A few years ago, a business owner shared something that perfectly captured a common challenge:
“I’m great at running my business… but when it comes to planning the exit, I don’t even know where to start.”
It’s an honest admission, and a common one. Many owners excel at building value but feel uncertain about how to turn that value into a successful transition. Exit planning involves moving parts, multiple advisors, and high-stakes decisions. Without clear leadership and coordination, even strong plans lose momentum. That’s why having a financial and exit-planning “quarterback” can be the difference between confusion and confidence.
Why You Need a Quarterback – On and Off the Field
Just like in football, where the quarterback is reading defenses, calling audibles, and keeping the offense moving down the field, a strategic leader is essential to coordinate every part of your financial and exit strategy. Without that central leader, your team risks operating in silos, missing opportunities, and losing momentum toward your goals.
We’ve always championed the role of a financial quarterback as someone who not only knows the game plan, but executes it with precision and aligns all the crucial players: your CPA, estate attorney, financial advisor, trust specialist, and more.
But when you’re a business owner preparing to exit through a sale, succession, or transition, the game changes. The stakes are higher. The playbook is broader. That’s where the concept of quarterbacking your exit planning becomes essential, and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) becomes an invaluable partner.
The Playbook: Financial Decisions That Shape Your Exit
Calling the plays is only part of the job. A true financial quarterback also makes sure every phase of your strategy — personal and business — works together.
When preparing for an eventual exit, four areas matter most:
1. Tax Planning
Taxes can quietly erode years of hard-earned value. Proactive planning around income, capital gains, and estate taxes helps preserve more of what you’ve built. Your quarterback works closely with your CPA or tax advisor to structure smarter strategies, reduce surprises, and improve after-tax outcomes.
2. Retirement Planning
Stepping away from your business means replacing income with confidence. Coordinating withdrawals across IRAs, Roth accounts, and taxable investments, while managing tax exposure, helps extend the life of your wealth and create predictable cash flow for the next chapter.
3. Estate & Legacy Planning
An exit isn’t just financial; it’s personal. Estate planning ensures your wealth transfers smoothly, reflects your values, and supports the people and causes that matter most. Your quarterback aligns attorneys, trusts, and tax professionals so every document and decision works together.
4. Succession Planning
Unexpected events can disrupt even the strongest businesses. A clear succession plan protects employees, family members, and the value you’ve created. With the right structure and documentation in place, transitions happen deliberately, not reactively.
Individually, each decision matters. But without coordination, they can work against one another.
What a CEPA Brings to Your Team
More than just another advisor, a CEPA is a strategic leader trained specifically in exit planning. Their role mirrors that of a quarterback in several key ways:
Coordinates the Entire Team
A CEPA ensures every advisor, from your CPA to your attorney, is aligned, understands the play, and works together toward your end goal, not separate objectives.
Keeps the Game Plan on Track
Exit planning is complex and emotional. A CEPA helps break it down into achievable phases, like 90-day “sprints,” keeping progress steady and momentum strong.
Aligns Goals with Strategy
More than managing logistics, they keep your vision at the center of every decision — balancing financial objectives, legacy goals, tax considerations, and personal timing.
Provides Strategic Leadership
When tough decisions arise, as they inevitably do, a CEPA provides the strategic insight and leadership necessary to make the right calls.
Value Acceleration Is More Than Just Growth
Many business owners think value acceleration is just about growing earnings or profits. But it’s bigger than that. When done well, value acceleration means leveraging opportunities, aligning your team, anticipating challenges, and optimizing every aspect of your business and personal wealth strategy so that when it’s time to exit, you’re not just ready — you’re positioned to win. Working with a qualified CEPA ensures that instead of improvising, you’re executing a playbook that’s tailored to your unique goals and timeline.
Who Should Be Your Quarterback?
Not every advisor can be your quarterback — just like not every player can be a real NFL QB. You need someone with:
- Deep strategic experience
- Strong interpersonal skills
- A holistic view across financial, legal, tax, and business planning
- A coach-like ability to coordinate and lead a team
That’s precisely the role a CEPA® plays on your exit planning team.
Touchdown — When All the Pieces Work Together
In both football and financial planning, success comes from clear leadership, intentional coordination, and disciplined execution. Whether you’re planning for tomorrow’s retirement, mitigating risk, or preparing to exit the business you spent decades building, you deserve a quarterback who:
- knows the field,
- understands your goals, and
- has the playbook to get you across the goal line.
We take pride in serving as that quarterback to guide your team, collaborate with your advisors, and align your plan so every part moves in harmony toward your victory. If you’d like help building your team and finding the right quarterback to lead it, let’s talk.
