FOR FINANCIAL ADVISORS SERVING BUSINESS OWNERS
You already know the business matters. Know what to do next.
In eight weeks, turn 3 to 5 owner relationships already in your book into a repeatable business-value process, without becoming a business consultant.
THE MISSING CONVERSATION
The business is your client's largest asset. Is it in the plan?
You may already serve 15 to 40 business-owner households. You know the company drives their income, their wealth, and their legacy. But most reviews stay portfolio-first, and the business stays outside the plan.
Then a trigger arrives: an unsolicited offer, a retirement question, a partner change, or owner fatigue. If you aren't leading the transition conversation, another advisor eventually will.
B.U.I.L.T. gives you a way to help clients prepare when they can still impact value, exit options, and net proceeds.
Three moves that make the difference
Recognize opportunities already in your book.
Fit criteria, trigger questions, and an opportunity assessment to help you select 3 to 5 owner-clients to start with.
Lead the business-value conversation.
Identify opportunities to drive value including owner dependency, earnings, cash flow, leadership, and personal goals. Become a strategic collaborator, not an implementation consultant.
Guide what happens next.
When an owner says yes, don't improvise or hand off the relationship. Set priorities, bring in specialists, and build a 90-day roadmap that you lead.
Ready to lead the conversation with your owner-clients?
Secure your seat in the January cohort and get the exact framework, tools, and live support you need.
Reserve Your Accelerator Seat → RESERVE YOUR SEATNOT ANOTHER COURSE
Knowledge isn't the gap. Implementation is.
| Instead of… | Which leaves you… | B.U.I.L.T. gives you… |
|---|---|---|
| Another course or CE credential | Asking "What do I do on Monday?" | An 8-week process you use with current owner-clients |
| Portfolio-first reviews | Waiting until someone else forces the issue | Triggers to start preparation years before a transaction |
| Leading with valuation tools | Gaps exposed, but no first "yes" | The conversation layer that earns it |
| Referring away or free ad hoc advice | Losing relevance; work you can't price or repeat | A packaged, paid advisory system as a repeatable process |
Another course or CE credential
Asking "What do I do on Monday?"
An 8-week process you use with current owner-clients
Portfolio-first reviews
Waiting until someone else forces the issue
Triggers to start preparation years before a transaction
Leading with valuation tools
Gaps exposed, but no first "yes"
The conversation layer that earns it
Referring away or free ad hoc advice
Losing relevance; work you can't price or repeat
A packaged, paid advisory system as a repeatable process
ADVISOR EXPERIENCES
What advisors say about B.U.I.L.T. By Design™
BUSINESS OWNER IMPACT
The impact on business owners
Hear how owner-clients experience this conversation and the tangible value it brings to their organizations and futures.
Join practicing advisors transforming their client relationships
Lock in early-bird pricing and secure your spot in the January 2027 Cohort before registration closes.
Reserve Your January Accelerator Seat → RESERVE YOUR SEATFEATURED OFFER · MEMBERSHIP + JANUARY ACCELERATOR
Learn. Practice. Launch with clients.
Eight live weeks starting January 13, 2027, client-ready tools, and 12 months of Membership support. Successfully complete the Accelerator to qualify for offering the B.U.I.L.T. client program through your practice.
- Early-bird price: $8,500 if you register by December 15, 2026. After that, $10,000.
- Early-bird bonus: A private 30-minute session with Laurie Barkman.
- Time commitment: Up to 2 hours a week during the Accelerator, including 90-minute live sessions (Wednesdays, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET).
- BONUS: 2 Client Seats (valued at $2,400) so you have all you need to implement with clients
- After year one: Membership renews at $499/month. Additional client seats can be purchased for those who complete B.U.I.L.T. By Design Accelerator.
Prefer education only?
ON-DEMAND | $1,500 • 90 DAYS.
Learn the eight-module framework through 40+ lessons, worksheets, assessments, and conversation tools. For your own professional development; not authorization to deliver the client program or buy client seats.
The B.U.I.L.T. Method™
A proprietary, buyer-tested framework built by Laurie Barkman from 50+ lower-middle-market owner engagements to connect enterprise value to personal wealth and prepare owners for seven- and eight-figure exit decisions.
B
Blueprint
Clarify the owner's vision and desired future.
U
Unlock
Reveal bottlenecks and owner dependency.
I
Integrate
Connect people, systems, and decisions to a stronger business.
L
Lead
Strengthen leadership capacity and direction.
T
Transition
Prepare for timing, ownership alternatives, and readiness.
MODULES LIST
Eight practical modules
01
Transition Mindset
Understand what drives an owner's desire for change.
02
Owner Dependency
Recognize where the company relies too heavily on one person.
03
Life After Business
Explore the future the owner wants.
04
Financial Needs
Connect the freedom number to potential value gaps.
05
Ownership Options
Introduce family, management, employee, and third-party alternatives.
06
Valuation Reality
Understand how buyers assess earnings and risk.
07
Cash Flow
Recognize working-capital and cash-flow concerns.
08
Risk Tripwires
Surface issues that may weaken transferability.
Who It's For
A strong fit if you:
- Lead or work in a planning-led independent practice serving business owner clients Believe business value and personal wealth are connected, and want a repeatable way to act on it
- Can commit up to 2 hours a week for eight weeks
- Want to put the process to work with clients already in your book
Probably not a fit if you:
- Have few or no business-owner clients
- Are looking for CE credit only
- Are working with an owner already inside a transaction expected to close in under a year
WHY LAURIE BARKMAN
Built from experience on both sides of the transition table.
Laurie Barkman, MBA, CEPA®, CMAA, was CEO of a $100M division and led it through a $1.4B acquisition by a Fortune 50 company.
She has been the operator, the buyer, the seller, and the advisor.
She has been the operator, the buyer, the seller, and the advisor. Today she leads as The Business Transition Sherpa®, faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, hosts Succession Stories Podcast, and is the author of The Business Transition Handbook. B.U.I.L.T. packages the sequence behind 50+ owner engagements.
B.U.I.L.T. packages the sequence behind actual owner engagements.
Built from real owner engagements
$25M+
private equity sale
ESOP + acquisition
3x
Profit 3x and enterprise value more than doubled in three years
Outcomes from Laurie Barkman's owner advisory engagements. Results vary; none are guaranteed.
FAQs
Do I have to become a business consultant?
No. Recognize issues, ask questions, connect them to owner goals, and coordinate qualified specialists.
I already have my CEPA. Why B.U.I.L.T.?
Credentials provide knowledge. B.U.I.L.T. adds a repeatable implementation process for business-owner conversations.
Can I launch the client program with On-Demand?
No. Successful B.U.I.L.T. Accelerator completion is required before purchasing client seats.
Do I need new clients?
No. Start with owner relationships already in your book.
We already have valuation tools and CPA, legal, and M&A partners.
Keep them. B.U.I.L.T. sits before the assessment and the transaction. It earns the first "yes" and tells you when to bring specialists in.
Will clients use it, and is it worth it?
Start with 3 to 5 existing clients inside your normal review calendar. Then test fees, retention, and referrals against your own fee and compliance assumptions.
The next step isn't another credential. It's your next owner meeting.
Reserve Your Accelerator Seat RESERVE YOUR SEATEarly-bird ends December 15