In today’s podcast, we talk to Robin Stanaland, owner of RMS, a company that helps business owners value, market, and sell their businesses. Robin, who is based in Houston, also runs eight Vistage groups, spending more than 1,000 hours a year in one-on-one coaching conversations with CEOs and business owners. While the next six to 12 months are anybody’s guess on the economy, Robin says preparation is key.

"As a CEO, you have a contingency plan already thought through, and you know what the levers are and what your actions are going to be should things start to decline," she said. "As long as you've got a good contingency plan, then you can operate with ease, going towards growth and building your company. And if things don't happen that you don't have to execute on that plan, that's great, but at least you've thought through it, and you have it for the worst case."

The main topics of today's episode will be the impact of higher interest rates on mergers and acquisitions and the value of being approachable and personable to clients. We will also talk about the themes that are resonating throughout all of Robin’s Vistage groups and the changes in SBA guidelines, including partial buyouts and equity requirements.

Recorded on 05/26/2023