The Ripcord Moment

On this episode of The Ripcord Moment, host Joe Seetoo welcomes Julia Schieffer, founder of DerivSource. DerivSource is an independent information source on derivatives, post-trade, fintech, risk management and technology that she sold to Markets Media in 2021.  Julia encourages owners and leaders to listen to their gut. If you feel passionate about an idea, be persistent with your vision even if...

On this episode of The Ripcord Moment, Joe Seetoo welcomes Joel Sherwin, an experienced attorney and fintech leader. He is now Head of Legal at Galileo Financial Technologies and recently published The Path: A 30-Day Guide to Building a Meditation Habit That Will Change Your Life, a book on how he has become more present and peaceful in his daily life.  Joel emphasizes the importance of mental for...

On today’s episode of The Ripcord Moment, host Joe Seetoo welcomes Tim Gaspar, CEO and Founder of Gaspar Insurance Services.  Tim spent 15 years building his company and began feeling uncertain how to continue growing within the insurance industry. In 2021, he decided to sell his business as various assets such as Bitcoin and real estate were experiencing high valuations. He considered the possibi...

On this week’s episode of The Ripcord Moment, Joe Seetoo invites best friends and co-founders of Meli’s Cookies, Melissa Blue, and Melissa Mehall, to discuss how they started their gluten-free cookie company that now sells products in over 9,000 stores across the country. Melissa and Melissa have been friends for 30 years. They say prioritizing their friendship over the company, finding mentors to...

On this episode of The Ripcord Moment, host Joe Seetoo welcomes Aaron Bergh, founder of Calwise Spirits Co. Calwise is headquartered in Paso Robles and is home to labels like Big Sur Gin and Axe Hole Whiskey. Aaron’s passion for spirits began in college when he learned how to make his own alcohol. Eventually, what was once a fun hobby turned into a calling. He attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, w...

African Family Firms, and host of The Connected Generation podcast.  Nikè Anani has first-hand experience with being a second-generation family business owner and knows how confusing and isolating a transition can feel. According to a study done by The Williams Group, only 30% of business transitions are successfully passed onto the third generation. 65% of the reasons why most transitions do not...

On today’s episode of The Ripcord Moment, Joe welcomes sister-duo Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, founders of Miron Crosby, a custom cowboy boot brand headquartered in Dallas, TX.  Sarah and Lizzie were raised on a ranch in Texas and were gifted cowboy boots on every important occasion: birthdays, graduations, and weddings. Their cousins also owned a cowboy boot factory and helped them mak...

On this episode of The Ripcord Moment, host Joe Seetoo invites President of Stainless Process Systems and Alliance Finishing & Manufacturing, Mark Hyman, along with his son, Chief Operating Officer of Stainless Process Systems, Brandon Hyman. They discuss generation gaps, the dynamic between parents and children when working together, and what Brandon had to consider when switching from a job...

On this episode of The Ripcord Moment, host Joe Seetoo invites Regional Executive Vice President at American Business Bank, Jeff Munson, to discuss the recent bank crises and what business owners can do to protect themselves. Jeff says Silicon Valley Bank collapsed due to their investments in longer bonds, so when depositors started to leave the bank, SVB did not have much liquidity because they c...

Welcome to Season 3 of The Ripcord Moment! On the first episode of this season, host Joe Seetoo invites CEO of Watermark Life Insurance Services Nicole Rex to discuss being a woman in the insurance industry, the challenges of owning her own business, and insuring one’s business.  Nicole says although obtaining initial opportunities in the insurance industry has been easy for her, as a woman, provi...

“When we talk about emotional intelligence, what we’re really talking about is recognizing that we’re emotional beings and that we react to life’s events emotionally. First […] when leaders are not developed in emotional intelligence, they’re not able to listen to people.” – Robert Grossman, CEO of Black Diamond Leadership   On today’s episode of The Ripcord Moment, Joe welcomes Robert Grossman, f...

“What’s being expected from the younger generation is you’re sitting down with your manager and learning about the culture and values. What does the company stand for?” – Daan Renssen, Owner of PrideStaff. In today’s episode of The Ripcord Moment, Daan and Joe discuss hiring trends, what job satisfaction means to the younger generation, and what the pandemic has taught companies about flexibility....

“Before you go to market, the seller should do a due diligence review. Hire an ERISA lawyer, get the paperwork together, and see what’s going on.” – Meredith Sesser, Owner of Sesser Law In today’s episode of The Ripcord Moment , Meredith offers her expertise on the nuances of retirement plans, ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act), and ensuring your business is in good legal and fiduciar...

“Progress is in relationship with struggle.” — Chris M. King, CEO of Status Flow. In this episode, Chris explains what “flow” is and how to create momentum on your team and in your personal life with flow triggers. He also shares how embracing change and discomfort is pivotal to growth. Chris discusses the law of accelerating returns, which signifies the exponential progress of technology and cult...

“They have to build some value.” — Scott Snider, President and Co-owner of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI) and the Operating Partner of Snider Premier Growth. In this episode, Scott offers his expertise on how to best prepare for your ripcord moment from the perspective of a lifelong entrepreneur who has worked with his father to create a formal training program called the CEPA (Certified Exit P...

“These business owners, they just have a lot of grit.” – Joe Gerber, CEO at Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc., who has over two decades of C-suite experience and over a decade of buy- and sell-side M&A investment banking and private equity group experience. In this episode, Joe offers his expertise in bringing high-level strategy and operational experience to building, restructuring, and scali...

“The three rules of ESOPs are cash flow, cash flow, cash flow.” – Sheryl Bayani-Alzona, attorney with the Employee Benefits Law Group, a Southern California-based practice that focuses on employee stock ownership plans. In this episode, Sheryl offers her expertise on the world of ESOPs and if this is the right exit strategy for you. Sheryl starts off by explaining to us what an ESOP is. At a high...

“Be a lifelong learner.” — Ken Keller, CEO of Strategic Advisory Boards, a Southern California-based leadership advisory firm. In this episode, Ken offers his expertise on how to best prepare for your ripcord moment from the perspective of a consultant and coach who works regularly with business owners and CEOs on the challenges of growth, leadership, employee engagement, and increasing profitabil...

“Make sure you have a presence EVERYWHERE.” – Jonathan Boring, founder and president of Social Spice Media in Camarillo, California. In this episode, Jonathan offers his expertise on how to prepare your business for a transition or sale from a digital marketing standpoint.  Jonathan discusses how to best prepare your website for an upcoming exit, including staying up on regular maintenance and upd...

“Minimize taxes, maximize profits.” – Scott Gilmore, a Tax Principal at KROST. In this episode, Scott offers his expertise on important tax matters to consider when it comes to succession and exit planning for businesses. Scott discusses M&A transactions, including what types of businesses meet the qualifications (HINT: You have to be a C-corp), and the tax implications that come with these tr...

“Get your ducks in a row—NOW.” – Janice Miller, Managing Partner at Miller Haga Law Group, LLP, and author of Coopertition® .  In this episode, Janice offers her legal expertise on the world of exit planning and the common issues she sees owners deal with when going through an exit, specifically in today’s post-COVID environment.  Janice discusses how to best prepare for an upcoming exit, includin...

“I have this belief that skateboarders are actually great entrepreneurs” – Mikey Taylor, former professional skateboarder and founder of Saint Archer Brewing Company. In this episode of The Ripcord Moment , Mikey shares his life story of being a professional skateboarder turned entrepreneur. One of the areas Mikey opens up about is the mixed emotions he had with the sale of Saint Archer to a major...

“It’s freaky—having people work for you that you never met” — Michael McCrary, founder and CEO of PureSpectrum, a complete end-to-end market research and insights survey platform with the mission of making researchers’ jobs easier. In just five years, the company has sourced over 32 million online interviews. Recently, the company was ranked #21 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list. Michael shar...

“If it’s going to be worth something to someone else, it has to create value for them” – Chris Yount, former CEO and 3rd generation business owner of Fortifiber. Hear Chris’s story as he shares how he rescued the family business from bankruptcy during the Great Financial Crisis, revamped the company’s strategic initiatives and led the company to its highest level of profitability in its 80 year hi...

“Believe in yourself as much as others believe in you” Caroline Connolly, CEO of Optotest – a worldwide leader in fiber optics testing solutions based in Camarillo, California.  What is interesting about Caroline’s journey is how she transitioned from a minority owner in the business to the majority owner and CEO.  When her business partner died in 2013, there was no formal buy-sell agreement in p...