Program produced by XPX Long Island.

Case Study Session 3:
Focus on Growth, Building Sales and

Enhancing Effectiveness 

HiTech owners want to grow the business to make it salable in a few years. A key area of focus should be the sales organization. The company needs a sales organization that can succeed after the owners exit the business. How can the owners create an effective organization that is not dependent on them?

In this presentation, we will discuss building a sales organization that potential buyers will consider an asset, not a liability. To make the company salable, the owners will need to shed their day to day sales responsibilities. They must recruit a sales leader, develop a sales team, and create the necessary tools and systems to support the sales effort. This is usually a multi-year process.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY FOR THE MEETING.

Our Speaker:

David Wallace, Wallace Management Group

David is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur who generates confidence and trust. Through deep experience, analytical approach and intense focus on processes and solutions, he excels at crafting the master organization behind the sales effort. With David’s people skills, he builds strong relationships and has a passion for teaching/sharing his knowledge and expertise with others. By combining these talents, David has founded three successful companies: Wallace Management Group (which helps companies remove obstacles to sales productivity), The Sales Management Group (works with CEOs and sales leaders to create powerful sales organizations), and MarketLINK (sales enablement programs for F500 companies.

Program produced by XPX DC Metro.

Rapidly Accelerating Business Value: Where to Start?

Business owners know their businesses better than anyone. They have spent countless hours and sleepless nights working to build a valuable business to provide a living today and hopefully, sell in the future. But did you know 80% of business owners can never sell their business? And of the 20% that do sell, only a handful sell for what they believe it to be worth.

Justin Goodbread has devoted his career to helping business owner build valuable and sellable businesses. Please join us as Justin shares how an owner can build and accelerate business value to accomplish the successful exit that they deserve!

Our Speaker:

Justin A. Goodbread, CFP®, CEPA®, CVGA®, owner of Heritage Investors, LLC., Heritage Business Advisors and FinanciallySimple.com, is a nationally recognized financial planner, educator, wealth manager, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. He has 20+ years of experience starting, buying, owning, and selling businesses. Justin is a three-time recipient of the Investopedia Top 100 Advisor award and the Exit Planning Institute’s Exit Planner Leader of the Year.

Program produced by XPX Chicago.

Retirement Readiness 

2020 was exceptionally volatile for the investment markets. With little warning, we were thrown into a global health pandemic, bringing global economies to a standstill. As a result, the markets went from all-time highs into bear market territory in record time, with segments of the markets losing 30-40% in just weeks.

Then, just as quickly, the markets staged an impressive recovery all the way to all-time highs — leaving investors bewildered and wondering what just happened.

It's with all of this in mind that we will be holding a webinar to discuss Retirement Readiness. Specifically designed for investors and business owners who are approaching retirement or recently retired, this webinar will address…

• The surprising elements of retirement that are often overlooked
• How to create a vision for your retired years and achieve that vision
• Considerations for a portfolio that addresses your needs
• Sticking to your strategic wealth management plan during market volatility

Our Speaker:

Mike Karmin

Principal
Strategic Wealth Partners

To Mike the most gratifying part of helping people manage their wealth is bringing them a sense of control and confidence about the future.

Whether helping retirees determine their goals among changing circumstances or helping young professionals with growing wealth set good investment habits, Mike best understands and serves his clients’ needs by creating deep personal and professional relationships. He takes pride in making sure his clients are comfortable with their strategic plans and how their investment strategies are aligned with their best interests. Only then can he be sure his clients feel truly confident about and in control of their futures.

Mike has been in the financial services industry helping make a meaningful impact on people’s lives for nearly 15 years. Previously, Mike held a position at the Northern Trust Company where he managed equity portfolios that were customized to clients’ goals. He transitioned to his role at SWP with an understanding of the importance of giving each client’s situation individual attention.

Mike and his wife are Highland Park residents. They love taking their two young daughters to the city to explore its many neighborhoods and restaurants. Mike is also passionate about sports, always eager to engage in lively discussions about the city’s sports teams.

Program produced by XPX Chicago  Emerging Professionals.

Elements of an Elevator Pitch

Learn how to communicate your brand and achieve your “15 minutes” of fame! Join me and our XPX EP board members for a virtual meetup after work where Jim Klein, President of Acrobat Marketing Solutions, Inc., will explain the elements of an elevator pitch. Registration is encouraged and there is no attendance fee for this event.

The goal of the XPX Emerging Professionals group is to connect like-minded, career driven and entrepreneurial individuals who are early in their career by providing networking and learning opportunities that are in line with the XPX core principals. Invite a colleague or friend that you think will benefit from XPX!

The Exit Planning Exchange (XPX) is a multi-disciplinary professional organization aimed at providing education and networking opportunities to those who service company owners. XPX member’s help owners build sustainable businesses and help them plan and execute successful exits.

I look forward to meeting you!

Nermin Avdic, XPX Chicago Emerging Professional Chair

Our Speaker:

James Klein
President of Acrobat Marketing Solutions, Inc.

James Klein created Acrobat because after three decades on the ever-changing front lines of marketing, he recognized that there was a need. And it wasn’t being filled.

James observed that many enterprises— professional services and operating entities alike—often require a fresh, outside viewpoint to help define or confirm their assumptions, develop effective messages and introduce contemporary tactics leading to success. Attorneys as well as those tasked specifically to “sell” are normally very bright and very proficient at their profession, but they may never have learned the skills or taken the time to develop a marketing and business development approach that will allow them to define and reach goals.

James has a B.A. from the University of Illinois and an Masters in Advertising and Marketing from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.

Program produced by XPX Atlanta and North Fulton Business RadioX.

The Exit Exchange Podcast, Episode 1:

Interview with Mary Adams on North Fulton Business Radiox

Program produced by XPX San Antonio.

Exit Planning Roadmap & Roles of

Exit Planning Team Members

Exit planning requires a professional advisory team, but “teams” win with a coordinated and focused effort around a common goal. Join us for a discussion of the roles of the planning team members, and how they can best serve their clients by coordinating their efforts.

Our Speaker:

John F. Dini, CMBA, CExP, CEPA

Transition Strategies and Transaction Support, MPN, Inc. John develops transition and succession strategies that allow business owners to exit their companies on their own schedule. He is the founding President of the Exit Planning Exchange of San Antonio. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Rutgers University, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and the Certified Exit Planner and Certified Exit Planning Advisor qualifications.

Program produced by XPX Philadelphia.

Simulated Legal Negotiation 

Please join us for this unique opportunity - Put yourself in the driver’s seat as you watch legal teams simulate the real-world of negotiating the deal including the good bad and the ugly. Watch as counsel for each of the seller and the buyer “face-off” in this action packed negotiation. Learn some secrets of the legal negotiating process and what goes on behind the scenes.  Our panel will include: Herb Fineburg (Seller), Joanne Murray (Buyer) and John Pauciulo (Moderator).

Our panel comprises:  

John Pauciulo Member - Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott

John Pauciulo represents and advises clients with respect to corporate, securities, and real estate matters. John has extensive experience in structuring, negotiating, and documenting complex business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions, real estate acquisition and development projects, and private placements of securities. John also advises clients in disputes among business owners including business divorce matters, buy-outs and freeze-outs.

John is the chair of the firm’s Financial Transactions Group and is also a member of the firm’s Business Counseling and Regulated Substances groups.

Herb Fineburg, Shareholder & Managing Partner, Philadelphia office at Offit Kurman, LLC

Mr. Fineburg is recognized as one of Philadelphia's most respected business lawyers whose substantial knowledge of tax law provides clients with strategic and cost-saving benefits in connection with commercial transactions, taxation and wills, trusts and estates matters. Mr. Fineburg has assisted businesses and individuals with the organization of their finances, business and real estate affairs, and the structure of their assets A graduate of Washington University, Mr. Fineburg received his law degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M) from the New York University School of Law, Graduate Division.  

Joanne Murray, Partner - Antheil Maslow & MacMinn, LLP

Joanne helps to guide entrepreneurs and closely-held businesses through the new entity formation process and to structure, negotiate and implement business transactions such as asset and stock acquisitions, mergers, financing transactions, real estate purchases and leases, and business separations. She also assists her business and nonprofit clients with negotiating a wide range of contracts, such as software licenses, consulting agreements, employment agreements and non-disclosure agreements. She works with business owners to develop, document and implement their business succession plans, including preparing buy-sell, partnership and LLC agreements.

Program produced by XPX New Jersey and XPX New York.

Learnings from 2020 and the Pandemic: An XPX Community Sharing of Takeaways

XPX meeting attendees are an extraordinary, knowledgeable, and varied group of individuals that come from a diverse professional community. All weathered a challenging year in 2020. Our goal for this meeting, that kicks off the 2021 calendar year, is to accomplish two things: share our learnings that grew out of the trials and tribulations resulting from the Covid-19 incursion and spend some breakout as well as group time together sharing same and learning a bit more about each other.

Program produced by XPX Maryland. 

2021 Economic Outlook

Please join us as Leo Kelly, CEO of Verdence Capital Advisors, discusses the Economic Outlook for 2021 and beyond. With the election behind us and the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, Leo offers insight into this highly dynamic, nontraditional and politically uncertain environment.

Our Speaker:

Leo Kelly, Founder and CEO of Verdence Capital Advisors

Leo provides proven expertise to advise clients on an array of complex financial planning issues. Additionally, he works closely with institutions and foundations to educate board members and assist in the creation of tailored investment solutions. Leo has been recognized as both an industry and thought leader by some of the most prestigious financial publications and he is featured regularly on CNBC, Fox Business News, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV and Radio, and countless others. Prior to founding Verdence Capital Advisors, Leo was a Managing Director, Partner at HighTower Advisors and previously worked at Merrill Lynch and Bloomberg.

Program produced by XPX Chicago.

The M&A Market: A look forward and a LOok Back

Results from 2020 and Expectations for 2021 for Lower Middle Market M&A activity.

Our Speaker:

John Weber,  Vice President - Water Street Advisors

John B. Weber is Vice President of Water Street Advisors, a boutique investment banking firm engaged by privately held business owners to sell their companies. John has over 37 years of financial transaction experience helping owners sell their businesses, and prior to that, as a commercial banker helping companies of all sizes obtain debt and acquisition financing. John also has experience helping business owners through the process of transition as they courageously move from ownership to retirement. John is actively involved in XPX, MBBI, OPUS Connect, and ACG, as well as charitable organizations. He lives and works in Naperville, Illinois.