BUILDING CONFIDENCE WITH BUSINESS OWNERS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ACTIVATE YOUR CEPA DESIGNATION.
Business owners represent one of the largest opportunities for advisors, yet many financial professionals hesitate to engage beyond traditional financial topics. While advisors understand the importance of exit planning and value acceleration, uncertainty often prevents meaningful conversations from taking place. Concerns about asking the wrong questions, operating outside their expertise, or not knowing the next step can cause opportunities to stall.
This session focuses on building confidence rather than theory. Participants will learn practical frameworks and conversation techniques that help create meaningful discussions with business owners. Advisors will explore how curiosity, structured assessments, educational touchpoints, and collaborative planning can transform isolated conversations into ongoing engagement. Attendees will receive the Activating Business Owners Field Guide, a practical resource designed to help advisors move from theory to implementation and increase confidence in the room. The field guide provides frameworks, conversation prompts, and practical tools that participants can immediately incorporate into their practices to create more meaningful business owner relationships.
Learning Objectives:
- Overcoming the barriers that prevent Financial Advisors from confidently engaging business owners and activating the Value Acceleration methodology within their practices
- Apply practical frameworks and conversation techniques to create more meaningful discussions with business owner clients and prospects
- Utilize structured assessments and educational touchpoints to move business owner conversations from awareness to action
- Implement a repeatable engagement process that strengthens relationships, uncovers planning opportunities, and increases the return on the CEPA designation
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.