Put The Power of XPX To Work For You – and Your Clients
The Exit Planning Exchange is a network of trusted advisors to privately-held businesses. Our chapters build strong, collaborative local business ecosystems that view exit planning as a holistic exercise along the entire life of a private business. Our members include diverse professional advisors who help their clients build business value, transfer ownership and create a legacy of success in their lives and their communities.
Put the Power of XPX to Work for You & Your Clients
Welcome To XPX
Information. Solutions. And trusted guidance. It’s what private company owners in the heart of the middle market need – at all stages of growth. XPX – Exit Planning Exchange was created to help you, their trusted advisor, bring it to them. We’re an open, multi-disciplinary association of experienced professional advisors working toward common goals: to help each other, lower middle market businesses, and local communities succeed.
XPX is where you’ll gain intimate access to and connect with a diverse group of experienced advisors from over twelve professions to help you marshal your private company clients through all the stages of business growth.
Contact & Connect
Adding Value For You & Your Client
As the only open advisor network in the private company business value transfer market, XPX can offer you –
Trusted Advisors
Access to a trusted community of diverse advisors. Need guidance for your clients or services beyond your specialty? XPX gives you the confidence and power to connect with experienced advisors you – and your clients – can trust.
Programs & Networking
Ongoing programs and networking opportunities. Every XPX chapter offers unique and regular programming to help you get to know other advisors, see how they think, and learn more about other aspects of the private company lifecycle.
Expert Knowledge
Expert knowledge at your fingertips. Our unique Knowledge Exchange is the place where you can access over hundreds of resources with news, insights, trends, and best practices from other exit planning experts.
A Powerful Platform
A powerful platform. Through regular meetings, networking, content contributions and leadership opportunities, XPX gives you unique ways to get your business in front of leading advisors and business owners.
Advisor Professions
Accountants
Attorneys
Bankers
Coaches
Consultants
Insurance Providers
Investors
M&A Intermediaries
Non-Profits
Valuators
Virtual managers
Wealth Planners
XPX Upcoming Events
Knowledge Exchange
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar . . . a quote mis-attributed to Freud and often used to challenge the suggestion that there’s a deeper meaning to something. Yet as a retired psychologist, I can’t help but be intrigued when business advisor friends and exit planning colleagues pick my brain about clients who get them stirred up. Mental health professionals know that our conscious (and unconscious) reactions to patients inform our work with them, giving us clues about their struggles and about our own blind spots. For example, if I found myself feeling bored throughout a session with a patient, upon reflection it was usually because they were avoiding discussing something essential to their progress, which signaled to me (if I wasn’t too sleepy to pay attention) that I needed to be asking different and better questions. I don’t mean to suggest that business advisors treat their client encounters as therapy sessions. However, I do believe that how we respond to clients offers useful data that, if examined, can potentially help us to be more effective. To that end, here are five common reactions you may have to a client, and subsequent questions to ask yourself. Advisor Reaction Ask yourself I feel confused about what this client wants; they’re sending mixed messages. Do I feel confident about exactly how I can be of help, and have I clearly conveyed that to my client? Is my client ambivalent about needing my services? Is my client fully transparent and forthcoming about their circumstances and needs? If not, why not? I feel hesitant to say something or bring up a topic. How is my rapport different with this client compared to other clients? What’s behind that? If my client reacts poorly to something I say, what does that mean? What assumptions am I making here? This client is too demanding. What do my client’s demands indicate about me, them, and this project? How do I know for sure? If I continue to meet their demands, what might happen? What if I stop? Is there a middle ground? I feel like I’m working significantly harder than my client, and they need to step up. Am I being clear with my client about their role in our working relationship, and if not, what’s stopping me? If I told my client I was feeling this way, how would I like them to respond, what do I wish they would say – and why is that important to me? This client is being incredibly unrealistic. How do I feel about myself when clients don’t see things the way I’ve presented them? Underneath their unrealistic stance, are they feeling something else (e.g. disappointment)? If we both acknowledged that, would I feel differently about this client? Assuming that this client is indeed unrealistic, what psychological function is served by labeling them that way? (example: if we label someone as unrealistic, maybe we won’t feel badly if they’re disappointed) As you read those five reactions in the left-hand column, you probably found yourself thinking about simple, obvious ways to account for all of them. After all, a cigar is just a cigar and as one of my professors once advised me, “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses – not zebras.” There will always be clients who push your buttons – they would push anybody’s – and you may already know how to handle yourself in those situations. That said, there is merit in self-examination, especially when you’re puzzled – either by how you’re feeling or how your client is acting. Keep an open mind and stay curious as to what your reaction might reveal about both of you and watch for patterns. For example, long ago you may have figured out that you have a strong need to please your clients. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but over time you may discover that this can leave you feeling disappointed when a client isn’t delighted with your work. You might even notice that this initiates a cycle; when your disappointment saps your enthusiasm, your clients are even less likely to be delighted. This type of self-reflection isn’t always easy, but the insights you develop will be valuable in your work. Feel free to reach out if you would like some additional guidance. Copyright 2025 Larry Gard, Ph.D. Done With Work Retirement Coaching and Consulting All Rights Reserved
Let’s suppose you have owned a business for any years and are considering selling it to retire (kinda the dream…). Say it is worth $5 million and your capital gain is $4million You will be facing state and federal capital gains taxes, as high as 40% depending on where you live. It gets worse. If you are a C-corp, you could face tax at the corporate level AND the personal level. We call this double taxation. Most buyers want an asset sale, not a stock sale, to avoid liabilities of the seller (legal and debts). There are also some tax advantages. Sellers in a C-corp might prefer to sell stock, to reduce taxes, but that might expose the buyer to additional taxes and legal liability. You now see how this conflict can kill a deal (the tax-tail). (Note that there are ways to mitigate some of this, but we will save that to another day). However, all is not lost if the double taxation occurs, because the seller can use other strategies to offset/reduce the personal side of the capital gain. Saving money on corporate taxes or personal taxes is really about saving money. Money is money. So, before you get too deep into the tax questions, spend some time talking to your CPA and financial advisor about your future plans to sell your business, and let them come back to you with options for planning. If they do not come back to you with good options, then maybe you need new advisors.
Unleash the Power of Conative Data for Your Small Business Small business owners are continually juggling tasks and managing personalities. Conflicts arise whether we like them or not; team leaders and members inadvertently cause disruptions to productivity and damage morale. But what if you could understand why they’re clashing based on their natural need to take action in a certain way? That’s where Conative Wisdom comes in. New Ideas Versus What We Have Always Done Kolbe doesn’t focus on personality traits or feelings; it zeroes in on conation—how we instinctively solve problems and get things done. Understanding your team’s Kolbe Action Modes (Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, Implementor) can shed light on the root causes of conflict and guide you toward effective resolutions. Common Conflict Scenarios Through a Kolbe Lens: The “Analysis Paralysis” vs. “Leap of Faith” Clash: A high Fact Finder meticulously researches every detail before making a decision, while a high Quick Start jumps in with an innovative idea. This can lead to frustration, with the Fact Finder seeing the Quick Start as reckless and the Quick Start viewing the Fact Finder as slow and indecisive. Resolution: Value both perspectives within the context of the goal or project. The Quick Start brings needed energy and new ideas, while the Fact Finder ensures solid grounding. Guide them to leverage each other’s strengths. The Fact Finder can help the Quick Start refine their ideas with data, and the Quick Start can help the Fact Finder overcome analysis paralysis by setting realistic deadlines. The “Chaos Creator” vs. “Order Keeper” Tug-of-War: A high Follow Thru thrives on structure and predictable systems, while a high Quick Start prefers flexibility and breaking the rules. This can result in the Follow Thru feeling frustrated by the Quick Start’s perceived chaos, while the Quick Start feels stifled by the Follow Thru’s rigidness. Resolution: Define clear integration of these values for the goal or project. Allow the Follow Thru to manage established processes and systems while empowering the Quick Start to brainstorm new solutions and suggest improvements. Establish agreed-upon boundaries and communication protocols. The “Idea Generator” vs. “Executioner” Bottleneck: A high Quick Start is bursting with new ideas that provide opportunity but struggles with implementation. In contrast, a high Implementor prefers tangible tasks and hands-on creation of quality outcomes. The Quick Start might feel held back by the Implementor’s slower pace, while the Implementor feels overwhelmed by the constant influx of new options without proper execution. Resolution: Create a clear system for evaluating and prioritizing new ideas. Let the Quick Start focus on generating concepts while the Implementor takes ownership of execution. Break projects into smaller, manageable steps and assign clear deadlines. Provide the Implementor with the resources and support they need to bring Quick Start’s ideas to life. Using Kolbe to Resolve Conflicts Assess your team’s Kolbe A™ Index results: Knowing each person’s Action Modes is crucial. Identify the underlying conative differences: Is the conflict stemming from a difference in how they prefer to approach tasks or solve problems? Facilitate open communication: Help team members understand each other’s perspectives and appreciate the value of their different approaches. Encourage collaboration based on strengths: Assign tasks that leverage each individual’s natural abilities and preferences. Create a culture of appreciation: Foster an environment where everyone feels valued for their unique contributions. Embracing Conative Wisdom Learn to do more than tolerate new ideas and opportunities that seem to threaten productivity. Instead, utilize the Quick Starts need to explore ideas as a jump-start to accelerate progress toward growth goals. Tap in to, not out of, the Quick Starts talent; their need to solve problems through ideas and opportunities. Now, you can avoid the entanglements of problem-solving methods and overcome conflict, so you don’t miss a step in your timeline to success. Resolve immediate issues and build a stronger, more collaborative, and ultimately a more successful small business. Stop managing feelings and start understanding action – your team will thank you! Call to Action: Are you ready to understand the power of your team’s strengths? It is important to have a Certified Kolbe Consultant guide the interpretation of this data to attract, engage, and develop your team so you can grow and exit on your terms.
Listen to this post as a podcast: How a Smart Roth Conversion Strategy Can Build Tax-Free Generational Wealth www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you engage our firm for advisory services. The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice and it should not be relied on as such. It should not be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell a security. It does not take into account any investor’s particular investment objectives, strategies, tax status or investment horizon. You should consult your attorney or tax advisor. The views expressed in this commentary are subject to change based on the market and other conditions. These documents may contain certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. Any projections, market outlooks, or estimates are based upon certain assumptions and should not be construed as indicative of actual events that will occur. All information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. There is no representation or warranty as to the current accuracy, reliability, or completeness of, nor liability for, decisions based on such information and it should not be relied on as such. Bloomwood is a registered investment advisor. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Bloomwood and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. 730 Starlight Lane, Atlanta, GA 30342.
Our Numbers Speak for the Past & Future
Why I'm a Member of XPX
Make XPX Part of Your Business Plans
Explore
Learn
Account
Connect
Help & Support
© 2025 XPX Global LLC. Privacy Policy Norms & Principles Site Map Terms of Use
© 2025 XPX Global LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Put The Power of XPX To Work For You – and Your Clients
The Exit Planning Exchange is a network of trusted advisors to privately-held businesses. Our chapters build strong, collaborative local business ecosystems that view exit planning as a holistic exercise along the entire life of a private business. Our members include diverse professional advisors who help their clients build business value, transfer ownership and create a legacy of success in their lives and their communities.