Successful business transitions take intention, communication and planning. This is especially true for family businesses with added complicating factors. First to second generation transitions happen only 30% of the time, second to third only 12% and making it to the fourth and beyond is only successful for 3% for families.

How do I beat the family transition odds? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Despite the leaps and bounds towards gender equality society has made in the last few decades, working with women entrepreneurs remains an untapped market for transition planners. As a professional advisor, it is critical for you to understand the different approaches women typically take to owning a business so you can offer them the most impactful advice.

Julie Keyes, in a May 2022 EPI webinar, shares her experiences as a business owner and working with other women entrepreneurs so you get a feel for:

• What to expect

• How to use your knowledge strategically

• Common obstacles and how to address them

More than 40% of businesses in America are currently owned by women. This webinar will help position you to provide immediate value to women business owners, so you don’t miss out on quality clientele and they get the advice they deserve.

The statistics for owners who successfully transition out of their businesses are alarming and can be paralyzing. There are steps you can take today to put you in the driver's seat and improve your odds no matter how near or far you plan to transition.

How do I beat the transition odds? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Ready for Next partner Sean Hutchinson presented on the mainstage at the 2022 EPI Summit. Using neuroscience and curiosity you can banish boredom from the kingdom and engage clients at a deeper, more meaningful level and collect enriched data for mutually beneficial interactions.

A value gap is the difference between what your business is worth and what you will need to fund the next phase in your life. Understanding if you have one and what steps you can take to close or bridge the gap are important. How do I know if I have a value gap? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you. We are here to help.

Joe Slatter, RFN Advisory Group Senior Advisor presented this Power Session at the 2022 EPI Summit.

Have you ever noticed that little voice in your head doing analysis, solving problems, and preparing your sage advice while your client is talking? Maybe it’s a colleague or spouse who’s sharing a point of view and you’re waiting for a break in the action to share your bit of wisdom.

We all probably do it to some extent and that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. If we want to get more information in less time, we might consider setting our judgments aside and fully engaging curiosity for a little bit. Take a lesson from Kaldi, the goatherd who discovered coffee.

If you have committed to building value in your business you need help. It is important to have people on your team and leadership in your business who are willing and able to support this endeavor.

How do I build a leadership team and a culture of value creation? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Like many things in life, just because you decide it's time doesn't mean it can happen right away. Preparing for a large life event, like transitioning out of your business, can take time and attention.

How do I know how much time I need to transition from my business? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

There are several internal and external business transition options available to owners. Plus, business owners can be creative when achieving their transition outcomes with custom, hybrid options.

How do I understand the transition options available to me? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

This webinar was originally presented through the Exit Planning Institute in April 2022 by Ready for Next team members Sean Hutchinson and Rob Johannigman.

Remember the early days in your career when you went to job interviews and you were so keen on impressing the potential employer that you didn’t stop to think if they were right for you?

New client engagements can sometimes feel the same. You want to impress the owner and are so confident you can bring value to their business that you blow past yellow lights. You head straight to the solution without knowing what all the issues are.

Empowering conversations and good client relationships should be mutually beneficial. You both have a voice in determining if you should engage in working together.

It is important to remember the client is the only one who can decide they have a need for your services. You may be the exact person with the exact right solution at the exact right time, and if the client doesn’t think they have a problem requiring you and your solution, then it doesn’t matter.

Recruitment and retention of top talent is best for your business and the sign of a great employment brand. As a business leader and owner, being the employer of choice in your market will help with your human resources and culture.

How do I become the employer of choice in my market? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Your leadership team has likely been with you through ups and downs. They are likely a good part of your success and trusted allies in building your business. They are also valuable assets as you build value and transition from your role as owner.

How do I and when do I talk to my leadership team about my plans to transition? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Each business has risks they need to navigate and mitigate. The real question is which may impact the enterprise value of your business.

How do I know how risk is affecting my value drivers? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

What makes your business money, may not be what drives value in it. Enterprise value comes from specific drivers and knowing your company's is important.

How do I know my value drivers? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

There are people and professionals who can help you build value in your business, even if they don't work for or in your business. Your commercial banker is one of those people who can play a role in your value building initiatives.

How do I develop a value building relationship with my commercial banker? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Your business is your income and your investment. You should understand if you are more owner or employee. This is especially critical as you begin to consider what transitioning from owning your business will look like for you.

How do I take the first steps to convert from a job to a business? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Metrics and tracking progress are important to understand if you are better or worse than you have been. Tracking is one thing, but developing the scoreboard to track the things that matter is also important.

How do I develop a value tracking scoreboard with good key performance indicators? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Sometimes things look good but may not actually be good. Understanding what is important to you as an owner is important so when you are faced with an offer you can weigh and measure it with clarity.

How do I know when to walk away from an offer? If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.

Business owners often keep reinvesting their own capital into their business. However, sometimes it makes solid financial and business sense to use debt. How do I know when to use debt to grow?

If you are a business owner, the answer to this question is important to you.