Jim Erben

Jim Erben is the President of Erben Associates and a highly sought after advisor on exit and succession planning for privately held businesses. For more than thirty years, he has guided owners through the challenges of succession, continuity, and executive retention—helping them protect their companies, their loved ones, and the legacies they’ve worked so hard to build.

Under his leadership, Erben Associates has been named the #1 exit and succession planning firm in Texas and has been nationally recognized in the INC. 5000 list multiple times as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. Jim’s proprietary planning process provides clarity and confidence, equipping business owners to step away on their terms while safeguarding family harmony, employee security, and long-term value. With $350 mil assets under management Erben Associates has helped more than thirty founders successfully transition with multi-seven-figure exits and manage their Happily Ever After.

Jim’s first book, Succession by Design, draws on his decades of experience and real-life client stories to give business owners a roadmap to exit not by default, but by design.