Dirty Secrets of Small Business

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Brian Maurer of Brian Kyles.   Brian has been an MVP client for about a decade and we have had a lot of fun and success together!   During the show today Brian shared his story of taking over the family business from his parents and then growing that business to where it is today. We covered a lot during our chat but some of the hi...

In This Episode One of the areas of small business coaching where we’ve specialized over the past two decades plus has to do with transitioning the business from one generation to the next.   As you might imagine, over that time we’ve come across just about every scenario you can imagine.   The one that people seem to fear most is when the current business owner dies while still running the busine...

In This Episode You might have noticed that it’s been a few weeks since we’ve dropped a podcast.   It’s the first time in nearly 8 years of recording Dirty Secrets of Small Business that we’ve missed a week. We have some sad news to report.   My business partner of over 20 years in Maximum Value Partners, and my co-host for nearly 8 years on Dirty Secrets of Small business has passed away.   Jack...

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Jeremy Orsky of Ohio Collision Group.   Jeremy was an MVP client for nearly 8 years and we had a lot of fun and tremendous success together!   During the show today Jeremy shared his story of acquiring several underperforming collision repair shops and growing them and eventually selling them to a consolidator.   He was able to acc...

In This Episode With all the battles going on to get workers back in the office, we started to think of the good old days when folks would complain that the boss is never around or the opposite, they never leave!   But our question today is bigger than that.   Is it good for the boss to be around?   What kind of message does it deliver if the boss is around too much or not enough? One of the thing...

In This Episode One of the great things about buying vs. starting a company is that when you buy a business you have some history and some things established.   Things like customers, vendors, and employees.   When starting out you have to build everything from scratch.   As you might imagine, when you’re building something from scratch it’s easy to put your stamp on the company.   But how do you...

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Phil Billick of Valley Ridge Farms.   Phil was one of MVP’s earliest coaching clients with a prior company he started and he is also Jack’s nephew!   During the show today Phil shared his story of not only starting, growing, and then eventually selling one business, but also how he’s been involved in starting several more including...

In This Episode The good news is you’ve gotten that offer you can’t refuse and you are going to sell your company.   Now the question is what do you do next?   Do you stay on with your company after the acquisition?   Do you ride off into the sunset?   Do you start another company?   So many choices and so little time. We’ve been blessed in our coaching business to have taken several clients throu...

In This Episode How many times have you uttered the phrase, “I don’t have time!”?   If you’re like most of us, it’s likely been hundreds or even thousands of time…just this year!   Way too many small business owners utter that same phrase when we talk with them about exploring new opportunities. Are you one of them?   Then tune in for today’s show where we help give you some ideas for how to find...

In This Episode One of the things we talk about often when it comes to business partners is the timing of difficult discussions.   This is especially important when those business partners are also life partners because you’re going to be seeing this person after work as well.   The last thing you want to do is let things that happened at work impact what happens at home.   But hey, we’re all huma...

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Ben Ihde of Wild Birds Unlimited. Ben was a coaching client of MVP for several years and is a repeat guest on Dirty Secrets of Small Business (see link below for his February 14, 2019 appearance).   During the show today Ben shared with us what’s been going on since we last heard from him. When Ben was last on the show he had just...

In This Episode If you think it feels lonely being a small business owner, just wait until after you sell your business.   There are even fewer people who can relate to that.   Especially if you sell the business for enough money and you don’t have to work any more.   I mean how do you answer the question when your kids’ friends wonder why your mom or dad doesn’t go to work? We know, you can’t wai...

In This Episode Making the decision to hire someone can be very stressful on a small business owner.   What if we pick the wrong person?   Can we truly afford to add someone else to the payroll?   What will we do if we don’t hire someone?   How soon will we know we hired the right person?   These and many other questions roll through the heads of business owners looking to make hiring decisions. T...

In This Episode Are you ready for retirement?   I can’t wait for retirement!!   Can I retire now?   Everywhere you look you can find someone trying to give you advice on retirement.   But as a small business owner, retirement is likely something you’re not looking forward to.   I mean isn’t retiring something old people do? We have been involved in dozens of business transitions with companies tra...

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Joe Butler of Prescription Fitness and Butler Wellness Group. Joe was a coaching client of MVP for almost a decade.   During the show today Joe shared some of the key moments in his growth from one location when we met him to 7 locations today.   It was anything but a straight path!   Joe’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious. We c...

In This Episode Can’t I just say it!   Why can’t I just tell them how I feel?   These and many other thoughts have likely gone through your head at some point.   Perhaps you are frustrated or feeling some pressure and you’re just about to burst!   Take a deep breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth.   Take another one and take a step back from the situation.   Should you say what you...

In This Episode Ever bought a company before?   What, no one’s ever asked you that question before?   Any guess what the top response is when we ask someone if they’ve ever bought a company before?   Some version of, “I don’t have the money/big pile of cash.”   Well, what if someone gave you the company?   What then? Usually this question is met with a sly smile and an inquisitive or confused look...

In This Episode Is it time to sell your company?   What does it even mean to be ready to sell your business?   I mean people talk about it like it’s common knowledge or something.   It’s to the point that you almost feel silly asking the question. How many times have you heard people say, “I got an offer I couldn’t refuse?”   What would that offer look like for your business?   How do I even know...

In This Episode One of the best things about summer is the chance to have some vacation time.   It’s a chance to break up the monotony of your day-to-day and add some different type of chaos and excitement to your world.   But one of the drawbacks is that vacations can get you out of your routine.   Disrupting routines isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing by itself, but it can often be difficult...

In This Episode One of the great things about being a small business owner is there are new things popping up all the time.   A key success factor for any small business owner is being able embrace and respond to these new challenges and opportunities.   But growing can be uncomfortable and scary at times.   If nothing else, it can make you feel even more lonely and under pressure. We recently spe...

In This Episode Does your business have a plan to make money on purpose?   This might seem like a strange question, but in our several decades of working with and advising small business owners we have found that the vast majority don’t have this plan in place.   We refer to it as a Profit Plan.   Chances are you may have heard it called a budget.   No one like to be put on a budget, but we all li...

In This Episode After you’ve been in business for a few years, one of the strangest things starts to happen.   You’ll begin to get inquiries from folks who will say they are interested in buying your company.   If you’re like most small business owners, you’ll take those inquiries and store them in a file somewhere for when the time is right.   So if you’ve determined the time is right, how to you...

In This Episode We know, this might sound a bit dramatic.   Like the power struggles between good and evil!   But this can be a big challenge for couples who are also business partners.   So if you aren’t aware of the power dynamics that are happening in your business, and more specifically your relationship with your spouse, or if you are experiencing some of these power struggles then this show...

In This Episode Depending who you talk with, many people think it’s crazy to work with your spouse or significant other.   One of the biggest concerns we often hear is this idea of separating business from personal stuff.   You know that famous phrase, “It’s not personal, it’s just business.”   How do you think that comment would be received by your significant other when explaining why you did so...

In This Episode It can often feel like your business partner is your “work spouse” because you typically see so much of each other that you can finish each other’s sentences.   But does this mean that like marriage that a business partnership should be until one of you passes away?   Is this why any time you talk to your attorney or accountant they’ll ask about whether or not there is a buy/sell a...