Advisor. Author. Facilitator.
Cut Through the Noise and Gain the Clarity to Act with Confidence
Workshops, keynotes, and panels for business owners on exit planning, ownership transition, and keeping the people your plans depend on.
Design Your Exit workshop, Phoenix, 2025
9.9/10
Exit Confidential attendee rating
9.7/10
Design Your Exit attendee rating
$3B+
Business value guided through ownership transitions
“A perfect 10 out of 10!”
“Byron's delivered exactly what we were looking for.”
“We left more knowledgeable and ready for the future.”
Recent stages: EO Seattle · EO Orange County · EO Nebraska · EO Alchemy · EO Nerve · EO Central Region Leadership Conference · EO DealExchange · Vistage · Bloom Growth · Petra Coach · Wilson 360
Sessions
Three sessions, each built to send owners home with a next step.
Flagship workshopDesign Your Exit
Three paths to realizing the value you've built in your business.
Best for
Owners and partners starting to think about what comes next
Exit Confidential
Rated 9.9 / 10Three owners who have sold their companies, interviewed on stage.
Best for
EO chapters, Vistage groups, and peer forums with members who have exited
Win the War for Talent
How to compete for the senior leaders your plans depend on.
Best for
Any owner who needs key people to stay, grow, and execute
Session one · Flagship
Design Your Exit
Three paths to realizing the value you've built in your business
Every owner will one day leave their business. Not all will realize its value. Design Your Exit helps owners view their business through three exit paths: selling to outsiders, transitioning to their own team, or becoming an investor in their own company.
Through stories, reflections, and proven frameworks, owners learn to reduce owner dependence, align their team, and build a business that rewards them, whether they sell, share, or step back.
Want the ideas in 90 seconds? Watch the animated overview
What owners walk away with
- Clarify which path fits your goals, your timeline, and your team
- See your business the way a buyer or lender would, beyond EBITDA
- Score how much the business still depends on you
- Define where the business is going and what's in it for your leadership team
- Leave with a 90-day roadmap
Formats
- Keynote
- The three exit paths and what drives value beyond EBITDA, told through stories from real transitions.
- 2-hour workshop
- The core frameworks plus hands-on workbook exercises, with a break in the middle.
- Half-day workshop
- The full experience: readiness and risk assessments, the destination exercise, and a 90-day plan.
The workbook
Workshop participants receive a workbook that guides the session: a readiness assessment for each exit path, a buyer's-eye risk assessment across leadership, financials, operations, customers, and growth, and space to define where the business is going and the next 90 days of work.
Session two
Exit Confidential
What selling a company is really like, from owners who have done it
9.9 / 10
Attendee rating
Three members who have sold their companies, interviewed on stage. The stories are real, the questions are pointed, and the room gets the part of an exit that never shows up in a deal summary: what it felt like, what surprised them, and what they would do differently.
Exit Confidential works best for peer groups with members who have exited, such as EO chapters and Vistage groups. It runs well on its own as an evening session, or the night before a Design Your Exit workshop.
How it works
- 1
The host picks the panel
Three members who have sold their companies and are willing to talk about it.
- 2
Byron interviews each one first
He sends questions ahead of time, interviews each panelist, and records the conversation.
- 3
He builds the storyline
The pre-interviews surface the moments worth hearing. Byron shapes those into the arc of the session.
- 4
The panel, live
On stage, he asks about the experiences the pre-interviews revealed. The room hears what selling was actually like from peers who have done it.
Session three
Win the War for Talent
Competing for the hearts and minds of your senior leaders
Your senior leaders have more options than ever. This session shows owners how to compete for the people they need to execute their plans, using incentive and equity plans that connect rewards to growth, results, and shared success.
What owners walk away with
- The real cost of losing a key leader, often two to four times annual salary
- The types of equity plans: stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted and phantom stock
- How to set award amounts, vesting, and payment triggers
- Case studies of plans built to recruit, reward, and retain
Three fronts in the competition for leaders
- 01
Self-employment
Your best people can go out on their own more easily than ever.
- 02
Free agency
Private equity-backed companies and owners planning their own succession are recruiting your leaders.
- 03
Expectations
Senior people expect a stake in the value they help create.
From the room
“Byron McFarland's session was a game-changer for our organization. His ability to distill complex business strategies into clear, actionable insights is unparalleled. He not only inspired us but also equipped us with the tools necessary to attract and retain top-tier talent.”
“Sorry for anyone who missed this insightful, top-notch presentation that helped dispel many of my misconceptions about how to fairly compensate our team in ways that reward and incentivize them to continue their amazing work with us.”
About Byron
Byron works with business owners who've built something valuable and don't want to be trapped by it.
He helps owners and leadership teams create buy-in that builds trust, reduces risk, and increases transferable business value. Over the last two decades, he has guided leadership teams responsible for more than $3B in business value, helping owners move from being essential to being optional.
Byron and his wife, Terri, live in Omaha, Nebraska. Whenever possible, he can be found fly-fishing in clear, moving water.
Author of The Bankable Buyer: How to Ensure Your Team Can Buy Your Business and You Get Paid in Full, a story-driven guide to what has to be true for a sale to management to work.
Booking
Bring Byron to your group
Start with the outcome you want your members to walk away with. Pick a time and we'll build the session around it.
- 01
Tell us about your group
Who will be in the room, roughly how many, and the dates you're considering.
- 02
Pick the session and format
A keynote, a workshop, a panel, or a pairing, such as an evening Exit Confidential panel before a Design Your Exit workshop.
- 03
A prep call with Byron
He tailors the stories and exercises to your members. Fees and travel are covered on this call.
- 04
The event
Workshop participants receive a printed workbook, and Byron stays available to attendees afterward.