The Exiter Club™ is judged by what founders do inside their companies, not by what we say about ourselves. Here's what they've shared about the work, the advisors, and what changed once they started building a business that runs without them.
Straight from founders doing the work inside their companies.
I was able to take 3 months off and my business didn't collapse. This is the first year in a few years that I have not had some kind of debt.
Without The Exiter Club's wisdom, knowledge, experience, and overall support, I know I would be in a very different place than I am right now. It has been life-changing in so many ways.
I realized that scaling wasn't about doing more — it was about doing less myself and empowering others. The biggest win? Redefining growth as delegation, not domination.
My biggest accomplishment has been delegating my day-to-day tasks to my A-Team, which has allowed me to work on issues that will improve our overall business value.
I started thinking like a builder, not just a doer. I focused on raising up leaders inside my companies and created space to actually enjoy what I was building.
The most valuable thing about The Exiter Club is just one idea can change everything. Being around the right group of people is crucial.
Most of my team saw each project as 'Richard's Project' and they were just helping out. Now it's 'Our project' and the supervisor has clear goals and accountability.
Any entrepreneur interested in growing their business and exiting without losing ownership or control would be well served by The Exiter Club.
I went from making excuses on sales prospecting to approaching anybody online without fear of rejection. My follow-up has tripled.
The Exiter Club put me in a position being around people way further ahead in life and business and allows me to adopt mistakes and successes from other people.
The Exiter Club encouraged me to hire employees and free up my time for higher-value activities.
The #1 thing Jason taught me is that I cannot be the hero of my own business.
Working with The Exiter Club is easy. The team is down to earth and listens well.
Every session leaves me with mental clarity and confidence.
They've got a really great package to be able to deliver it to companies like ours.
It's just authentically real. Because of that authentic caring for those they serve, they do work magic.
The Exiter Club really helped me with my business to trust the people around me.
They've been absolutely responsive and not afraid to call me out.
The ability to bring it all in, separate out the details, and delineate option A, B, and C — keeping everything simple without convoluting it.
Fantastic experience at the retreat. Gaining insights from other perspectives was invaluable.
Truly enlightening. I realized the importance of diverse perspectives for my leadership team.
Essential for growth, no matter your position. The retreat reshapes your mindset.
Awesome experience with a significant mindset shift in business perspective.
Exceeded my expectations. Fantastic networking, likely to forge lifelong friendships.
Getting outside perspectives on business struggles has been invaluable.
Terry Hartzell, founder of Hartzell HVAC, in his own words. Lightly edited for clarity.
What did a normal week look like before this work?
"A normal week was me lining out the install crews on that day's job, the one I had sold, walking through the specific things I needed them to note and what had to happen to meet building code. The rest of my day went to service calls, estimates, and running parts to the installers. When the day was done, I'd send out invoices and estimates and handle the paperwork. My days usually ended 14 or 15 hours after they started."
When did you realize the business couldn't run without you?
"When I had to get a second phone, so I could hand my primary phone to the person I trusted most, with instructions to call me whenever there was any kind of problem, just to leave for a day or two of vacation."
What was the first thing you changed?
"My desire to have the business revolve around me. It was also taking an enormous toll on my personal life and my relationship with the woman who would become my fiancée."
Where is the business now?
"The business can now run by itself without me in the picture, as long as the right people are in the right seats. I've gone through phases where I chose to be more active, taking on management and then stepping back out again, just to give myself something to do."
What do your weeks look like today?
"My weeks have filled up with more of whatever I choose instead of whatever I felt forced to do. There's a lot more freedom, financially and with my time, even when I'm choosing to play a bigger role in the company. The key roles are filled by full-time people dedicated to those positions, so I could easily walk away if I wanted to."
Are you selling?
"It's on the open market right now with plenty of active, interested parties looking to acquire it. Honestly, I'm not sure I even want to sell anymore."
What do you tell other founders?
"I have a founder friend who's in the same position I was a few years back. I tell him the same thing every time: step one, hire a secretary. He knows what he needs to do. He's just too afraid to let go."
42 founders on this work, filmed inside The Exiter Club™ and at the live events built around it.
If you've done this work with us and have a story worth telling, our advisors would like to hear it. Reach out through the contact page and we'll follow up.
Every strong exit starts years before the sale. The Exiter Club™ helps you use that time well. Apply now, and find out where you stand.
Built for founders of profitable US and Canadian businesses planning an exit within the next five years.