Welcome

As I exited in 2024, I was realizing and feeling my age and I had retirement on my mind. Two things happened last year: 1) my wife and I traveled to Chattanooga Tennessee to watch Nolan Garret and Kylie Martonik compete in a full 140.6 Ireonmand and 2) I took Thomas Jordan’s multi-week workshop on how to half retire. But I found myself not able to get out of the office due to no other hobbies and activities. And going home and bothering my wife was not an option. So, after being inspired at the Chattanoog Ironman, I decided to combine both and set a goal to do two different 70.3 Ironman competitions this year. The training required me to get out of the office and let my kids run the business as I knew they could. I learned that, regardless of your age, you can step out of your comfort zone and push yourself to do new things. Having a plan and sticking with it requires focus and determination in this day and age. There are lots of shiny things to chase. How bad do you want it?

I found the Half-retire course series to be very helpful in identifying specific action items to increase the value of my business and to reduce my day-to-day participation in the business going forward. My goal has been to reduce the working days. The main thrust has been to hire and train a management team capable of running the business in my absence. I averaged 3 working days a week in 2024. I am currently working 2 days a week and planning to completely eliminate my participation in business operations by year end. Management, sales and marketing, and production are all led by competent capable personnel. A complete set of Standard Operating procedures in place. The business is set up to run itself and primed for sale to a new owner with a full management team in place. We are considering an offer for purchase and are prepared to take the business forward, working in an oversight capacity, if no sale is forthcoming near term. Working with Tom helped me get here. I recommend his seminar.

I learned about Thomas Jordan’s “half-retire” idea as I was searching for what to do next in my entrepreneurial journey. The notion of “half-retire” really resonated with me and reflected my intention for the future. After attending one of his free seminars, I reached out and engaged him to work through the various options for how I could approach this future. Tom’s guidance was illuminating and helped me find a very natural transition path. As an entrepreneur, the decision to pull back from my business had both rational and emotional components; Tom understood this and was invaluable in my coming to terms with everything I needed to do. I highly recommend Tom to any business owner looking to navigate the transition from active day-to-day management to whatever it is they want next.

I have been “half-retired” since 2018. I knew I wanted to sell my business by age 70 but was not sure where to start. The Value Builders course and the seminars presented by Tom Jordan were instrumental in getting me to the right place and mindset. Selling a business that you started 30 years ago is not an easy thing to work through. Tom was patient and thorough helping me work through all the steps. I also took the Sellers Insight course with Tom that walked me through potential rabbit holes as we worked through the “right way” to sell a business and what documents are needed. I will interview Brokers and put my business on the market in January. We are collecting all the documents through the end of the year to be prepared for almost any request. I am guessing there will still be “separation anxiety” but I feel much better prepared to move into the next phase of retirement.

“I was not sure what the Half Retire Workshop would involve when Thomas first presented it to me. Quickly realized these were materials I had a strong need to understand in depth. His presentation is to the point and loaded with excellent actionables for the business owner who understands that stepping away from the spotlight of their business is a process. Highly recommended workshop. I will engage in more coaching with Thomas without question.”

“I find Tom’s style gentle and knowledgeable which is a great combination for a business owner. He shares his wisdom and insights along your journey and moves you along the path to understanding what you need to do to exit your business one day at the best multiple possible. His business model allows you to go at your pace and at the same time encourages you to make progress. I cannot speak highly enough of Tom.”

If you’re a business owner approaching the next chapter of your life and considering your exit strategy, I highly recommend Tom Jordan’s Half Retire course. Each week, I found myself looking forward to the sessions, where I learned not only from Tom but also from other business owners who, like me, felt a bit adrift when thinking about the future. The course reinforced the idea that the more you invest in this process, the more clarity you’ll gain. For me, the greatest benefit was that the fog surrounding my next chapter began to lift, revealing a clearer path forward. I’m not at the finish line yet, but thanks to Tom, I’m much closer than I was before.

Tom Jordan’s work in confirming organizational value and learning/executing concepts has helped to build value in our organization. We use the Entrepreneurial Operating System, or EOS, as the model to run our business and a lot of things in that model natively help with value building. Yet there are a lot of other modules where there’s more work to be done to enhance value that EOS doesn’t address, and the Value Builder System and Tom does. Having participated in conceptual education sessions on value building in years past, we’ve found Tom’s work with us has been solid and his advice, guidance, and suggestions come from a place of experience.

I have contracted with Tom Jordan on several items in preparation for my exit from my business in years to come. The most recent project is The Value Builder System. We collectively set up the program to meet both of our scheduling needs and the cadence was spot on. Tom’s input was invaluable and shows his wide range of expertise. He asked probing questions to get to the root of the situation. As a result, I have gained a better understanding of my business and my exit strategies. I highly recommend Tom and ExodusComplink to work with, even if you are not thinking of leaving your business. They have added value to me and my business.

Tom Jordan has unbelievable insights and talents. He has the end in mind when he looks at your Business. He utilizes his 35+ years experience to help you see through items that a business owner most likely would never see (it’s hard to see the forest when you’re stuck in the trees). Tom showed me how to make our business very attractive not only from the cleanliness of our trucks and equipment, but also our reputation and most important, our annual sales with the annual EBITDA growth. I would recommend ExodusComplink without reservation. With our succession plan in place, we achieved a windfall day of success.

I wanted to sell my business within a year when I approached Tom Jordan. He was very accommodating and customized his program to fit my needs. He always had great answers to my questions and obviously knows the industry very well. He prepared me well to meet my broker and ask the right questions. He is a true “seller advocate.” I would recommend Tom and his programs to anyone selling their business who wants to focus on the immediate changes that will have the largest impact on your business value and your EBITDA multiples without getting bogged down with unnecessary tasks.

I thought I knew all of the intricacies of compensation planning as it relates to Human Capital….then I met Tom Jordan. His broad spectrum of experience and creativity shed more light on the importance of aligning a companies’ compensation strategy, both short and long term, with the business strategy. From annual salary and bonus platforms to his use of stock and non-stock strategies to retain and reward key people, his creative use of applying the Value Acceleration Methodology to his unique role and his ability to speak the CEPA language makes him a valuable asset to all CEPA’S as they take their clients through our trademarked process. Tom is easy to work with and expertly positions other exit planning advisors in their client planning.”