The Exit Planning Institute (EPI), a leading authority on exit planning for advisors, business consultants, and business owners, has announced a strategic partnership with SkillStacked Strategies, a firm founded by a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA). This alliance is set to enhance the resources available to advisors within EPI's community, addressing a critical need for specialized expertise in exit planning.
The partnership brings together EPI's extensive educational and credentialing programs with SkillStacked's innovative model of providing advisors with an on-demand team of specialists. According to Josh Koza, director of strategic relationships at EPI, "Skylar's background as a CEPA gives him a firsthand understanding of what advisors need to deliver Value Acceleration well, and that shared foundation makes this partnership a natural fit for our community." This shared understanding ensures that the collaboration directly addresses the practical challenges advisors face when guiding business owners through exit planning.
SkillStacked Strategies offers bespoke Fractional Family Offices, which include specialists in finance, operations, marketing, artificial intelligence, estate planning, and personal planning. This allows advisors to deliver advanced planning without the overhead of expanding internal staff. Skylar Dean, founder of SkillStacked, explained, "As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) and financial planner, I founded SkillStacked to serve as a fractional advisory 'bench' of specialists for financial professionals working with main street business owners. Our goal is to work with CEPAs on both sides of our business—some as the specialists that we connect with financial advisors and others as advisors, who are looking for a team of experts to support their clients."
The implications of this partnership are significant for the exit planning industry. By integrating SkillStacked's specialized services into EPI's ecosystem, advisors can now access a broader range of expertise, enabling them to offer more comprehensive solutions to business owners. This is particularly important as business owners increasingly seek holistic exit strategies that encompass not only financial planning but also operational, marketing, and personal aspects. The collaboration also strengthens EPI's Strategic Alliances program, which is designed to support advisor development and member engagement through educational content, programming, events, and collaboration.
For advisors, this means enhanced ability to deliver Value Acceleration, a key framework in exit planning that focuses on building transferable value in a business. With SkillStacked's fractional specialists, advisors can scale their services efficiently, providing high-level expertise without the cost of full-time hires. This can lead to better outcomes for business owners, who benefit from a team of experts tailored to their specific needs.
Furthermore, the partnership underscores the growing trend of fractional and specialized services in the professional advisory space. As the demand for exit planning grows, advisors must adapt to offer comprehensive support. EPI's alliance with SkillStacked positions both organizations at the forefront of this evolution, ensuring that advisors have the tools and resources to meet the complex needs of their clients.
For more information about EPI's Strategic Alliances, visit the EPI website. The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) credential program is the most widely endorsed professional exit planning program in the world, providing advisors with the content, tools, and training needed to engage business owners and become their most valued advisors. For more information, visit exit-planning-institute.org or follow EPI on LinkedIn.
