Martinka Consulting's Getting the Deal Done Podcast

Paul and Brian Riemer are second-generation owners of Riemer Insurance, a family-owned all-lines insurance agency in Miami founded in 1978 by their father Steven. The brothers discuss their transition into leadership roles, with both completing MBA programs while working in the business, and their gradual ownership transition that was gifted to them rather than purchased.   They explain how they g...

Chapter six is all about what buyers will ask you, which means everything about every subject. (If they don't, I wouldn't have faith in the buyer.) Take a listen. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://w...

Yarin was an entrepreneur in residence in a venture capital firm, and what that means in simple terms is, he was the in-house entrepreneur for the fund, and his job was to take distressed assets and basically startups that ran out of money and turn them around. For about 3 years, he volunteered as a business mentor in the University of Chicago, and in SCORE, mentoring about 400 different founders,...

Learn how business owners can apply lessons from successful companies to improve their own businesses. Haren shares his experience acquiring a company in Las Vegas, highlighting issues with leadership and suggesting ways to increase business value by reducing bureaucracy and incentivizing employees.  He initially found the publicly traded micro-cap company in 2016 when it was down 99% from its hig...

A little different this time. Nick and I discuss and have some pointed discussions on: Washington State Economic Policies Business Environment Challenges Enterprise Value Creation  in Light of the New Tax Policies What All this Means to local philanthropy Boeing's Impact as the Grow Will People Actually Leave to Avoid WA Taxes John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or gi...

Sunstone Health operates as a voluntary employee benefit for self-funded employers, providing a white-glove service to help families with neurodivergent children or missing milestones navigate the healthcare system more efficiently, reducing the typical 7-year journey to 12 weeks. Josh discussed the importance of building a company centered around delivering something meaningful, rather than just...

Mark discusses his background in management consulting and publishing, which ed to the creation of Convergence Mitigation Management (CMM) in 2010-2012. He explains how CMM facilitates peer-to-peer engagement between public and private sector leaders to address challenging issues, including environmental liabilities and technology innovation. This conversation ends with John introducing a topic ab...

This is one of my favorites because Garren talks common sense. Garren shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting with a background in business and biotech sales before co-founding a company with a PhD partner. He describes growing the business from initial funding to eventually selling it for $190 million in 2021, after which he began coaching other entrepreneurs. He notes that many entrepreneur...

David Schnurman got the entrepreneurial bug at a young age and is now the owner of Lawline, which provides online legal continuing education with about 2,000 courses and 500 hours of new content annually. David shares lessons on: Overcoming the imposter syndrome Learning to say "yes" Taking 100% responsibility Taking risks and making decisions Wrapping up, he talks about creating his com...

Sam shares his background growing companies over 30 years and explained how founders often hit a "ceiling" around 10-15 employees and $3 million in revenue due to owner dependency. He outlines his formula for operational scalability: clarity plus repeatability plus time, emphasizing the need to codify best practices in written playbooks before scaling.  He also discusses M&A lessons...

After 20+ years in corporate life, he purchased a manufacturing company in Massachusetts that fabricates outdoor structures, garden trellises, and pergolas. Kris explained that he serves as CEO while his brother, who lives locally, serves as president and handles day-to-day operations. The discussion focuses on business restructuring and systematization. Kris discussed the challenges of taking ove...

Lisa Forrest is a regular guest on our show because she's one of the best and most knowledgeable business acquisition lenders. The SBA keeps changing the rules so we keep discussing acquisition loans. One big change in 2026 is that once a borrower or minority investor (even at 1%) is part of a bad SBA loan the are banned from anymore SBA loans for life. Believe me, investors have added anothe...

Peter Swimm, founder of ToilVille, discusses workplace automation and AI implementation strategies for small businesses. He emphasizes that successful AI adoption requires human oversight and proper measurement of outcomes, rather than treating AI as autonomous agents.  Peter shares examples from various industries, including contact centers and advisory services, demonstrating how AI can streamli...

Jermaine Ee is a serial entrepreneur whose latest venture is www.heirlight.com. Jermaine got the idea and spark for this venture because of his mother. She worked hard all her life and yet didn't understand retirement, its planning, estate plans, etc. His business is not about wills and trusts, it's about people's health, their peace of mind, and having a good life. This episode is...

Chapter Five covers the following: Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro There’s Value and There’s the Price Marketing Materials—First Impressions Matter Get the Word Out Then There’s the Message The Process The Offer Conditions Conclusion John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsu...

Matthew Wyatt, founder of TechTorque, shares his expertise on growing B2B software and consulting businesses through strategic marketing and personal branding. He outlines four key elements for scaling:  Target market definition, Building a circle of influence Nurturing client relationships  Creating compelling offers Matthew emphasized the importance of consistent content creation, using AI tools...

John and Nick discuss the importance of giving back to the community and how it can benefit businesses, particularly small and family-owned enterprises. They explore how philanthropy can enhance a company's reputation, attract customers, and foster employee engagement. The conversation highlighted the need for businesses to clearly define their mission and align it with their actions. They al...

Brian Samson is the founder of Plug Technologies, a nearshore talent broker that facilitates 100 placements annually for small to medium-sized companies. Brian explains how Plug helps clients access skilled talent in Latin America, offering both cost arbitrage and access to experienced people capable of handling complex technical work. The discussion highlighted how Latin America has become an att...

Scott discusses the current trends in technology and cybersecurity, highlighting the growing interest in AI and the movement of businesses towards local providers due to cost concerns and reduced service quality from private equity acquisitions. He emphasizes the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, particularly email spoofing and phishing attacks that exploit human vulnerabilities. Scott s...

John and Marc discuss branding for private equity and its role in acquisitions.  Marc discusses his background in economics and his passion for finance and marketing, emphasizing his role in explaining complex financial concepts and aligning internal and external messaging for businesses. He highlights his focus on private equity and their portfolio companies. He states private equityis moving awa...

Chapter four is about different buyer types: Individuals Inside buyers - family and management Professional buyers Strategic buyers What makes a buyer tick? What turns buyers heads? Screening buyers A great summary of each highlights of each buyer type. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos https://nokomisadvisory.com/ ht...

Paige Wiese, owner of Tree Ring Digital, discusses her journey from architecture to digital marketing, highlighting her agency's focus on addressing client pain points related to website development, marketing strategy, and ownership of digital assets. She emphasizes the importance of clear ownership and access to digital tools, warning against vendor misunderstandings that can limit client c...

As this was recorded there was a "battle" between Netflix and Paramount to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. This M&A deal has a lot of lessons for small-business buyers including: You must guarantee your loans Proof of funds is a requirement  Honesty and transparency rule Listen to this short episode to learn some valuable lessons on business buying. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact...

Kelly Finnell is an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) advisor with 40 years of experience. He shares:  The benefits of an ESOP Why it's not for everyone Tax strategies and benefits Why an ESOP can be better than a 401k plan for owners If you or anybody you know would like to sell to employees this is a must listen. You can reach Kelly at www.execfin.com or kfin@execfin.com. John Martinka J...

Spoiler alert - these tips are the same ones as for 2025 and will (probably) be the same for 2027. Get your affairs in order, grow, and Exit With Style, Grace, and More Money®, which is also the title of our latest book. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/...