Grow or Go

No matter how great of a salesperson you may think you are, your ceiling is even higher. We all think we have it figured out but guess what, we are usually winging it and not giving ourselves the highest probability of success.

Todd Thiewes with Sandler tackles the hard truths of why sales individuals typically think they are doing well, when they really aren't. How do they get better? Tune in.

To connect with Todd or the team at Sandler - see below.

Todd's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-thiewes-a374277?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BiLP8icPaQmqLoS68h7r06Q%3D%3D

Sandler: https://www.sandler.com/

Connect with our hosts: ⁠⁠Chris Jones⁠⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ ⁠Matt Silasiri⁠⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at ⁠True North Mergers & Acquisitions ⁠and ⁠Sunbelt Business Advisors⁠.

You want to sell your business to your employee who's been with you from the start. You've been planning on your eldest kid to succeed you when you are ready to get out. Time comes and guess what....? Things likely don't go as planned. Why? Tune in.

Chris has Matt take the mic on this episode and share his experience and expertise of working with hundreds of business owners before they exit. There's a reason these discussions happen years in advance. In order to successfully exit your business for the price, structure, and terms that you want, Start Early, and Don't Do It Alone.

For business owners interested in having a quiet conversation about their exit plans, reach out to Matt. It won't cost you anything.

Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-silasiri-920648152?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BD8SvG7ceT46UOi4Gb9PVbA%3D%3D

Matt's Email: [email protected]

Connect with our hosts: ⁠⁠Chris Jones⁠⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ ⁠Matt Silasiri⁠⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at ⁠True North Mergers & Acquisitions ⁠and ⁠Sunbelt Business Advisors⁠.

Servant leadership is a vastly growing practice. Even if you haven't heard of it, you can easily tell the difference between a self-serving leader, and a servant leader.

Join us as we explore the transformative power of servant leadership with Andrew Leikvoll. Discover how this approach builds high-performing teams, debunks myths of being "soft," and drives significant performance improvements. Learn why servant leadership is crucial for sustainable success and how it can positively impact your organization and community.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

https://triune.org/

Book recommendations:

• Leading Jesus Way
• Rags Riches & Real Success
• The 7 Pillars of Servant Leadership

Connect with our hosts: ⁠⁠Chris Jones⁠⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ ⁠Matt Silasiri⁠⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at ⁠True North Mergers & Acquisitions ⁠and ⁠Sunbelt Business Advisors⁠.

Ever wondered what it's like to own a Chick-fil-A restaurant? Join us as we sit down with Alex Wilson, a devoted husband, father, and faith-driven entrepreneur. Alex's journey began as a global tech consultant, but he found his true calling in operating two Chick-fil-A restaurants alongside his wife. Hear how he integrates his faith into business and family life, balancing success with spiritual values. Discover the inspiring story of how Alex transitioned from the tech world to building a community-driven business that reflects his values.

Connect with Alex.

Connect with our hosts: ⁠⁠Chris Jones⁠⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ ⁠Matt Silasiri⁠⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at ⁠True North Mergers & Acquisitions ⁠and ⁠Sunbelt Business Advisors⁠.

Starting in an apartment closet and selling car parts, Dan Carey brings us through his story of how he dominated the e-commerce automotive parts space. The real life Fast and Furious... well, kind of.

After scaling the startup, Modern Automotive Performance to $10M in revenue, Dan and his brother implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) after hitting a plateau. This was as key change in his entrepreneurial journey that started his new S curve - resulting in growth to $60M in revenue, and successfully exiting.

Dan now spends his time helping business owners navigate acquisition opportunities, and exits with Sunbelt Business Advisors of Minnesota. To connect directly with Dan, reach out here.

Connect with our hosts: ⁠⁠Chris Jones⁠⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ ⁠Matt Silasiri⁠⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at ⁠True North Mergers & Acquisitions ⁠and ⁠Sunbelt Business Advisors⁠.

There are Business WARRIORS and Business WORKERS. Which one are you? Spoiler: companies with Business WARRIORS blast through their ceilings of success, while the opposition stays stagnant.

Chris and Matt interview Erik Therwanger, the founder of Think GREAT. Erik draws from his experiences as a U.S. Marine, executive business leader, sales professional, andentrepreneur to help organizations achieve new levels of success. He uniquely combines leadership development, team building, sales training, and goal-setting into strategies and techniques that empower team members and leaders to exceed expectations.

Think GREAT is a Certified Veteran-Owned Business and Erik is also author of The Think GREAT Collection. Erik shares the successful, proven concepts in his six books to give individuals and organizations the competitive edge needed for achieving new levels of success. Learn more about Erik, his books, and his company.

Connect with our hosts: ⁠⁠Chris Jones⁠⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ ⁠Matt Silasiri⁠⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at ⁠True North Mergers & Acquisitions ⁠and ⁠Sunbelt Business Advisors⁠.

Ever wondered why you fell off the wagon after months or years of hard work? It's not a straight forward answer, but there are some tell tale signs as to why this happens.

Chris and Matt dig deep with Leary Gates, who is an expert advisor that helps business owners scale their business to transform their world.

Leary has spent the past 30 years advising Fortune 100, start-ups, and a host of middle market tech, manufacturing, and business services firms on market and corporate development and exit strategies. To learn more about Leary, and his company Coefficient Advisors, click here.

Also, if you want to hear more from Leary and gain some expert insight on a weekly basis, check out and subscribe to his Strategic CEO Substack.

Connect with our hosts: ⁠⁠Chris Jones⁠⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ ⁠Matt Silasiri⁠⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at ⁠True North Mergers & Acquisitions ⁠and ⁠Sunbelt Business Advisors⁠.

For owners of childcare businesses, or anyone curious about the industry, this one's for you! We take a deep dive into Mike Minor's story on how he navigated owning and successfully exiting a generational, multi-location childcare business.

Mike has over 30 years of professional experience including roles at Ernst and Young, Honeywell, and his own family’s childcare organization. He worked in every position from janitorial, to working in classrooms, overseeing finance and marketing to leading a 10 school operation employing 250+ people and responsibility for 1100+ children. 

Now, as a business broker at Sunbelt Business Advisors, Mike spends his time helping owners with exit planning, sell-side divestitures, and real estate transactions. To connect with him directly, click here.

Connect with our hosts: ⁠Chris Jones⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠ Matt Silasiri⁠ - Vice President of Business Development at True North Mergers & Acquisitions and Sunbelt Business Advisors.

When's the best time to sell your lower-middle-market company and how do you even do it? Chris and Matt interview Dan Sundin; a husband, father, dog lover, and tech nerd who started, grew, and sold his successful technology company.

Dan grew up in less than desirable conditions and started his career at 12 years old, lugging around golf bags at Golden Valley Country Club. He had a passion for technology, and his grit and determination pushed him eventually start his own venture. It didn't happen right away, however. For 10+ years he waited tables, and worked jobs at various tech companies before he decided to make the jump.

In 2004, Dan and his two partners founded Innovative Technology Partners. After 19 years of pouring everything they had into the business, they decided it was time to explore their options. In November 2023, the company was sold.

Connect with our hosts: ⁠Chris Jones⁠ - CEO and co-owner, and⁠Matt Silasiri⁠ - Vice President of Business Development atTrue North Mergers & Acquisitions andSunbelt Business Advisors.

What is the sigmoid curve and why is it so relevant to business owners? Chris interviews Randy Krivo, owner of 4 businesses, and now one of the top business brokers in the country.

For most of his professional career, Randy has started, built, and sold multiple businesses. Now, he focuses on helping business owners exit and maximize their life's work. Being in the brokerage and M&A space for 10 years withSunbelt Business Advisors of Minnesota, andTrue North Mergers & Acquisitions, Randy has proven himself as an expert, trusted advisor, and shares his growth story of how he's gotten to where he is now.

Learn more about Randyhere.

Connect with our hosts: Chris Jones - CEO and co-owner, and Matt Silasiri - Vice President of Business Development at True North Mergers & Acquisitions and Sunbelt Business Advisors.