Exit Planning Institute Partners with SkillStacked Strategies to Strengthen Texas Business Advisory Networks

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. The alliance, revealed on September 18, 2026, aims to bolster the resources available to advisors who guide business owners through critical transitions. For Texas, a state with a robust ecosystem of small and medium-sized enterprises, this collaboration could signal enhanced support for the advisors who serve as the backbone of business succession planning.

SkillStacked Strategies, founded by Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and financial planner Skylar Dean, provides an on-demand team of specialists designed to help advisors deliver advanced planning without expanding internal staff. The firm’s bespoke Fractional Family Offices include experts in finance, operations, marketing, artificial intelligence, estate planning, and personal planning. This model allows financial professionals to tap into a flexible “bench” of specialists, addressing a common challenge for advisory firms: scaling expertise without incurring the overhead of full-time hires.

Josh Koza, director of strategic relationships at EPI, emphasized the natural fit of the partnership. “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,” Koza said. Value Acceleration is a core methodology within EPI’s CEPA credential program, which is the most widely endorsed professional exit planning program globally. By aligning with SkillStacked, EPI expands its Strategic Alliances group—a network of trusted collaborators that support advisor development, member engagement, and the broader EPI community.

For Texas, the implications are significant. The state’s economy is driven by a diverse array of businesses, many of which are owned by baby boomers approaching retirement. According to industry trends, a substantial portion of these businesses lack formal exit plans, creating risks for owners, employees, and local economies. Advisors equipped with CEPA training and access to specialized fractional support can help business owners maximize value, ensure smooth transitions, and preserve jobs. SkillStacked’s model directly addresses the resource gaps that often prevent advisors from offering comprehensive exit planning services.

Dean explained the dual role his firm plays: “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.” This reciprocal approach could foster a denser, more collaborative advisory network in Texas, where financial professionals can refer clients to vetted specialists and vice versa. As a result, business owners gain access to integrated expertise that might otherwise be out of reach for smaller advisory practices.

The partnership also highlights the growing importance of artificial intelligence and operational specialists in exit planning. As businesses become more complex, advisors must navigate digital transformation, marketing shifts, and estate planning intricacies. By offering these capabilities through a fractional model, SkillStacked enables Texas advisors to remain competitive and deliver high-value services. EPI’s alliance partners provide educational content, programming, and events, further enriching the professional development of advisors.

For readers in Texas’s business community, this news matters because it signals a strengthening infrastructure for exit planning—an area critical to economic continuity. When business owners plan exits effectively, they protect wealth, retain jobs, and often keep businesses rooted in their communities. Advisors who leverage alliances like this one can better serve Main Street enterprises, ensuring that transitions are successful rather than disruptive. The collaboration between EPI and SkillStacked Strategies thus represents a quiet but meaningful boost to the state’s economic resilience.