Poised for Exit
Welcome to the Poised for Exit podcast! Poised for Exit is an under 30-minute strategic planning guidance podcast for busy small business owners. Each week you’ll hear certified exit planning advisor, Julie Keyes, talk with a range of entrepreneurs and professionals about preparing your business for a future transition. Guests at every stage of company ownership will share their personal stories and lessons learned about topics such as the anatomy of the exit planning process, developing a growth strategy, how to sell on your terms, exit planning for women small business owners, handling business diversity, and how to sell a family business. Whether you’re planning an exit in the near future or not, this show will provide you with the same action-oriented content that Julie utilizes while consulting with Keyestrategies clients. Building an exit strategy can be overwhelming, especially with all the decisions and details you have to consider. “Poised for Exit” will simplify the process and help you unwrap the unknowns, giving you more confidence in your planning process. Previous episodes are available for download, so if you are new to our show, you can listen to them in any order that suits you. Join us each week for timely, relevant content that will surely impact your business exit outcome! Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive your weekly episode link and stay updated on new strategic planning content. Find “Poised for Exit” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and others. Thank you to our Sponsors: Sunbelt Business Advisers and JAK CPA's. A special note of thanks to Tyler Keyes who produced the music for the “Poised for Exit” show.
Poised for Exit
Exit Planning in the Age of AI: Building Smarter Strategies
In this episode of Poised for Exit, we are joined by Erik Gabrielson, co-founder of ProjectWe. Erik returns to the show to share how his firm is helping business owners and professional services leaders navigate one of the most disruptive forces of our time: artificial intelligence. The conversation begins with Erik’s own journey of adopting AI in early 2023, when he and his team recognized its potential to transform not only their business, but also the way their clients operate.
Together, Erik and Julie explore the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into exit planning and business strategy. One of the biggest takeaways is that the real risk isn’t choosing the wrong AI tools - it’s avoiding the conversation altogether. Too many companies treat AI like just another software plug-in, and that’s why implementations stall. Erik explains why success starts with people, trust, and careful planning, and how shifting your mindset to see AI as a teammate can unlock far greater potential.
They also talk about how AI can take knowledge that usually lives with one owner and turn it into shared knowledge that strengthens the whole company. Relying too heavily on one person creates risk, but integrating AI can help reduce that dependency, and businesses that resist adoption may find themselves vulnerable when it comes to valuation.
As the conversation unfolds, Julie and Erik share their collaboration on a new AI-powered application for exit planning, designed to help advisors scale their work, support more owners, and drive better outcomes.This episode is a must-listen for advisors and business owners who want to stay ahead of the curve and position themselves for long-term success.
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Connect with Erik here
Find ProjectWe here
Connect with Julie Keyes, Keyestrategies LLC
Founder, Consultant, Author, Pod-caster and Instructor