The Confident Exit Podcast

Episode Summary In this episode of the Confident Exit Podcast, host Pete Bush, CFP, CEPA, sits down with Lance Hill of John Hancock, a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) who supports financial advisors across Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Alabama. Together they explore why exit planning belongs in the present rather than a decade down the road, drawing on Lance's dual perspective as bot...

Episode Summary In this episode, Pete Bush sits down with Kelly Finnell, J.D., CLU, AIF, founder and president of EFS ESOP Consultants and author of The ESOP Coach, to explore how Employee Stock Ownership Plans can serve as a powerful exit strategy for business owners. With 45 years of experience focused exclusively on ESOPs, Kelly breaks down how these plans work, who they're best suited for, and...

Episode Summary In this episode, Pete Bush sits down with Mark Esslie, Managing Director, Partner, and Financial Advisor at Irontree Financial, to explore succession planning from the buyer's perspective — a viewpoint most retiring advisors rarely consider. Mark shares how he built a systematic onboarding process that has achieved less than 1% client attrition across acquired practices, and why un...

🔑 Episode Summary In this episode of The Confident Exit Podcast , Pete Bush sits down with Scott Bushkie, a 27-year veteran in business brokerage and M&A, to unpack what really drives successful business exits. Scott shares why most owners wait too long to sell, how misconceptions around valuation can cost millions, and why transferability—not just revenue—determines true business value. The conv...

In this episode of The Confident Exit Podcast , Pete Bush sits down with longtime friend and Baton Rouge attorney Mark Fry of Phelps Dunbar , who leads the firm's Trust & Estates Group within its business practice. Together, they explore why estate planning and business succession planning must be addressed together , and why exit planning is not a future event—but an ongoing process that should s...

  Summary     This episode dives into the real-world journey of  growing up  inside a financial advisory firm , buying into it, becoming the successor, and then turning around to  acquire  other practices. Pete and Brian unpack the mindset, mechanics, and emotional reality of ownership transitions—both for founders planning to exit and for next-generation successors stepping in.     Brian shares w...

Summary The conversation delves into the emotional complexities involved in selling a business, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's desires post-sale and the dynamics between buyers and sellers. It highlights why wealth management is uniquely relationship-driven, how to structure firms for continuity (solo, silo, ensemble), what makes a practice "sellable," and why doing the involunt...

Episode Summary In this episode, host Pete Bush welcomes CJ Aulet to explore why exit planning isn't something to save for the future—it belongs in the present . They unpack how education, strategic planning, and clear assessments help business owners protect value, reduce risk, and prepare for life's inevitable transitions. CJ shares his journey back to Baton Rouge, his role as a CFO/COO-for-hire...

Episode summary Pete kicks off The Confident Exit Podcast with Baton Rouge–area advisor Ben Vance to unpack what really drives a successful business exit. They cover why every business will exit (planned or not), how to start years earlier than most owners think, common valuation misconceptions (it's not just "EBITDA × multiple"), and how to balance the financials with very real family and emotion...