge, and improving overall transferability ahead of a sale. Finally, Keith will introduce three simple design principles that Dry Ground AI uses to help attendees understand how technology and AI consumption will change in the coming years.
Learning Objectives:
1. How to Identify High-Impact AI Opportunities: Learn how to uncover the most valuable use cases for AI inside a business, whether the goal is operational efficiency, growth, or preparing for exit.
2. How to Apply AI to Improve Profitability and Transferability: Discover how AI-driven process documentation, knowledge capture, and automation can increase EBITDA and reduce key-person risk, especially for owner-led businesses.
3. How to Build a Full-Stack AI Approach that Actually Works: Understand our core design principles that make AI practical and scalable across any size business, not just in theory.
About the Presenter:
Hear from industry expert Keith Ross.
Event Location
Event Details
Who Should Attend?
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Attorneys
You have close relationships with clients, and can benefit from being the first advisor to introduce the idea of exit planning.
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CPAs/Accountants
Owners participating in the State of Owner Readiness research continue to indicate that you are the No. 1 "Most Trusted Advisor." You are a natural fit to lead the exit planning team and deepen your relationship (and retention) of next generation owners.
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Wealth Managers
You’re a skilled relationship person. Being entangled into your clients’ professional lives matters as you build a strategy to manage their wealth upon them harvesting it from their business. Exit planning allows you to build a deeper relationship with your client, expands your COI network, while giving you an early seat at table well before the liquidity event.
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Financial Advisors
One of the critical ‘legs of the stool’ is personal financing planning. An owner must have a strong financial plan & contingency plan post-transition to enable them to thrive in the next act of the lives personally and financially. Exit planning brings this future mindset into the present. Exit is now.
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Valuation Analysts
Valuation is both a billable engagement AND an opportunity to provide owners some perspective on how to accelerate value drivers (and deal with value killers). Use exit planning to make that valuation into a longer term value acceleration engagement.
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Investment Bankers
Only 2 of every 10 businesses that come to market actually sell. Learn how exit planning can bring attractive AND ready business to your purview.
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Estate Planners
Exit planning is a natural fit for estate planners who want to operate more holistically with their owner clients.
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Strategic Consultants
One of the most critical roles in exit planning is building transferable value. Strategic consultants have the ability to expand options and drive rapid business value that affect performance today.
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Insurance Professionals
Exit planning addresses the 5 D's. So do you. Approach the risk conversation differently with exit planning.
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Mergers & Acquisition Advisors
Proper exit planning causes less deals to fall through at the last minute. Connect with CEPAs to build your healthy deal flow network.
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Commercial Lenders
One of the best relationships a business owner makes is with their banker. How can you help your corporate clients think about the future and ensure financial continuity? Answer: exit planning.
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Family Business Advisors
More than 50% of lower middle market business owners would prefer to transition to the next generation. Help them succeed with exit planning strategies.
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Other Professional Advisors
Regardless of your unique specialty, there is seat at the exit planning table for you. Learn more at www.EarnCEPA.com.
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Private Business Owners
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Members of Family Business Boards
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Professional Advisors
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Business Consultants
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Other Business Professionals
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Business Owners
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Business Owners & Their Trusted Advisors
EXIT PLANNING IS GOOD BUSINESS STRATEGY
The Exit Planning Institute, provides Financial Advisors, Accountants, Consultants, and other advisors of business owners with the critical education to differentiate themselves and add value to their existing client relationships through a credential, conference, courses, and content. Download the CEPA brochure for more information.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Keith Ross is founder and CEO of Dry Ground AI, where he helps companies cut through AI complexity to identify and rapidly execute the highest-impact opportunities for revenue and operational leverage. For more than two decades, he has led large, complex technology organizations, including serving as General Manager of the world’s third-largest cloud, where he helped Rackspace scale to more than $3 billion in revenue and worked with technologies developed in collaboration with NASA. He also led Delivery, responsible for delivering $480M in new ARR each year, support, supply chain, and engineering, while also serving as the Austin site leader. Keith has led organizations of thousands of engineers and hundreds of leaders, giving him practical insight into building high-performing teams and reliable delivery models. A certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he combines rigorous operational practice with pragmatic AI design to deliver full-stack AI solutions that deliver measurable gains in revenue growth, productivity, margin, and leadership capacity.