Shannan Bogle - UPS Store Madison, Wisconsin

On Variety Being the Spice of Life: "You never do the same thing twice. And that's what I loved about it was you were always doing something different whether somebody was walking in to have you shipping a book for them and then the next person was having you fax for them, and the next person had an Amazon return. So the variety of it is what caught me."

Retail businesses still exist, and the UPS Store franchisees have been growing as people will always need to send something from one place to another.

But Shannan Bogle of the UPS Store in Madison, Wisconsin lets us know that her store does so much more than shipping.  After decades in this business, she has an incredible amount to share.

Shannan will also tap into the versatility required to manage a UPS store, from printing services to Amazon returns, shedding light on the highs and lows that come with balancing corporate mandates and the independence of franchise ownership. We’ll explore the current business climate's pressures, the impact of the pandemic, and the shift to remote work, as well as the local community dynamics over her 26 years of operation.

She delves into each facet of business ownership, retail business ownership, and the ways entrepreneurs can make moves to grow their business.

Listen as Shannan explains not only her world, but a broader way of looking at business and finding the gold buried within every business.

Enjoy!

Visit Shannan at: https://locations.theupsstore.com/wi/madison/6666-odana-rd

Podcast Overview:

 

Podcast Transcription:

Shannan Bogle [00:00:00]:

The one thing when I did buy it that I thought was funny was they did make me take out, life insurance policy that equaled the loan. Just because there's not enough product in my store

James [00:00:11]:

Oh.

Shannan Bogle [00:00:11]:

That would pay off the loan. And since it's all knowledge based, they're like if you get hit by a bus tomorrow, we can't recoup.

James [00:00:22]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the a business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We are locally owner of the UPS Store in Madison, Wisconsin. So, Shannon, how is it going today?

Shannan Bogle [00:00:48]:

Thank you. Very good. Thanks.

James [00:00:51]:

I'm excited to learn a few things from you. Thing 1 is how do you end up in the shipping business?

Shannan Bogle [00:00:58]:

Well, I started out my previous I was a bartender.

James [00:01:03]:

Oh. Seems like an easy transition. Right?

Shannan Bogle [00:01:05]:

No. Yeah. Bartending at night is a great job. Bartending during the day, not so much.

James [00:01:12]:

Oh, just from a financial point of view or just a really crazy drunks come in?

Shannan Bogle [00:01:15]:

No. You can't make any you don't make money during the day. Oh. Like you do at night.

James [00:01:19]:

Alright.

Shannan Bogle [00:01:19]:

So then, luckily I was working at, a bar on road. Mhmm. And a former work coworker came in and said, oh, go talk to John up at the UPS store on road. And I went and talked to him and started there and the rest is history.

James [00:01:36]:

You end up buying the business? Yeah. Wow. So you went from bartending?

Shannan Bogle [00:01:39]:

Out. Yep. And I started out on the counter.

James [00:01:41]:

Alright. Yeah. As an employee?

Shannan Bogle [00:01:43]:

Yeah.

James [00:01:44]:

Okay.

Shannan Bogle [00:01:44]:

Yep. And learned a lot from him and he was a great teacher and he made me a manager and then I expressed interest in wanting to buy it. So we had a contract and about 4 years into the contract, I felt comfortable enough with selling price. Somebody came in and he was shipping out, I'm a nosy person. He came in, he was shipping out a small business application. So I asked if I could go have coffee with him. He was a small business. He, you know, went to banks and got you the loans.

James [00:02:16]:

Alright.

Shannan Bogle [00:02:17]:

And he said, yeah. Everything looks good. Let's go forward.

James [00:02:20]:

Oh. So okay. That brings up way more questions than I even realized. You know, it's so funny. I've known you for a few years. Mhmm. And I never knew your story. Yeah.

James [00:02:30]:

So tell me, when you went from bartender to work in a UPS Store, I mean, that's different clientele, it's different feel bartender Store bartender, bartending, usually think of as fun. Yeah. And I don't maybe UPS Store is fun. I don't know.

Shannan Bogle [00:02:47]:

It is. The UPS Store, you never do the same thing twice. Okay. And that's what I loved about it was you were always doing something different whether, you know, somebody was walking in to have you buying a book Store them and then the next person was having you fax Store them, and the next person, you know, an Amazon return. So the variety of it is what caught me. Because one thing I love you notice, I love to talk.

James [00:03:12]:

That's good. Round touches. So good.

Shannan Bogle [00:03:14]:

So as a bartender, I could always talk to people. But the one thing from being and that's why I tell people that's the environment I came from is because I speak so loud.

James [00:03:23]:

Nice.

Shannan Bogle [00:03:23]:

And it's because you speak over the jukebox. Well, you get some customers that don't want you speaking that loud to them. They think you're yelling at them. And it's like, no, that's just me and luckily my coworkers are very good about saying, hey, she really does talk that loud all the time.

James [00:03:38]:

Dial up action. Yes. Oh, that's awesome. So how long ago did you buy the UPS Store then?

Shannan Bogle [00:03:44]:

It'll be 8 years on Saturday.

James [00:03:45]:

Will it real? Well, congratulations.

Shannan Bogle [00:03:47]:

Thank you.

James [00:03:48]:

Tell me as far as price goes, how did you figure out or I'm sorry. How did he figure out what he was gonna charge, and how did you figure out that that was seemed like a good deal?

Shannan Bogle [00:03:59]:

It's a very successful store.

James [00:04:01]:

Okay.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:02]:

He was of course at the beginning of the contract, it was way too high.

James [00:04:05]:

Mhmm.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:06]:

But you know, he was he was a smart businessman who had set these prices to say, hey, here's the top end. And then I just went with kind of the middle.

James [00:04:15]:

Alright.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:15]:

Obviously.

James [00:04:16]:

Alright. And then the banker person that you talked to, they looked at financials and they're like, yeah, this is good. Go ahead.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:22]:

Mhmm.

James [00:04:23]:

Alright.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:23]:

Oh, yeah. And then they, the one thing when I did buy it that I thought was funny was they did make me take out, life insurance policy that equaled the loan. Just because there's not enough product in my store

James [00:04:36]:

Oh.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:37]:

That would pay off the loan. And since it's all knowledge based, they're like, if you get hit by a bus tomorrow, we can't recoup.

James [00:04:44]:

Sure. So tangible assets, they need something. Okay. Yeah. Or life insurance policy.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:48]:

Yeah.

James [00:04:49]:

Interesting.

Shannan Bogle [00:04:50]:

Mhmm. I found that very interesting.

James [00:04:51]:

Alright. So when you bought the business, at that the day that you give him the check or the bank gives him the check or whatever, does he go away? Yes. Or he stick he does.

Shannan Bogle [00:05:00]:

He would actually had moved to Florida because he had made me the manager, but he was still in Madison. And I said, you have to go to Florida. I have to sink or swim. Oh, smart woman. Because and then that was how I figured out I wanted it too is not having somebody to lean on because when he was there, I always could turn to him with questions. It's like, no, go away. Go far away so that I can figure out if I really needed to ask you the question or if I already knew the answer.

James [00:05:28]:

That is smart. You know, it's funny you say that. Because I try to go away or just not be available to my employees sometimes just to see give them the opportunity to solve problems or to just figure it out.

Shannan Bogle [00:05:41]:

Exactly.

James [00:05:41]:

Because if they start relying on you, then they'll ask you, like, how am I supposed to exhale? Oh, okay. Right? I ain't got the time. So tell me, you've had the UPS store for almost 8 years. Is this you've owned it for almost 8 years?

Shannan Bogle [00:05:55]:

Yes. I've been there 26 years.

James [00:05:58]:

Holy cow. Yes. Same Store? Yes. Same location?

Shannan Bogle [00:06:01]:

Yep. Same place. Yep.

James [00:06:03]:

Alright. So tell me over the course of 26 years, what has changed in that neighborhood? Huge.

Shannan Bogle [00:06:09]:

Growing? Huge change. No.

James [00:06:11]:

No. Okay.

Shannan Bogle [00:06:12]:

The pan unfortunately, the pandemic, like a lot of, you know, wiped out a lot of small businesses because that's what I bragged about was the fact that the area I'm in, it's all small business owners. So, you know, I was doing a lot of their printing and their, you know, stuff for them, the mailings and that kind of thing. Well, and then the pandemic hit. Well, people realized I don't need to maybe rent a space, an office because I can work out of my house.

James [00:06:38]:

Okay.

Shannan Bogle [00:06:39]:

So

James [00:06:40]:

I remember actually, it was just yesterday. I was listening to a podcast talking about different property types for investments, and this is probably the I'm gonna call it the 10

Derek Dombeck - The Generations of Wealth

On the Challenging Relationship Employers Are Forced Into: "Speculation and appreciation doesn't pay your bills or keep your family fed. It looks beautiful on a spreadsheet ,on a balance sheet, until things go the other way."

Real Estate Investing is a powerful tool for growing your wealth, as well as building a legacy for you and whomever you would like beyond your life.

But some real estate investors just want to invest in real estate, and not deal with tenants, painting, plumbing issues, 3am phone calls and the paperwork that comes with owning property.  Some investors prefer to just invest their money, get a decent return and continue the process of having their money work for them.

Derek sheds light on innovative solutions for storage unit businesses, his own path in the real estate industry, and the importance of understanding local markets and regulations. We'll explore the nuances of investing in places like Madison and Milwaukee, and uncover why he advises starting with single-family properties and values local real estate investor associations.

With the launch of his Generations of Wealth podcast slated for March 14th, Derek is set to share his comprehensive approach to wealth, which extends far beyond financial gains. You'll learn about his commitment to helping Wisconsin locals navigate the real estate market without hidden costs or tricks.

We'll also delve into the significance of effective communication and negotiation in closing deals, both in real estate and beyond, and the challenges posed by the evolving landscape of customer service in an AI-dominated world.

Whether you're dealing in duplexes or many door count multifamily properties, this conversation boasts invaluable insights, including Derek's tales of overcoming adversity during the 2007 market crash and how building relationships can form the backbone of any successful business venture.

Listen as Derek explains how to get into the real estate investing game without having to get dirty into the real estate investing game.

Enjoy!

Visit Derek at: https://thegenerationsofwealth.com/

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Passing on real estate wisdom to future generations.

06:25 Speculation doesn't pay bills, control business.

12:26 Ethical real estate broker helps sellers profit.

18:26 Structuring installment sale, focusing on mutual benefit.

21:57 Suggest talking to professional for personalized tax advice.

29:18 Reluctantly filed bankruptcy, stood by decisions.

33:40 Risky debt led to starting lending company.

37:33 Networking in person is more effective.

46:20 Shows, wealth.com, contact info, investing experience, Wisconsin.

49:31 Embracing diversity, solving problems, and staying humble.

55:14 Start small in real estate; seek local advice.

01:00:47 Authentic Business Adventures introduces successful business owners.

Podcast Transcription:

Derek Dombeck [00:00:00]:

I have to call people. What if they answer? And and I said, okay. Let's look at it this way. Twist your mindset. If you know you have the skills to help somebody and you choose not to call them, you are by default harming that person.

James [00:00:17]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at draw in customers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. Today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Derek Dombek, the founder of Generations of Wealth Global. And today, we're chatting real estate, which is, I think, almost everyone knows you can make a couple bucks with. So, Derek, how is it going today?

Derek Dombeck [00:00:50]:

It's going really well, James. And, you can make a couple bucks. You can also lose a couple bucks if you do it wrong.

James [00:00:56]:

So It's funny you say that because I just had someone on the show a few weeks ago who lost quite a few dollars. It was just interesting to to get the whole, not every project or house or apartment building is a piggyback that you can just break into and take the cash.

Derek Dombeck [00:01:15]:

That is a fact. In fact, the majority of them are not. We've got plenty of, plenty of failures and the t shirts to go along with them. So,

James [00:01:24]:

Nice. You get a t shirt.

Derek Dombeck [00:01:26]:

Oh, yeah. Never wanna wear that one again. Nope. Nope.

James [00:01:30]:

Well, tell us, what is generations of wealth? Let's start there.

Derek Dombeck [00:01:33]:

Well, so generations of wealth at this point, it it's a platform, after 20 years in in the real estate industry, you know, investing in real estate here in Central Wisconsin, throughout the state of Wisconsin. We we learned a lot of stuff the hard way, and now we're passing on our experience, our knowledge, to the next generation and all generations. And so Generation of Wealth is just my platform. I've I've got a show out there as well. And and, but it's really our tagline is live your vision, love your life. And what we've seen and lived ourselves is entrepreneurs in general are either workaholics or or just bad decision makers when it comes to potentially, you know, thinking about their their their health, their life, their time with their family, everything else. We all wanna go out there and build some monster business without necessarily having any end vision for it. And so we we believe, again after making all the mistakes, we want to have a vision figured out for our personal lives, living our personal lives the way we want, and then build our business to support our personal lives.

Derek Dombeck [00:02:46]:

Instead of what most entrepreneurs do is just work 70, 80 hours a week, 7 days a week with the illusion that someday they'll get to enjoy the fruits of their labor, but someday doesn't always come.

James [00:02:59]:

No, just keep spinning that wheel, right?

Derek Dombeck [00:03:01]:

Yeah. And so, you know through our journey we've figured out that we can live our lives, we can have our cake and eat it too, but we've gotta have a plan written out. It's gotta be something, and it's ever changing and should be, which is a written vision. And and that's that's the the short version of what generations of wealth is all about.

James [00:03:23]:

Fair. So is the idea that you help investors get into the real estate game broadly speaking so they come in green versus more experienced investors?

Derek Dombeck [00:03:33]:

It it doesn't really matter when it comes to figuring out a vision. Like, everybody should do that anyways. But for us, we we started in 2003. I'll just give you the short version. We started in 2003. My wife, Tracy, and I, we were buying cash flowing properties in Wisconsin, but we also got involved with a a couple organizations in Florida. So we were building new houses in Florida, and, everything was going very well. We were using bank financing for everything because we had good jobs, we had good credit, banks were fighting over our business, and we didn't know any different.

Derek Dombeck [00:04:10]:

And then 2,007 hit, and we had built up about a $4,000,000 portfolio, and it went down to 1,000,000 within 6 months on paper. And ultimately, we we lost pretty much everything. And that was a shift in in our mindset because we were no longer bankable. We couldn't I couldn't borrow a nickel from a bank at that point. So

James [00:04:36]:

either that you were you were that far leveraged?

Derek Dombeck [00:04:40]:

We that was the interesting part because of the the times back then, we weren't over leveraged when we did the deals.

James [00:04:47]:

Okay.

Derek Dombeck [00:04:48]:

But when the markets crashed and the banking industry went under, then absolutely we were over leveraged.

James [00:04:55]:

So is the idea I imagine just from a from a dollars and cents point of view, were these 5 year balloons that were just amortized over 20 or 30 years when their value dropped and you went to refinance? So bad day, or how did that work?

Derek Dombeck [00:05:10]:

There there was a a whole different array. So all of our properties in Wisconsin, which were bought based off of cash flow, were completely fine. It was the new construction projects in Florida. They were built with the idea of breaking even or making a small cash flow. And the idea was that they would appreciate, and they did appreciate, except they also depreciated. And when you buy assets that don't cash flow, in my humble opinion after living it, you are putting yourself at at risk. Fair. So for us, even to this day, I have passed up literally 100 of deals that I I could have done and probably would have turned out just fine.

Derek Dombeck [00:05:58]:

Especially the last 5 years as the market just climbed and climbed and climbed. But the reality is, I don't buy unless I can cash flow at this point. I I just I've been there, done that. I won't take the risk, and it's it's not worth what we went through.

James [00:06:14]:

That's fair. Because you're moving from a speculation game

Derek Dombeck [00:06:18]:

It's speculation.

James [00:06:19]:

I can clearly see the money coming in, the money going out kind of thing, and it's much less speculation.

Derek Dombeck [00:06:25]:

And speculation and appreciation doesn't pay your bills or keep your family fed. It looks beautiful on a on a spreadsheet on a balance sheet until things go the other way. Right. And and the other thing that we learned is, and I'm not anti bank by any means, but by using banks, especially if they have call provisions or, you know, 3, 5, 7 year balloons, you are not in control of your business. And so many people that bought apartment complexes as one asset class, that bought at really low cap rates,...

Arta Wildeboer - Real Estate Professional in Canada

On the Challenging Relationship Employers Are Forced Into: "People are very sensitive about their disabilities. They're very passionate about having their disabilities, validated having their disabilities. Kind of, just understood by their employers."

Legal woes are almost an expectation in business.  From the ins and outs of often complex laws, paired with the general lack of legal knowledge, it can make an entrepreneurs head spin and their wallet empty.

In this episode attorney Arta Wildeboer sheds light on the complexities of navigating labor disputes, the meticulous demands of the California judicial system, and the unforeseen consequences of well-intended legislation. As we navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen a sharp rise in employment litigation, Arta discusses the nuances of the state’s wage and hour laws and the judicial pushback against the overwhelming flood of small employment claims.

With personal anecdotes and expert insights, Arta also highlights common pitfalls for small business owners—like the lack of a company handbook or inadequate employee procedures—and outlines practical steps for entrepreneurs to protect their ventures through handbooks, LLCs, and crucial insurance.

From the grueling process of becoming an attorney, which included an eventful bar exam experience, to the significance of insurance and the role of attorneys and CPAs in establishing LLCs, Arta provides a comprehensive view of the legal landscape facing today's business owners.

As we discuss how legal challenges overlap with the daily operational struggles, we uncover why managing employees effectively is more essential than ever and how employers and employees alike contribute to the complexities of the workplace.

Listen as Arta offers a few tips on how to navigate the minefield of legal challenges that being a business owner forces you to tip-toe through.

Enjoy!

Visit Arta at: ArtaLawFirm.com

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Transition from student to lawyer was challenging.

07:59 First fender bender experience led to frustration.

11:41 California bar exam: 3 prompts, 3 hours.

19:15 Challenges of dealing with employee disabilities in companies.

23:51 Proving wrongful termination can be complex.

27:22 Mandatory lunch breaks, penalties, and employee management.

36:45 Legal protection needed, talk to attorney, CPA.

39:08 California business environment: regulation, population draws.

47:45 Southern work culture emphasizes loyalty and gratitude.

52:57 California's strict wage laws lead to problems.

58:35 Law protects against discrimination in workplace bullying.

01:03:49 Best way to find an attorney? Referrals.

01:04:47 Choose a lawyer you're truly comfortable with.

Podcast Transcription:

Arta Wildeboer [00:00:00]:

How how do you help a company or what what should a company be worried about? Well, you'd just be worried about anything you can get to for a long time. So

James [00:00:07]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggles, stories, and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at drawincustomerscom. We are locally and written by the Bank of Sun Prairie. And today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from ArtaWildeboer, an attorney that helps all kinds of people. And this is interesting because he's in California, which if anybody of you any of you have actually done business in any states, including California, I feel like California has gotta be one of the worst states to actually do business in. So, anyways, Arta, welcome to the show.

Arta Wildeboer [00:00:46]:

James, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. I'm a lawyer, so I love to talk and Yeah. About myself and and stuff like that. So, yeah, it's a great opportunity. Thank you so much.

James [00:00:56]:

Yeah. Yeah. By all means. So let's start with you're an attorney. You have your own practice. How how long have you had your own practice?

Arta Wildeboer [00:01:03]:

Well, I, started practicing in January of 2013. That's when I first opened my office. I had passed the bar and got my license, at the end of 2012. And so in 2013, I I I figured I'd make a fresh start of it in January and and, put, out my shingle as they say for, solo attorneys and and started practicing. So it's been, yeah, 11 years now.

James [00:01:25]:

Alright. Nice. And what made you decide to get into the whole legal being an attorney kind of thing?

Arta Wildeboer [00:01:32]:

Well, I mean, we always joke that, attorneys always joke we're bad at math, so this was, like, the one thing that we could do. It was kinda like that. I I guess I, I I grew up. My parents are are I'm 1st generation. My parents are from Iran. My mom is from Iran. My dad is from Holland. They met here.

Arta Wildeboer [00:01:49]:

And, just growing up, I saw my family had a lot of trouble in business, with, just the legal aspects and signing contracts and and kinda just getting taken advantage of. And so, I I kinda wanted to to help out. That's that's where it started. And, you know, I just I just was very much attracted to, the ability to just go from, different industries and and take a peek at at what people are doing and and what different industries are like. And it's a little bit like being a detective sometimes. So it's a lot of fun, in that sense. It's also extremely stressful.

James [00:02:23]:

I imagine so. I imagine so. So tell me, I guess I should know this, but I don't. What does it take to be an attorney?

Arta Wildeboer [00:02:31]:

Well, you first, so I'll I'll just say the the general case. You have to usually have a bachelor's degree to be able to get into law school. And there's an entrance exam for law school called the LSAT. So, with with a bachelor's degree, good GPA, and a decent LSAT score, you go to law school. And then, law school is typically 3 years. And, after law school, after you graduate, you take the bar exam. In most states in California, there's a bar exam. I think a a couple states, maybe like Wisconsin, you don't actually have to pass the bar.

Arta Wildeboer [00:03:04]:

You can just go to law school there and and you can practice. I think Kansas might be the james, but, yeah, typically, you have to pass the bar in in California, for better or worse, as one of the hardest, bar exams that there are. So, it it's it's got a famously low passage rate, these days, and and it's become a little bit of a problem, but that that's that's generally the the process.

James [00:03:26]:

Okay. And you're gonna help me out. Why do they call it the bar exam?

Arta Wildeboer [00:03:30]:

I think it it has to do with, in England with the barristers and the solicitors. I think, it it where they stood to address the judge was called the bar. And so now it it's the exam to get to the bar, I guess. So that's why it's the bar exam. Interesting.

James [00:03:47]:

Okay. Alright.

Arta Wildeboer [00:03:48]:

That's yes. And I might be wrong on that, but I'm I'm 99% sure that's that's the origin of it.

James [00:03:54]:

Or it's just where you head right after you take it. Right?

Arta Wildeboer [00:03:57]:

Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. We in in, law school, they have these things called bar reviews, which, when you get in, you think that they're actually, oh, you know, we're gonna review them for the test or review for class, but, no, actually, you just go to the bar and and drink.

James [00:04:10]:

Oh, funny. That's what college is for. So tell me a story about your process of going through school, law school, passing the bar, all that jazz.

Arta Wildeboer [00:04:19]:

Yeah. You know, I I was, you know, I would always liked school and and, writing and things like that. So it was kind of a natural progression for me to go to law school. But, going to law school was is a it was a wake up call because the writing style for, legal writing was very difficult from what my background was in history. So took me a little bit of time to understand how to write like a lawyer. And, you know, that, that that was a difficult process. And, I had interesting experience with the bar exam. I actually, you know, I I know your your podcast talks a lot about how, the, the, the path to business isn't exactly linear.

Arta Wildeboer [00:04:56]:

You know, there's a lot of ups. Yeah.

James [00:04:57]:

Right.

Arta Wildeboer [00:04:58]:

And so, you know, like a lot of people, I, I, I had to take the bar exam a couple times and, and had just a disastrous experience one of those times. So, I, I was taking the bar exam. I had applied applied for some accommodations, because, just, it was for medical reasons. And, and they put me in a, in a hotel. Usually when you take the bar exam, you take it in a huge convention center with, you know, 3,000 people. This is in California. Other states of course differ, but in California, it's like 3,000 people. And, you know, there's just a ton of people in there, but they put me in a hotel room.

Arta Wildeboer [00:05:30]:

It was just like my personal hotel room. I just asked for just small combination, like a different chair or something like that. But I guess they they did the same thing to everybody. So I was at the DoubleTree by LAX and, you sit in a hotel room where they flip the bed up and, your desk is there and they have one proctor for you. And and so on, on the 3rd day, I I was feeling pretty good. It's a 3 day exam, 2, 3 hour blocks, of of exam taking. And, so it's very intense. It's about 8 18 hours, and and they've shortened it since they're since then to 2 days.

Arta Wildeboer [00:06:02]:

But, back when I took it, it was 3 days. And and so you bring your own laptop, and I I was feeling pretty good. You know,...

Jordan Silvester - Real Estate Professional in Canada

On the Often Chaotic Fluctuation of the Real Estate Market: "And when it first started happening, it takes a bit to get used to the idea that the market might go up instead of 2% a year, it might go percent up 2% a week. That's how insane the adjustment could be at certain times."

Real estate investing is one of the smartest moves you can make.  But like most investments, it is not entirely failsafe and it certainly involves some level of risk.

Jordan Silvester, a licensed Realtor and real estate investor, has lived through some good times and tumultuous times in real estate.

With the easy charm of someone who knows their place in the world, Jordan often reflects on the irony of how natural borders and human perception can differ. Just as the sunny allure of Florida stretches down farther south than parts of Mexico, the story of Jordan Silvester is one that defies conventional expectations, reminding all that sometimes, the places we hail from hold secrets and stories as unpredictable and captivating as the people who dwell within them.

For anyone involved or interested in the real estate market, this episode presents valuable insights into the dynamic nature of investing. Whether you're in Canada, the US, or anywhere else, understanding these concepts can help navigate the waters of property investment.

Listen as Jordan explains the ins and outs of investing and taking steps to ensure that you protect yourself from taking too large of a risk, while still being able to play the game.

Enjoy!

Visit Jordan at Silvesters.ca

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Navigating tough times, reaching out for guidance.

04:24 Financial downturn in retrospect; slower fall, fewer increases.

07:42 Advising clients on managing market fluctuations wisely.

09:48 Varied options for choosing mortgage lenders are available.

15:37 Loss of wealth due to decreasing investment value.

17:33 Unexpected risks led to tough family decisions.

21:26 Optimal exchange rate crucial for cross-border trade.

23:20 Strategic property cash flow and financing decisions.

27:43 Poker player considers risk and personal wealth.

31:03 Setting up unit for functional resale was challenging.

33:08 Learn humility, verify with others, avoid self-deception.

36:02 Adapting to economic changes through skill-building or hustling.

39:05 Considered vehicle lease options, chosen truck for benefits.

43:55 Resilience in face of past challenges, memories.

46:12 Property viewing essential for relational and investment.

49:58 Trust knowledgeable people, but trust your gut.

52:45 Business lessons learned from challenging personal situation.

55:52 Business program showcasing owner stories, sponsored content.

Podcast Transcription:

Jordan Silvester [00:00:00]:

In real estate, if you think about that, like how quickly can you close something, renovate something, and flip something if you set your closing 33 months out because of the time that was a good idea because 3 months later, it was worth 10% more just because you waited.

James [00:00:13]:

Yep. You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. Today, we are welcoming slash preparing to learn from Jordan Sylvester, the real estate guru, I believe, of Windsor, Ontario. Is that correct, Jordan?

Jordan Silvester [00:00:36]:

That is correct, my friend.

James [00:00:38]:

That makes you, Canuck. Right?

Jordan Silvester [00:00:40]:

Yes. The good old, far north.

James [00:00:44]:

That's, that's that's alright. It's a good thing. We're in or I'm in Wisconsin, which is, like, Canada junior.

Jordan Silvester [00:00:49]:

Actually, you're further north than we are.

James [00:00:51]:

So, yeah, all the power there.

Jordan Silvester [00:00:53]:

You you're you're further north than I am. I I'm I'm south of Detroit. So

James [00:00:57]:

You know, I so my sister used to live in Toronto, And I remember looking at a map because I drove there a few times from Madison, Wisconsin. Yep. And I was looking at it thinking like, wait a second. We I believe I'm gonna blame my teachers for this even though it's purely my fault. Like, you believe the United States is this rectangle, Canada's the rectangle above it. And Mexico's the triangle below that.

Jordan Silvester [00:01:21]:

Correct.

James [00:01:21]:

And that's just how geography works.

Jordan Silvester [00:01:23]:

But then forget

James [00:01:25]:

that land and lines don't follow that at all.

Jordan Silvester [00:01:28]:

No. We're we're kind of the other triangle in the bottom corner there. So you have Toronto come across and then down to where we are in Windsor here. You get a big triangle there that, really, we and, again, a lot of us, we're south of a lot of the US. Right? So it's really kind of funny in relationship to it. But like you said, like, again, then you got Florida that comes all the way down and goes lower than parts of Mexico. Right? So it's all the same thing. It's funny how we all think, though.

Jordan Silvester [00:01:51]:

So

James [00:01:52]:

But it would just be a lot easier for me if the people that conquered the land could draw straight lines that didn't necessarily follow rivers.

Jordan Silvester [00:02:01]:

Yeah. Just go straight. Make it easy.

James [00:02:03]:

Just yeah. Right across.

Jordan Silvester [00:02:04]:

All the parallels. Oh,

James [00:02:06]:

well. Life goes on. So, Jordan, let's talk real estate. You I believe you said you started in 2,008, which I hear was a great time to start a real estate business.

Jordan Silvester [00:02:15]:

Yeah. So the only benefit I had of starting my real estate business was that I was jumping into my father. So my father started in 88. I chose to get into his business in, May of 07 getting licensed by March of 08. So again, those going all the way back. I was a young guy at 18, moved out because of some of the stuff my father told me, and I thought I was smarter than him and then came back when I was 23 rulings. I wasn't as smart as I thought I was and, came back to work with him. So, again, that maturity from adolescent, idiot to slightly less idiotic 20 something year old.

Jordan Silvester [00:02:47]:

Right? So you go in this, like, weird phase to kind of get, you know, go through all those tough times. I actually was in Toronto for most of that cutting my teeth, and that's when I reached out to my dad because there was an opportunity in Toronto to, like, we'll pay for your license, blah blah blah, join one of the brokerages there. And before I did that, I figured I should probably talk to my dad. It'd already, by then, been doing it for basically 20 years. And so I I rang him up and said, hey, thinking about it. So he drove in the middle, which is London, Ontario. It's in the middle of both those. Had lunch.

Jordan Silvester [00:03:16]:

And 2 weeks later, I was moving back to Windsor to work with him as his assistant and get my license. So, you know and then jumped into the market at that time as we were dealing with the bank repossessions. We're dealing with the with the downturn market, with everything in the US that had just happened. Everything in Canada just happened. That last recession before the most recent, adjustment in the last couple of years here. So it was a it was really an interesting time to jump in, and I'll say this. It was good because I had to learn a lot about how to communicate with people. Right? You had you're going people were underwater on homes, tough circumstances, tough conversations.

Jordan Silvester [00:03:47]:

So it really gave me, as a young man, the opportunity to get involved in a lot of things you don't learn about until you're much older. Right? Till till you're in your thirties, forties, fifties, and and you're dealing with these people in those real circumstances at a much younger age. So it's a great opportunity to really grow a wealth of knowledge around humanity, not necessarily the business itself. And then, you know, over those years, helping people invest, grow their investments, you know, get into all of that, and then the sales of real estate and and the transactional portion of the business.

James [00:04:14]:

So tell me, 2008, when you got in that, was the writing on the wall for what was going on, or is that still kinda people looking around like, what's going on? Is that thing?

Jordan Silvester [00:04:24]:

When I jumped in in o seven as I was working as my dad's assistant, it was more of the downturn heading for the bottom. And we hit bottom around o nine, but it was a in in retrospect to what we just saw last year, it was a much slower fall in some respects. The difference, though, was is we didn't see a lot of increase, though. So over the last few years, we've had the crazy increases, then we had a crazy fall. Before, you were more incremental. So it still put people in bad situations, but not not like you're seeing today. And most of the issues that you saw then was, like, we had GM, which closed here. We had some other things with the automotive industry, which is what Windsor.

Jordan Silvester [00:04:57]:

Were basically Detroit's, you know, little brother. We we we manage a lot of the automotive over here. So when all that stuff happened with the big three, we we were dealt a pretty heavy blow as a city because of that. And actually some lenders even left the city because of it. So you couldn't get lending from certain B lenders. The primary lenders here, we we could still work with, but a lot of the B lenders, the guys that were wouldn't wanna you know, it was basically like this place is done. The big three are gonna close. Like,...

Patrick Donahue - Private Investment

On the Importance of Having a Vision: "The reason why I use the the 'qualifier magnetic' is because it's one thing to have a vision, but it has to be a vision that can be articulated where it attracts others to it."

Businesses need cash to run.  Some from the founders, often some from banks or relatives and sometimes from investment funds.

Patrick Donohue, founder and CEO of Hill Capital Corporation, an investment fund targeting entrepreneurial-led businesses that packs a punch with a $25,000,000 fund size, tells us about working with investment funds to fund your business, as well as the opportunities to invest your own cash into other businesses.

Patrick dives into the world of business investing, dissecting the narratives that turn a company's vision into a magnet for investment, from small businesses like high-end baby stores to giants like Amazon. Patrick shares his nearly 30 years of fundraising expertise, pointing out what sets successful startups apart, like those with magnetic leadership and innovative technology like GoRoute.

Ever wondered what it takes to prepare for raising funds, or the role that storytelling plays in captivating potential investors? Patrick casts light on these vital strategies, leaning on examples from his extensive experience and involvement with diverse businesses in Hill Capital Corporation's portfolio.

Lastly, Patrick shares his deep-seated motivation - helping entrepreneurs bridge the gap between the compelling narratives of Wall Street and the heart of Main Street, providing them with the capital to flourish. It's about building valuable businesses and navigating the turbulence of the industry, a mission far beyond the financial lures of investment banking.

Enjoy!

Visit Patrick at: BreakoutValuation.com

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Investors need to outperform S&P 500 for higher rewards.

05:25 Hill Capital trusts investors to be involved in company decisions.

07:37 Networking and referrals are key for business connections.

10:26 Unique fund structure with VC equity based note, avoids reliance on company sale for cash.

14:27 Hill Capital Corporation manages companies and funds, with a formal investment process and financial commitment.

17:35 Started Hill Capital in 2014, work unpaid 11000 hours, used own savings.

19:35 Young person disillusioned by Wall Street, starts Hill Capital to help entrepreneurs and small businesses.

23:20 Successful founders have a magnetic vision, like Bezos' expansion plans for Amazon with logistics.

28:39 The speaker is motivated by helping entrepreneurs, not by money or glamour on Wall Street.

32:02 GoRoute enables faster athletic practice with updated technology.

33:37 Technology companies face challenges and risks amid rapid change and AI growth.

37:10 Building trust and rapport is crucial for gaining financial support and investments, requiring an emotional connection.

41:54 Focus on authenticity and vision when pitching, rather than tailoring to investors' expectations.

42:55 Summarize: Discussing business needs and readiness, emphasizing financial and operational clarity.

Podcast Transcription:

Patrick Donohue [00:00:00]:

Could talk about companies like Amazon. You know, Bezos had a hard time raising money early on, but when he was able to start articulating that it was not just about selling a few books online, it was about understanding and having the logistics and cracking the code there so he could expand into other products, and why the word Amazon was used because it's the jungle and there's a lot there.

James [00:00:23]:

Mhmm.

Patrick Donohue [00:00:24]:

That's where people got attracted to that and started to sync up and provide the investment capital that Amazon needed to be what it is today.

James [00:00:32]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link on a draw in customers.com. Today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Patrick Donahue, the founder and CEO of Hill Capital Corporation. So, Patrick, how is it going today?

Patrick Donohue [00:00:58]:

It's great. How are you doing, James?

James [00:01:00]:

I'm doing very well. So tell us for the listeners at home, viewers at home, what is Hill Capital Corporation?

Patrick Donohue [00:01:06]:

Hill Capital Corporation is an investment fund. We invest half a1000000 to a $1,000,000 directly in entrepreneurial led businesses. And we are investing out of fund 2 right now, which is $25,000,000 fund.

James [00:01:20]:

Wow. Is it just a bunch of investors, or is it government funded by any means or or anything like that? It is all No. They're handing money out left and right. So

Patrick Donohue [00:01:31]:

No. Yeah. No. It's it's all individuals. It's all hard earned money. And many of our investors are multi generational business owners. So that makes us very unique as well. So, we really, not only provide capital, but the community, you know, in a network for the entrepreneurs, the companies that we invest in and support them in their journey.

Patrick Donohue [00:01:53]:

Because what we really care about is that they have optionality, you know, whether they wanna build their business and hand it over to the next generation, or if they wanna sell it or whatever the case may be. So we've got some unique ways that we support and structure our portfolio companies.

James [00:02:07]:

Alright. Very cool. Yeah. So the the investors that you get, are they because you're investing in small business. So are they looking for a return over the course of 1 or 3 years? Or is it longer term?

Patrick Donohue [00:02:21]:

Well, definitely longer term. And, you know, the golden standard is, any investment fund really needs to outperform the S and P 500. You know, what somebody could get in the stock market. And I talk about that with our, our stakeholders a lot. And so, they need a reward that, gives them the economic incentive to do something other than put their money in a mutual fund or an ETF. And so, you know, if you kinda think about big number big picture numbers, you know, one could expect 8, maybe 12% on an annualized basis from the S and P 500. So, our investors need to expect something, higher than that. And so Okay.

Patrick Donohue [00:03:01]:

That's what we look to achieve is something that mid to high, teen returns, not to our investors.

James [00:03:07]:

Sure. So one thing I've always been curious about with investment funds like this. Yeah. Is if I'm an investor, I throw some money at this thing, is the idea that I'm contractually obligated to keep my money in there for a finite period of time? Because it's not liquid.

Patrick Donohue [00:03:23]:

Correct. It's not liquid. And so how how funds work generally speaking is that somebody commits $1,000,000, but there's a drawdown period. So, and it's usually 2 to 4 years and the fund life is usually 10 years. So, you know, somebody commits a $1,000,000, they might have a couple $100,000 a year drawn down. And then that money is fully invested. And then there's a harvest period where they're getting a return on that money that they invested.

James [00:03:51]:

So when you say drawn down, you mean it's going from essentially their bank to investment?

Patrick Donohue [00:03:56]:

Yeah. So let's just say you committed a $1,000,000, then, you're not putting that $1,000,000 in that fund day 1 like you would buy a mutual fund per se. Uh-huh. They would basically do a capital call and say, hey, James. You know, we've got a deal we're buying and so on and so forth. We need to draw down 250,000 of your $1,000,000 commitment. And then Alright. And then there is if somebody can't move up to that commitment, then there's, you know, there's basically penalties or or things like that that would dissuade somebody from doing that.

James [00:04:28]:

Sure. And then, yeah, you said a 10 year life. But I imagine is that from this point in time or 10 years from the time that the investor committed?

Patrick Donohue [00:04:38]:

It can actually be both, but a lot of times it's from once the first drawdown happens is when the clock starts ticking.

James [00:04:45]:

Okay.

Patrick Donohue [00:04:45]:

It all depends on the fund docs. And there's, I I I have a very good friend that's in real estate, and I was chatting with him while we were in Denver the other week. And, he was sharing insights on various structures and, you know, like real estate, they've got a lot of different ways they they do things. So it all depends on the structure and and how they put it together. And those are very important points for any investors that are looking to invest in, you know, a private fund, to understand what the mechanics are and how that all works.

James [00:05:16]:

And do the investors get any say into what you're investing in, or they're just essentially investing your fund to trust you to do or you and your team, I imagine.

Patrick Donohue [00:05:25]:

It's a it's a combination. There's a high level of trust, of course, by default. But we do have a an investment committee, and LPs are investors are part of that investment committee. And we also have our investors who are just part of, our community. And in our community, we call them ambassadors. They are advisors to us and to our portfolio companies. And so they can really be as involved as they want to be. We love and encourage people to be involved in Hill Capital because that's what makes us special is when those individuals are connecting with the founders and entrepreneurs of our portfolio companies, that's where, frankly, the magic happens.

James [00:06:02]:

Alright.

Patrick Donohue [00:06:03]:

...

Vladimer Botsvadze - Marketing Expert

On finding your groove: "Brands need to get closer to their consumers in order to win in the long term. Otherwise, it would be tough because still so many big organizations and big brands are very far from their consumers. The strategies that were set years ago, they market like '99 in a 2024 world, and consumers no longer trust them."

Just wrapped up an enlightening episode on Authentic Business Adventures with the brilliant marketer, Vladimir Botsvadze! Our in-depth conversation covered everything from AI's role in marketing to the art of personal branding. Don't miss this treasure trove of insights for any entrepreneur or marketer looking to stay ahead in our fast-paced digital economy.

Here are 3 key takeaways to whet your appetite:

**Personal Brand Power**: Vladimir underscored the significance of building an authentic personal brand on social media. It’s not just about being seen—it’s about being remembered and trusted. Look at how brands like Tesla become almost synonymous with Elon Musk's persona—your brand can achieve similar heights with dedication and strategy.

**AI as the Marketer’s Ally**: Far from replacing the creative human touch, AI serves as a powerful tool to amplify our marketing efforts. Vladimir predicts that as we navigate the delicate balance of tech and touch, AI will help us create more engaging and effective campaigns, reshape our jobs, and deliver unparalleled customer experiences.

**Storytelling is King**: In a world where products are increasingly commoditized, Vladimir believes that storytelling, empathy, and engagement are what set successful brands apart. Whether you're a startup or a global enterprise, the ability to create a compelling narrative around your brand is what captures consumer interest and loyalty.

An absolute must-listen for anyone eager to navigate the marketing maze with flair and foresight. Tune in to this episode of Authentic Business Adventures for the full conversation!

Enjoy!

Visit Vladimer at: http://www.vladimerbotsvadze.com/

Podcast Overview:

04:10 Advisory board member, mentor, global speaker, recognized.

09:12 Brands use AI to reduce costs, jobs. Elon Musk's personal brand drives Tesla's success.

11:30 Consumers prioritize storytelling; brands must listen online.

14:54 Rejecting societal norms, pursuing personal and self-education.

17:31 Work hard, bypass formal education for success.

23:11 Taking the first step is the key.

25:10 AI is essential for business success.

28:41 AI can replace copywriters, but not all.

33:06 Earning Google's trust led to top ranking.

35:22 Recognized as top influencer in VR, marketing.

39:53 Humanize your brand, connect with consumers digitally.

41:02 James, respond to complaints, build strong community.

44:41 Inspired by Elon Musk, building personal brand.

48:10 Digital connectivity amplifies human potential, impacting billions.

51:24 Listen to consumers to succeed in marketing.

55:39 Business program featuring owner success stories, marketing tips.

Podcast Transcription:

James [00:00:01]:

You have found authentic business adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. If you're listening or watching this on a web, please share it with all your friends. And, of course, if you want a audio episode for free, you can download it at the podcast link found at draw in customers.com. Today, we are welcoming slash preparing to learn from Vladimir Botsvadze. I probably destroyed that name, Vladimir, so I apologize. This is the Midwest Accent here. Vladimir's got a lot going on.

James [00:00:35]:

We got, on the board for United States AI Institute, which that alone we could probably talk for hours about. Mentor at Techstars, another great thing we could talk for hours about, and judge at the Webby Awards, which again, we could talk hours about. So we're gonna try to Compact this into 1 podcast for now, but if we have to meet again, Vladimir, I'm happy too. So let's start, Vladimir, with you being on the board of the United states, AI Institute. Because if ever there was a growing topic, I feel like AI is probably at the cusp of it right now.

Vladimir [00:01:07]:

Yeah. Hi, James. It is a delight to be on your podcast. Many thanks for, inviting me. I'm excited to share my actionable high impact and future proof insights with you today. And, you know, what sets me apart is that my a lot of james thinking, my patience, my storytelling, And caring about my community, caring about my end users. You know? Otherwise, I would not be a guest, on your amazing podcast because, I believe that, my social media community, has put me on the global map because I was sharing great content. I was educating them.

Vladimir [00:01:48]:

I instead of, sending sales pitches. I was listening to them, so I have been a is a listening business. I started, I come from Georgia, actually, from the country. I moved to the United States. It's the age of, 18 in 2006. I got work permit from the state department. I worked in Washington DC area, then I moved to London. Then I moved to New York City where I lived for, For Tomas, in 2009, I moved to London where, I started business, marketing.

Vladimir [00:02:22]:

I worked in Business development, I built, outstanding skills. Then, I attended some conferences in Dubai. I was, little I have been, in the right place at the right time with the right people. Then I started building my social media communities, across, 10, 15 social media channels, and I, I was working 16 hours a day. I built my, following from, 0 followers to a 170,000 followers, And, I was very patient. I was, very curious. I was thinking in the long term, I hope built my website at latinearbroswaj.com. I won, more than 200 global awards.

Vladimir [00:03:03]:

I have been recognized as number 1 global marketing software by Syncastro 60. I I have started, judging awards. I started, I started, advising board in the United States. I started advising, Entrepreneurs, and start ups at Techstars. So nowadays, I wear so many hats. I take so much responsibility. I always be believe in giving back, inspiring audiences, galvanizing them into taking action. And, so also what sets me apart is that, I I don't arrest on my laurels.

Vladimir [00:03:41]:

I always look to my laurels. I'm, I'm curious to the core. You know? And, so when you are curious, when you are lifelong learner, When you show more patience in business, in marketing, you truly, produce, world class and outstanding results. You know?

James [00:04:00]:

Yeah. So tell me, you I'm looking on your website. It's got a lot of marketing stuff. Are there typical size companies that you work with?

Vladimir [00:04:10]:

Yeah. Because, you know, I work I currently set on the advisory board of the United States AI Institute, United States Data Science Institute, United States Cybersecurity Institute. I'm also a member or an associate member of International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences In New York City and which is part of Webby Awards, which is the best probably the best, award ceremony in the world Because we celebrate and recognize excellence in, in in marketing and social media. I also I'm also a mentor at Techstars, and we are building unicorns literally in Saudi Arabia. And, I work with 25 Because bureaus throughout the world, I hope my expertise is, recognized Entrusted by the American Marketing Association. And, so in 2022, I I spoke at the global marketing summit, where I no. Where I'm listed as a speaker, actually, it looks like Philip Cutler. And, due to my consistent and strong performance, I have been recognized, James, as a And Mark top 10 inspiring businesses by Inside Success Magazine.

Vladimir [00:05:28]:

And, this is magazine Inside Success, and it featured me. You know?

James [00:05:33]:

Oh, nice. Look at that.

Vladimir [00:05:35]:

And and and other and other magazine that, recognize me as a leader of the year, is magazine in Delaware, United States that, that interviewed me, in in a magazine. You know? And I'm very honored. I'm I'm very honored that, my practical, practical personal brand building story has been put on a pedestal by this business world. So I have had, I I have a great privilege to work as a speaker with speakers bureaus throughout the world. I work with Las Vegas speakers bureau, MSP talent, Kruger Cone, champion speakers, Speakers Academy International, Speakers Bureau's in Australia throughout the world, in Finland. So I'm very honored that, I'm invited to to to conferences, master classes, workshops, so I can deliver my Insightful, impactful, and, actionable insights with global brands. You know?

James [00:06:40]:

Yeah. That's incredible. Let's Yeah. Talk about when you first got started, what led you to marketing?

Vladimir [00:06:48]:

Well, it's just curiosity. You know? Just curiosity. And, of course, I hope pursue I pursued my bachelor's degree in computer engineering, My master's degree in, international economics relations and my PhD degree in supply chain management and logistics. At the same time, I pursued my certificate, certificate, program in business planning, analysis, and administration. And also, I studied, I, I also studied in London. I worked in business development. So This, this degrees, truly inspired me to to choose marketing because I believe that marketing is all about winning attention. So what is marketing nowadays? Marketing is all about creating customers and retaining retaining customers.

Vladimir [00:07:36]:

You know? So what I see is that, Brands, do a lot of do a great job when it comes to, getting customers. But when it when it comes to retaining customers, they are not as active as it say should be. Why? Right?...

Tiago Faria - Coach Marketing Secrets

On finding your groove: "I was trying to be someone I wasn't exactly. I didn't know who I was as a content creator, so I was just putting things out there. But at some point, I found my voice and, yeah, it was perfect."

In this episode, our host James is joined by special guest Tiago Faria, a business mentor for coaches and mentors with an anti-marketing approach. Tiago shares his insights on using social media to identify and connect with potential buyers, emphasizing the importance of niche-focused marketing. He discusses his journey from leaving a corporate job at Google to pursuing entrepreneurship and provides valuable advice on creating desirable offers, leveraging YouTube for visibility, and tailoring high-ticket services to address urgent client needs. Join us as we dive into the world of anti-marketing and learn from Tiago's unique approach to business success.

Key Takeaways:

1. Niche Down: Tiago emphasizes the importance of being specific and niche-focused. Rather than being generic, focus on urgent problems that potential clients want to solve now, tailoring high-ticket offers to address those specific issues.

2. Client-Centric Approach: Leverage existing networks, client lists, and audience to deeply understand your clients' pain points and offer tailored solutions. Use free discovery calls or sales calls to close clients and provide immense value.

3. Content Creation: Take on Tiago's 90-day content challenge to improve your skills and visibility. Create searchable content on platforms like YouTube to attract potential clients and establish yourself as an expert in your niche.

Don't forget, your journey to business triumph is just a play button away. Tune in, get inspired, and let's turn your business dreams into reality! #BusinessCoaching #Entrepreneurship #Marketing

Enjoy!

Visit Tiago at: TiagoFaria.pt

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Rejecting false marketing promises, advocating for authenticity.

04:49 11 sounds like Jurassic time; photos bad.

08:26 Started consulting smaller businesses, then added Facebook ads.

12:01 Transitioning from client acquisition to coaching.

15:59 Using paid experiments, podcast, YouTube, expertise.

18:46 Embracing authenticity led to attracting opportunities.

21:05 Inspiration, strategy, and value drive content creation.

23:27 Different stress at new workplace feels better.

28:04 Focus on urgent problems, avoid procrastination. Choose niche, interview potential clients.

29:57 Focus on solving specific problems for career transformation.

35:28 Offer fee for client referrals, leverage contacts.

38:41 Find the pain, help them remove it.

39:28 Assisted in local and international success stories.

42:51 Focus on urgent problem for quick wins.

46:41 Focus on specific clients for successful implementation.

Podcast Transcription:

Tiago [00:00:00]:

Fear of

Tiago [00:00:00]:

staying in this corporate game long term was already bigger than the fear of risking something on my own.

James [00:00:06]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie.

Tiago [00:00:19]:

The if you're listening or watching this on the

James [00:00:19]:

web and you wanna download some audio episodes, by all means, go to the podcast link found at drawincustomerscom. The Today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Thiago Faria, a business mentor for coaches and mentors with a unique and very interesting, I must say, the anti marketing approach. So, Tiago, how is it going today?

Tiago [00:00:40]:

Very good, my friend. I love your name because James in

Tiago [00:00:46]:

the In English, it's actually the translation of my name, Tiago.

Tiago [00:00:47]:

Saint James, Santiago.

James [00:00:48]:

Really?

Tiago [00:00:49]:

So we are related. Yes. I saw it somewhere on on the webs. The I'm not don't take me

Tiago [00:00:55]:

for a

Tiago [00:00:55]:

scientifical research, but, I think it is. Yeah.

James [00:00:57]:

Worldwide. All good. So let's start with looking approach. That is, a bold statement, I guess, as far as that goes. So let's jump down that rabbit hole right away.

Tiago [00:01:09]:

The Yeah. So it's not anti marketing per se, of course. I'm a lover of marketing. It's mostly anti, the And I like what what we're bombarded daily by the gurus, Internet marketing gurus telling us, you know, that's, there's an easy button to the That you press and you you're 1 funnel away from magic and, you just need to use this funnel tactics and this landing kademan this ads. The and and usually that's a recipe for for disaster, especially if you're in the beginning stages of your of your business, in my opinion. The because, you get you get kind of it's it's a trap. You get trapped in those kind of you try to find the fastest, more complex way to do to to start getting clients, for example. The And then you tried for a while.

Tiago [00:01:51]:

It doesn't work immediately. So and then you quit very easily, and then you oh, there's something even shinier on this side. So the And this is a game that I was I was personally stuck on for 2 to 3 years. And, yeah, it's something that that's not advisable because, the 1, it's

Tiago [00:02:08]:

overly complex for someone

Tiago [00:02:08]:

who's starting right now. And 2, you you kind of, the You are complicating your life too much, and you just keep jumping from strategy to strategy, and you never let yourself, grow to its to its fullest potential of any or one of those strategies. So it's it's it's, it's anti war that kind of marketing flashiness approach. The and why do I go against it? Because I suffered for for 2, 3 years. I worked at Google for 8 years. And then once once I quit the That, job I came back to Portugal tried to start my own business with those complex strategies and, hit against a brick wall. It was not working. I was making my life very tough.

Tiago [00:02:47]:

The My life and my client's life very tough. So since then I've been trying to simplify my approach as much as possible. Okay. This is overly complex. Maybe we don't need this. The the 1st step I took was to work finally with a mentor. After 3 years trying to break the stone on my own, the Trying to do everything on our own. We we always we always had this thought that we, yeah, we can do everything.

Tiago [00:03:10]:

We're we're superheroes. Right? We and we can do everything on our own, but no. It's a big mistake. The So I worked with a mentor, created my plan, focused on a specific person I wanted to help, specific problem I wanted to help, and simplified my strategy inspired by the book of this the Gentlemen, you're getting everything you can out of all you've got from the program. Nice. And I focused on this last sentence, all you've got. The And I was thinking, okay. What do I have, you know, in my world? I have a contact list of I have a network of people that I know, that I interact with.

Tiago [00:03:41]:

The I have relationships. Right? And I have, audience. Most of us already have some sort of audience on LinkedIn or Facebook, whatever. The And I was thinking of ways. Okay. How can I leverage my current assets to start a cool business that can, you know, grow sustainably until the 10 k level? The so the after that, we can start playing with more complex strategies. But until then, I believe it's not necessary. I believe we have everything we need in our world the Right now to capture even high high ticket paying, dream clients.

Tiago [00:04:13]:

But of course, we need to tweak the way we position ourselves, the way we the Create an offer and the way then we, you know, offer it to to the people around us. But that's the baseline of, of the strategy is, the we already have everything we need. We just need to tweak some things.

James [00:04:29]:

Alright. You went through a lot of stuff there. Let's start with the Google one. The you have the job with Google for a while. 8 years seems

Tiago [00:04:36]:

It is.

James [00:04:37]:

I'm guessing. I don't know for sure because I don't have anything to support either way, but the But I'm guessing that that's a long time. It's a place like Google.

Tiago [00:04:45]:

Yes. Yes. It's, ages. Like a Ages.

James [00:04:48]:

11. James.

Tiago [00:04:49]:

The Doesn't lie 11 sounds like a Jurassic period of of time. I I look back to the photos I took then, and the the phones were horrible, and the I didn't have half of the things that we own today. But, yeah, it was it was a long time. I for 5 for 5 years, I was enjoying it, the game. The but after 5 years, I started feeling, oh, something is wrong here. It's I'm I'm I'm a bit misplaced. The At first, I thought you're walking me down the wrong role or maybe on the wrong office. Everyone is moving offices in Google, going to New York or into Chicago or going to to Malaysia.

Tiago [00:05:24]:

So maybe that was an issue, but, I wasn't able to to even change roles because I was not super motivated. I would go to those interviews and, like, yeah, I'm good at the Yes. And then if I wanted to do that, but, you know, I wasn't bringing my true self to those interviews, so I wasn't able even to move inside. The So, I slowly started realizing maybe the problem is is me. I'm in the wrong place. I'm in the wrong area, you know. I'm and, the Slowly started, Nesenia. I'm I'm psychologically unemployable.

Tiago [00:05:54]:

I I I was super annoyed of having a manager, nagging minor, every week. The So how was your OKRs? How are you? I was got got tired of of also not being not using my full creativity. I was, the You know, limited to Google Ads, you know, to work with these big shark companies, that are are my mostly my creativity was quite limited....

Jason Yarusi - Yarusi Holdings - Real Estate Investing

On growing multifamily investments: "All we had to do was go in there and just basically run it better. Just put in a better process, lease it up, lease it up higher rates, and now we are meeting our goals."

Despite seemingly thousands of apartment buildings going up almost every where you look, the country still has a housing deficit.  This is great news for anyone looking to get into the multifamily real estate investing game.

Jason Yarusi of Yarusi holdings explains the ins and outs of his journey as a real estate investor and how he has learned to find some great properties.

Listen as Jason shares his real estate insights.  You'll walk away with a few key tips that could make you a lot of money in your real estate investment strategy.

Don't forget, your journey to business triumph is just a play button away. Tune in, get inspired, and let's turn your business dreams into reality! #BusinessCoaching #Entrepreneurship #RealEstateInvesting

Enjoy!

Visit Jason at: https://www.yarusiholdings.com/

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Entrepreneur opens restaurants, bar, brewery, construction company.

04:05 Real estate became a solution for busyness.

08:46 Transition from late nights to early mornings.

11:19 Flipping real estate requires efficient time management.

15:55 Invested in equipment for building structures efficiently.

19:02 Investing in growing markets, accelerating building value.

20:07 Forming management company, seeking investments, raising capital.

24:02 Poor operation running, surrounded by well-operating buildings.

26:50 Investment offers preferred return based on performance.

30:13 Manage smaller properties in-house, larger outsourced.

33:28 Obtaining up to 80% loan to value.

38:48 Need trusted allies for efficient plan implementation.

42:36 Property growth challenges due to infrastructure issues.

45:58 States handled pandemic differently, facing unique challenges.

47:11 Meeting housing demand, facing challenges of supply.

50:45 Market higher with forecasted rate cuts expected. Banks uncertain about loan pricing due to unexpected rise in rates. Fed anticipates breather and rate reduction.

54:29 Enjoyed podcasts on various topics, highly recommended.

56:29 Balanced partnership ensures focused, valuable business growth.

59:48 Authentic Business Adventures shares business success stories.

Podcast Transcription:

James [00:00:02]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and training for successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found on the podcast link found at draw in customers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. My name is James. And today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Jason at Yarusi Holdings. So, Jason, how is it going today?

Jason [00:00:27]:

Hey. It's going great. I'm excited to be here.

James [00:00:30]:

Yeah. Tell us, I guess, just to get started here, what is Yarusi Holdings?

Jason [00:00:34]:

Sure. Yarusi Holdings is a multifamily investment firm, down here just south of Nashville, Tennessee in a town called Murfreesboro. We've acquired a little over 3,000 apartment units, back since, 2016. So in In a ThruLine, we buy apartment communities. We do this through something mainly through something called syndication where we, raise investment spend capital so we can buy these apartment buildings and typically reposition them in the better places to live, which typically generates better revenue, Bigger bottom line, which usually, leads to outsized returns for our investors.

James [00:01:08]:

Alright. Super cool. That's, I mean, cool. The real estate investment game is Always one that helps. I guess it's, I don't know. I got a lot of friends in it. I'm in it a tiny amount, nowhere near 3,000 doors. That's a that's a lot of doors.

Jason [00:01:23]:

Keep keeps us busy. Let's say that. It keeps us busy. So we we've, and part of our I think we'll talk through today is a lot of our growing pains. We're not growing fast Enough and so doing a lot ourselves, right, which you I'm sure you've seen with other guests and, as we've continued to scale and bring on the right people to Fill the needs. We've continued to grow in a really good fashion.

James [00:01:42]:

Yeah. Is this something that you started?

Jason [00:01:45]:

I did. Yeah. Yeah. So I started this, so very, Nondirectional path to where we are today. Right? So, you know, I came out of college, moved to New York City, went from a finance degree in school into just Being a bartender. Right? So I was a bartender for a number of years, end up meeting my now wife, at one of the big bars we ran. Ran that bar when it was just The small little tiki hut and, scaled that revenue by 25 times that owner and really liked that model. So it blew up.

Jason [00:02:12]:

It was a crazy outdoor place in New York City, and then I Went from there and started, opening up, another restaurant, opened up another bar. I opened and sold a brewery. And then, lo and behold, over in New Jersey where I'm from, where I was Born and raised, hurricane Sandy happened, and that just estimated the East Coast. And, my dad, he just recently retired, but he had this very niche construction company. And that construction company lifted and moved houses. So take the physical house off off the foundation, move it, you know, for everything, for setbacks or, you know, for if you were live Close to a street, it would move it back, foundation issues, but one of the really big drivers was for flooding. Right? So people would lift their houses high to hopefully not flood again. Well, he would do just You could think of it, like, how how much do you hear that? Right? He would do, like, 10 or 12 projects a year.

Jason [00:02:58]:

Hurricane Sandy happens overnight. He goes from a couple calls a month to a 1000 calls a day. Right. And so my little brother who's working for me in New York City, my my now wife, Pili, who was my girlfriend at the time, myself, you know, we picked up out of New York City City and went out to help dad Just run the family construction company. And that business went from, you know, doing those 10 or 12 projects a year to, you know, on the high level, we're doing 300 of them a year. So it just was Crushing it. We did about 2,000 of them over the course of 5 or 6 years and, really fun. However, it was the the through line of what we did in our business Where we were constantly doing this very transactional and needy business from my standpoint.

Jason [00:03:39]:

Right? So, you know, the bar world. Right? If I'm not there serving a drink, I'm not getting tips. Right? So an outdoor bar, if it's raining out, you know, there no money. Right? This niche business, for for lifting houses This was also very specialized. Right? It's hard for us to detach ourselves because there was such risk in the business. You're taking someone's greatest possession, typically their house, And you're putting a lot of risk. Right? A lot of risk just in terms of you and your employees, a high specialized field. So we constantly had to be there doing the work.

Jason [00:04:05]:

And so just like Construction world, if you're not out there doing work, you're not making money. So we kept doing these things where I had to be so actively involved. Well, you know, my my wife and myself, you know, she was pregnant with our first, You know, child, and we just kept saying, like, we gotta find a way to just get back the time. Right? Because if we had 25 hours in a day, you know, 8 days a week, we we would've used them. Right. We were just so busy. And we kept asking that question, like, what else could we do? And, you know, the word that kept popping up was real estate. However, you know, real estate is this very, you know, wide.

Jason [00:04:35]:

It is blue ocean. Right? You can do a 1,000,000 things in in real estate. You know, you could just buy and just be a landlord for a Single house. You could flip homes. You could do some wholesaling, Airbnb's, tax liens. It just the list is is ever going. So we did the first thing that we saw is, like, the flipping show. So we said, okay.

Jason [00:04:51]:

Let's start to do flips. And so we started to get in the flips. Peely, my wife, went out and got a real estate license, and we started doing that. And it was going fine. We're doing good with it, but here we are. We have the construction business. I still have a, you know, a restaurant bar in New York City. And now here we are doing these flips, and we had no time, Time, and now we have less time.

Jason [00:05:09]:

Right? So we kept saying, man, like, we are going the wrong direction. Going the wrong direction. Right? And so we kept asking, like, what else is there? So we we moved. We started doing some wholesaling, and that was also transactional. And then we started doing some Airbnbs. And we constantly kept going to that pattern just saying, okay. This is Going and it's like, you know, we're making money. This is fine, but it's not quite right.

Jason [00:05:28]:

And we came upon someone at a meeting. Right? So so Peely met someone at a at a RIA meeting who was doing of state rentals. And they were just doing single family homes, you know, like, a 1000 miles away, and we're like, So we dove in. We brought a couple rentals. And instead of buying a house, I bought some duplexes and triplexes. And what that forced us to do is that it took us out of the equation of the activity. Right? I couldn't run down to Home Depot. I couldn't go there and Brand, I couldn't do all these busy activities because I was a 1000 miles away.

Jason [00:05:56]:

And what it pushed and forced my hand to do was to force me into the position here Where I had to put people in place to make this a successful adventure. Right?...

Kayla Stroud-DuSavage - Specific Health Massage

On keeping it moving: "Specific health massage offers the perfect blend of relaxation and therapeutic benefits for our clients."

If you've ever wondered whether you could make it on your own in the business world, Kayla's story will inspire you. She shares valuable insights on overcoming the notorious first-year hurdle, pricing strategies that honor your worth, and the magic of word-of-mouth marketing. Learn about the uniqueness of hospice massage, the intricacies of insurance in the industry, and why sometimes silence is golden during a session.

Welcome to another episode of Authentic Business Adventures, where we provide insights and inspiration from real business owners. In this episode, our host, James, sits down with Kayla Stroud-Dusavage, the owner of Specific Health Massage. Kayla shares her journey of starting a small massage therapy business over 2 years ago and offers valuable insights into the world of massage therapy and running a successful business. From transitioning from being an employee to starting her own business, to the challenges and rewards of providing hospice massage, Kayla's story is filled with practical advice and wisdom. Join us as we explore the nuances of the massage therapy industry, the art of building a successful business website, and much more in this insightful and inspiring episode of Authentic Business Adventures.

Don't forget, your journey to business triumph is just a play button away. Tune in, get inspired, and let's turn your business dreams into reality! #BusinessCoaching #Entrepreneurship #MassageEmpire

Enjoy!

Visit Kayla at: https://www.specifichealthmassage.com/

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Business program featuring inspiring business owner stories.

05:38 Location should be recognized, not easily accessible.

06:15 Massage school curriculum varies in length and focus.

10:46 Facial cupping can be done all over.

13:55 Questioning the pain level of cupping massage.

17:56 Challenges of cleaning sheets in sports massage.

20:16 Online and local marketing to reach clients.

22:40 Confidently charging fair price for personal worth.

27:29 Evaluating software for massage and spa businesses.

31:04 Ordering pizza takes longer than expected, understandable.

32:35 New business struggles to gain trust, visibility.

36:25 Massage therapist always finds something to treat.

39:42 Multiple jobs in massage due to workload.

43:16 New clients may have misconceptions about undressing.

47:24 Authentic Business Adventures spotlights business owner experiences.

Podcast Transcription:

James [00:00:01]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at draw in customers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. Today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Kayla Stroud Dusavage, the owner of Specific Health Massage. So, Kayla, how is it going today?

Kayla [00:00:27]:

It's going.

James [00:00:28]:

It's going? Everybody says that, and I always wonder, like, cool. What's going on? I think it's always just, like, It's good, but then always there's things going on. So just kind of like that in between. Like It's such a busy day, but you get to be on a cool podcast. Yeah. So that's alright.

Kayla [00:00:42]:

Take it.

James [00:00:43]:

So tell us, what is Specific Health Massage?

Kayla [00:00:45]:

Oh, it's a small massage therapy business. I started about over 2 years ago.

James [00:00:51]:

Okay. Yeah. Alright. And what made you decide to start your own business versus just working for someone else?

Kayla [00:00:56]:

I mean, I've been doing massage for over 10 years now, so it just came to a point. I'm like, I think I could do this all on my own, hopefully. Alright? And I'm just like, I'm I just wanna kind of answer to myself and see how things go.

James [00:01:10]:

Alright. And so far, how has it been going? 2 years? You made over the 1st year

Kayla [00:01:14]:

So, yep, that was always my worry making it over that 1st year hump and, like, am I gonna even make it? Because there's so many other, like, businesses and stuff, and I think that's most people's worry.

James [00:01:24]:

Oh, yeah.

Kayla [00:01:24]:

And after yeah. Even after, like, at the 6 month mark, I'm like, oh, okay. We're good. I got this. We're good.

James [00:01:30]:

So is it if you versus being an employee Mhmm. Can you make more money doing your own thing?

Kayla [00:01:36]:

I have learned that it is possible to make your own because you have, Like I said, you have more wiggle room. You have, like you control everything so you can increase your prices as to stay, comparable to others. And, so that's been helpful. Mhmm. So, I mean, it is possible, but there are more expenses you have to account for being on your own as well. Right.

James [00:01:57]:

Yeah. Yeah. It's not just the hourly rate.

Kayla [00:01:59]:

Yeah.

James [00:02:00]:

And I think a lot of people just take that as a misconception where they start something and think, hey. I'm making, whatever, $20 an hour as an employee, and they're charging, I don't know, $100 an hour or something like that. So I could make $100 an hour, and it's not quite that cut

Kayla [00:02:18]:

to dry. Because, of course, like, any place, like, they already take taxes out for your whatever you're bringing in. And in this case, like, it might look like I'm getting a 100% of, like, the commission Mhmm. But, of course, I'm still not. No. Because you have to pay your dues like anybody else. But Yeah. Yeah.

James [00:02:35]:

So let's talk about going from employee to starting your own gig.

Kayla [00:02:39]:

Yep.

James [00:02:40]:

You first started your own gig, did you were you working from home? Did you travel, or did you get your own office?

Kayla [00:02:45]:

I was kind of doing a little bit of everything. I was traveling because I did, hospice massage at the time, so it involved me traveling to patients' homes and giving them massages. And then I was also working, part of the time at a specific place where I was actually in a room with clients and things like that as well-being an employee.

James [00:03:04]:

Okay. But you didn't have a lease on a place. No. Did not? No. When did you decide to get a lease on a place?

Kayla [00:03:10]:

It was a couple months Before I actually opened business.

James [00:03:15]:

Okay. So it

Kayla [00:03:16]:

was maybe, like, August of, I think, 2021 ish. And then, a couple ladies I shared my space with refurbished it, made it look all pretty and stuff. And then from a couple months from Beyond there, then we kind of opened up.

James [00:03:30]:

Alright. So the space that you're in, you share with a few other people then?

Kayla [00:03:33]:

Yep. I share with a hairdresser, and then I actually share with another therapist.

James [00:03:37]:

Oh, nice. Yeah. Okay. So then reduces overhead a little bit.

Kayla [00:03:41]:

Yep. Oh, yeah. So it's Like,

James [00:03:42]:

quite a bit.

Kayla [00:03:42]:

Oh, yeah. It's just substantially, and it's great.

James [00:03:45]:

So So how did it go signing your 1st lease? Because that's always a big undertaking.

Kayla [00:03:49]:

I mean, I had no problem. I knew, the other therapist I do share a space with. I knew her from previously working with her, so I trusted her. And the other lady is actually her sister, the hairdresser, so I already had some Trust into her.

James [00:04:04]:

Alright.

Kayla [00:04:04]:

So it kinda went smoother than I probably would have expected

James [00:04:08]:

Okay.

Kayla [00:04:08]:

Which made things a whole lot easier. Alright.

James [00:04:11]:

So tell me, you're working with someone else that is you guys share rooms with different james.

Kayla [00:04:16]:

Yep. So it's like we we have our place under one general name, And that we each are our own individual per like, business within.

James [00:04:24]:

Got it. Okay. So does that mean the big the broad one is specific health or yours is

Kayla [00:04:30]:

Mine is specifically is.

James [00:04:31]:

Specifically. Alright.

Kayla [00:04:32]:

And then we have a broad yeah. Then just a broad name

James [00:04:35]:

Okay.

Kayla [00:04:36]:

For the business their place itself.

James [00:04:37]:

Alright. Yeah. And I so I'm vaguely familiar with massage. And I get massage with the business of massage. Yeah. That's why I'm excited to interview you because I'm planning on learning some stuff here.

Kayla [00:04:47]:

Yeah. Definitely.

James [00:04:48]:

Typical massage place, are they expecting walk in traffic, or are they expecting to be found just from an online search or something like that.

Kayla [00:04:56]:

I think it's I mean, it is some places do take walk ins. It kinda depends on The flow of, like, how many people they already have scheduled and whatnot. But most most of the time, it's, like, scheduled appointments. Okay. Like online kind of presence there.

James [00:05:10]:

Gotcha. So it's not necessarily super important to be on main street of whatever city that you're in.

Kayla [00:05:14]:

I mean, it's nice, Especially people can see your james.

James [00:05:17]:

Mhmm.

Kayla [00:05:17]:

Because I've had a lot of people like, oh, I drove past your business, and I looked it up and Went on from there.

James [00:05:24]:

Alright.

Kayla [00:05:24]:

So it is helpful, but not it's not, yeah, like, a make or break kind of thing.

James [00:05:28]:

Gotcha. You know, it's interesting. It reminds me of the rule for storage buildings. They say that you wanna be seen from the highway

Kayla [00:05:38]:

Yeah.

James [00:05:38]:

...

Richard Parker - Become a Business Buying Expert

On keeping it moving: "Well, you know, sure as God created little green apples, I certainly want to buy a business that's on its way up, not on the way down."

The two best days a business owner's life, or just like those of a boat owner: the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

But just like when you sell a boat, or anything for that matter, you want to get the highest return.  Just as often, the market that may want to purchase your business is likely fairly small, which can drive the price down.

So how do you sell your business and what is the best way to buy a business?

Listen as Richard Parker explains the nuances of buying and selling businesses and how you can prepare to make a solid offer on a great business.  The tips Richard shares on buying a business will be an extreme help you you as you venture into new business ventures.

Enjoy!

Visit Richard at: RichardParker.com

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Author helps business buyers through book and experience.

06:36 Embracing the Internet's potential for global influence.

15:06 Match your skill set to drive business.

19:57 Avoid buying distressed or turnaround businesses for entrepreneurs.

24:06 Consider business performance, customers, competition for evaluation.

26:23 Invest in business for high returns, control.

35:02 Business brokers often sell unprepared businesses for sale. This results in 75% of businesses not being sold. Sellers should prepare their businesses for sale by addressing key buyer concerns. Good books and records are essential.

38:09 Start small, reinvest, don't turn stagnant.

44:44 Lack of trust can hinder employee performance.

53:01 Hiring process requires multiple interviews and delegation.

54:11 Immerse in business, no absentee-run beliefs.

01:01:27 Prepare for financing when selling a business.

01:05:41 Great conversation, check out richardparker.com.

Podcast Transcription:

James [00:00:01]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. We're locally in a written by the Bank of Sun Prairie. If you are listening or would love to listen to some audio episodes that you can download at no cost, you can always go to drawincustomerscom, and hit the podcast link. We are excited because selling businesses is always a good time. Right? That's, It's just like a boat. Right? The 2 good days, I think, when you buy

Richard Parker [00:00:31]:

2 good days, buy it and sell it.

James [00:00:32]:

Right? Start it and then when you sell it. Right? So today we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Richard Parker of Diomo Corporation, the business buyer resource center. So Richard, You are helping businesses get bought and sold, I imagine.

Richard Parker [00:00:48]:

Yeah. That's, spot on. I I've been in this, It's a game for over 30 years on all sides of the, m and a world. You you you look shocking because maybe you figured I look even older than that.

James [00:00:58]:

Did I just start when you were 4? What's going on here?

Richard Parker [00:01:01]:

Yeah. No. I'm an old fart. I I I'm 62 years old right now, and, so I started really when I was 29. And in February February 1st, it's gonna be 34 years that I've been doing this. And, when I say doing this, start up buying businesses And then evolved into, helping some people, acquire some business. Started to get a bit of a reputation where I grew up in Montreal, And did that more on a in a on a casual basis, and then started acquiring more and more companies. And, to date, I've acquired them plus one co investment and a huge range of sizes from, like, $50,000 businesses up to over 200,000,000.

Richard Parker [00:01:39]:

And, along the way, I was involved in a transaction shortly after I relocated to Florida in 1996. And as I was digging into the business, the business I was looking to acquire, it wasn't a huge, Acquisition was a little over $1,000,000, which I guess is large enough, and certainly was significant at the time for me. And, as I was going through a price and deal terms, you know, all set and embarked upon the due diligence, And, I found the there was just a lot of shenanigans going on. I'm I'm not suggesting that there was fraudulent activity, but There was multiple companies and they're moving money from 1 company to the other and paying bills from 1 that were incurred expenses from the other. It was really like, I like to describe it, like a whole plate of spaghetti, and, it it really, incentivized me and and My curiosity peaked as far as, you know, what does the average person do who's looking to buy a business? What do they do to go about it? I I'm not a a smart guy. I just happen to been doing it for a long time, so I was able to identify the problems. And I when I told the owner that I was wasn't buying the business and walked out of his I remember, like, it was yesterday standing in the parking lot saying, you know, the average schmuck would have bought this business, and that really motivated me to find out what's out there. It was the Start of the Internet, really, and I spent a year doing research related to this whole subject matter.

Richard Parker [00:03:02]:

And After interviewing hundreds of perspective business buyers, others who had bought businesses, some had turned out good, some had turned out poorly, business brokers, Accountants attorneys realized that there was really no good resources for buyers. And I had looked at a 100 plus businesses at that point and decided that, you know what? I I really wanted to provide Something valuable to people that are looking to change their lives, realize their dreams of business ownership, and really memorialize all my files. I kept Unbelievable files of every transaction, everything I did, what happened, the outcome, good, bad, and otherwise, and said, you know what? I wanna put it, I wanna put it to paper To show people how to walk through this whole process, tell them what they need to do, what they need to know, what they need to do, and how to do it. And I had no aspirations for This turning into a business, I I really wanted to just help 1 person. I mean, that was that was my goal. It was never done for money. And, lo and behold, here we are, You know, a bunch of years later, I've sold over a 100,000 copies of this program and helped thousands and thousands of people. And, and I stayed in the world of m and a, buying and selling and helping people and representing sellers in in the lower market, you know, What's considered businesses about a 1,000,000 to $10,000,000 of EBITDA, but my true love has really been on the buy side of helping Smaller main street USA type business buyers or or, aspiring entrepreneurs and And dreaming business owners to help them get to the finish line, and I spend most of my days doing that answering calls and emails.

Richard Parker [00:04:31]:

I never charge people. I just really enjoy it. I'm not motivated by the money, so it's, that provides a real nice umbrella of of help to everything, and it's it's It's worked out unbelievably, and then it's like I said, I'm just incredibly proud of how many people we've been able to help.

James [00:04:49]:

Nice. Richard, I'm listening, you know, 30 years of doing anything seems like a long time.

Richard Parker [00:04:56]:

And I can imagine long time if you love it.

James [00:04:58]:

No. Fair. Totally fair. I'm just thinking 30 years of deal making, and especially when I'm thinking the Internet was way infancy 30 years ago.

Richard Parker [00:05:07]:

Oh, was it ever? I mean, it when I started when I this the the deal that I was looking at that I referred to happened in 1999. So that was the Internet bubble. Yeah. When I started looking into this and really educating myself about resources, So you had, you know, like, local score chapters of the SBA and and the library. Right? And then you have the yeah. Yeah. I remember those, and then he had the Internet. But the Internet at that point and just pre bubble bubble bursting was everything was free.

Richard Parker [00:05:42]:

And despite the fact that I never went into this for the financial aspect of things, my thinking at that point was As long as all this information no one was really selling a lot of merchants. You had Amazon, but, you know, their stock, I think, was at, like, $67 at that point or something.

James [00:05:58]:

Yeah. 99. That's

Richard Parker [00:05:59]:

Yes. Something like that. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Books. They were selling books. But my feeling was As long as all this information was gonna be free, it probably wasn't gonna have a whole lot of value Because it cost nothing.

Richard Parker [00:06:16]:

The if you're gonna give it away from free, how much time were people We're really going to invest, or quality people going to invest to provide information that was really valuable versus Someone who has nothing to gain, nothing to lose, just putting a shit on the Internet. Excuse my French. Right?

James [00:06:34]:

No. You're good.

Richard Parker [00:06:36]:

And and so That thinking was, well, if if I'm going to do this and take you know, leverage the Internet because I was really fascinated by it, I think I've gotta wait till this evolves because it's either gonna turn into something where it's gonna be this great marketplace of of value, Or it's just gonna disappear. I mean, that's what I was thinking, especially because you had this bubble. And shortly thereafter within a couple years, it started to make this shift Towards, you know, people monetizing information and products and services, and that's why I felt That going down the road of the Internet versus publishing a a traditional book would make a whole lot more sense because The Internet would ultimately reach, you know, global proportions....