This week's episode is less an interview with a small business expert and more of a working session.

It features David C. Barnett, a small business valuation expert and head of Business Buyer Advantage, and Ken Lain, owner of Watters Garden Center, a successful plant nursery in Prescott, AZ.

David excels at advising those looking to acquire small businesses, while Ken is currently shopping to purchase other garden centers.

They make a perfect pairing: an experienced valuation adviser and a business owner actively looking to buy.

The questions that Ken asks and the answers that David gives prove invaluable to anyone thinking of buying — or selling — a company.

David and Ken have both been guests on Monday Morning Radio previously, but separately.

David's latest book is Business and Asset Values: How Owners, Buyers, Sellers, Lenders, and Advisors Should Think About Small Business and Equipment Value.

Along with his wife, Lisa, Ken hosts the popular Mountain Gardener podcast.

[Mark your calendars for Friday, October 9th, when Monday Morning Radio co-host Maxwell Rotbart will sign copies of his latest anthology, All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: Second Helpings, at Watters Garden Center. For more information or to register for the free event, visit https://tinyurl.com/MMR-Watters]

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photos: David C. Barnett and Ken LainPosted: September 28, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 56:42 Episode: 711

One of the seven laws of the advertising universe — as articulated many years ago by The Wizard of Ads Roy H. Williams — boils down to this: "Win the hearts of the people, their minds will follow."

Douglas E. Noll expresses it differently but arrives at much the same conclusion. Strong leadership, he says, begins with understanding a simple truth: People are emotional beings, and their nervous systems shape how they respond at work.

Doug is a former trial lawyer and experienced mediator who developed and refined his skill as a consultant to senior executives while working with gang members and other criminals in maximum-security prisons.

A consultant to senior executives, he has written five books; his most recent, published earlier this month, is Empathy Leadership: The Powerful Skill That Drives Winning Results.

On this week's podcast, he explains that employers "should stop thinking of their staff as rational, and recognize instead how strongly their emotions drive their actions and decisions on the job."

Those leaders who understand this fundamental truth will reduce workplace conflict and get more productive results from their people.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Douglas E. NollPosted: September 21, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 57:26 Episode: 710

[Be sure to pick up your copy of All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: Second Helpings, the new Monday Morning Radio anthology featuring 21 world-class thinkers and leaders.]

Some of your best business ideas and solutions may arrive when you stop trying so hard to think of them.

Neuroscience-based strategist and executive coach Sara Connell, founder of Thought Leader Academy, has studied why moments of clarity often surface while walking, showering, or letting the brain wander.

Author of the forthcoming book, The Download: Train Your Brain. Unlock Your Genius. Create Miracles, Sara instructs her readers and clients on how to generate more of those breakthroughs intentionally.

She also addresses a problem many entrepreneurs know well: having more ideas than time to pursue them.

This week, she shares her approach designed to dramatically increase your impact and income: Slow the mental noise, identify which ideas are worth exploring, and turn flashes of inspiration into concrete next steps for business and life.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Sara Connell, Sara Connell Coaching Posted: September 14, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 58 Minutes Episode: 709

POPULAR EPISODES:

• When Everything Breaks Down, What Keeps A Business Going?

• How to Pursue Success Without Letting Work Define Who You Are

• How Resilience, Customer Psychology, and a Willingness to Adapt Transformed a Crushing Setback into a Thriving Business

Twenty-five years after 9/11, the remarkable story of how The Wall Street Journal overcame the destruction of its main newsroom and published a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper the very next day offers lessons that reach far beyond journalism.

In this special edition of Monday Morning Radio, Maxwell Rotbart turns the microphone on his father and co-host, Dean Rotbart, author of the newly expanded September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story.

Their conversation examines what business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs can learn from the Journal's extraordinary response to a crisis no contingency plan could have fully anticipated.

Dean identifies four leadership principles that helped the newspaper keep functioning when its workplace was unusable, communications failed, and senior leaders were temporarily unreachable: clarity of purpose, consistent standards, trust and autonomy, and permission to take intelligent risks.

Maxwell and Dean also explore why strong company culture must be built before a crisis strikes; how leaders can determine whether their organizations are too dependent on them; why employees need the authority to act without waiting for permission; and how humility can become a genuine competitive advantage.

They also consider what the Journal's experience means in today's world of smartphones, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence — where technology continues to evolve, but human judgment remains indispensable.

This episode offers a practical test for every leader: If you became unreachable tomorrow, would your people know what matters — and would they feel empowered to act?

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photos: Co-Hosts Dean and Maxwell Rotbart Posted: September 7, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 44:20 Episode: 708

Paul Kesig honed his sales coaching skills across multiple segments of the healthcare industry, but his insights apply to any products or services a business owner or entrepreneur offers.

Paul uses the acronym L.O.V.E. to encapsulate his proven approach to sales. L is for setting and celebrating little wins. O is for asking open-ended questions. V is for creating and communicating value. And E is for building an emotional connection.

He is the author of How to LOVE Sales: A Framework to Build Confidence and Success.

Pairing love and sales as a strategy for success may at first strike many professionals as contradictory, Paul admits, since so many people hate the sales process.

Yet as he explains, those who adopt his approach will discover that LOVE really can spell success.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Paul KesigPosted: August 31, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 50:56 Episode: 707

Following a 27-year career as a CEO and entrepreneur, Jim Ellis became a professor and — from 2007 to 2019 — dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

Many of his former students are successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Jim — author of the new book, A Journey of Insights: Lessons in Leadership and Legacy — says he learned as much as he taught by listening to the ideas and feedback of students, colleagues, alumni, family members, and even strangers.

Many attributes distinguish a great leader from a good one. However, as Jim explains, being a discerning listener may be the most important leadership skill of all.

You won't need an MBA to learn from Jim. All you need is to tune in to this week's episode.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Jim Ellis, A Journey of InsightsPosted: August 24, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 43:50 Episode: 706

For ambitious owners and entrepreneurs, working hard is usually considered a virtue. But what happens when work becomes so central to your identity that you can't switch it off — even when you're exhausted, on vacation, or spending time with the people who matter most?

That's the problem clinical psychologist Dr. Angelica Perez-Litwin has spent more than two decades observing high-achieving clients — and, as she candidly explains, she has experienced herself.

Dr. Perez-Litwin is the founder and CEO of Lumin, a therapy and career advisory practice, and the author of the forthcoming book, The Great Unraveling: The Silent Crisis of High Achievers and the Path to Career Harmony.

As Dr. Perez-Litwin details on this week's podcast, the solution isn't to surrender ambition. It's to build a healthier relationship with achievement — one in which professional and financial success remain important without becoming the sole measure of who you are.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Dr. Angelica Perez-LitwinPosted: August 17, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 50 minutes Episode: 705

Ron Lieback has loved motorcycles as long as he can remember. Despite a hectic schedule, he still finds time to ride at least 30,000 miles a year.

Making the most of limited time is Ron's professional expertise. He has built a successful consultancy— 360 to Vision — teaching business owners and executives a proprietary framework for using each day's 1,440 minutes more wisely — and achieving greater professional and personal satisfaction.

Ron is the author of Time Management Inverted: Live with Intentional Focus, Become the Best You, which challenges a basic assumption about productivity: We can't always manage time, but we can manage where we direct our focus.

As Ron explains, gaining control of a demanding schedule requires much the same focus and foresight as safe motorcycling. The farther leaders can see down the road, the better prepared they are to avoid distractions, navigate obstacles, and reach their intended destination.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Ron Lieback, 360 to VisionPosted: August 10, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 38:24 Episode: 704

Dr. Steven Mercer, an adjunct professor at the University of California-San Diego and an independent educational consultant, speaks from personal experience when he instructs solo entrepreneurs and consultants on how to build a service practice without sacrificing their values, time, or financial stability.

According to a 2025 Census Bureau report, there are 29.8 million solopreneurs in the United States who contribute an estimated $1.7 trillion to the US economy.

On a bare-bones marketing budget, Dr. Mercer has managed to grow his business — Mercer Educational Consulting, which consults high school students and their parents on the best ways to get accepted into college — into a global enterprise.

On this week's episode, Dr. Mercer offers lessons on how to transition gradually from employment to independent practice, attract clients through referrals and useful content, and decide when advertising makes sense.

Although there will not be a test, listeners will be schooled on the best ways to set fees, establish boundaries, and handle difficult clients.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Dr. Stephen Mercer, Mercer Educational Consulting Posted: August 3, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 50 minutes Episode: 703

[Be sure to pick up your copy of All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: Second Helpings, the new Monday Morning Radio anthology featuring 21 world-class thinkers and leaders.]

Saturday, August 1st, will mark the 150th Anniversary of Colorado's admission to the Union as the 38th state.

That milestone might not seem to offer business owners and entrepreneurs much in the way of actionable advice — but as Monday Morning Radio co-host Maxwell Rotbart reveals in his newly released history book, Becoming Colorado, the Rocky Mountain territory's long struggle for statehood offers valuable lessons for today's business executives in leadership, negotiation, coalition building, crisis management, branding, and strategy.

Maxwell Rotbart

Monday Morning Radio founding host, Dean Rotbart, joins Maxwell this week to explore the timeless business counsel hidden within Colorado's remarkable journey to statehood, and together they validate Winston Churchill's famous observation: "The longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward."

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 15th season, is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Maxwell Rotbart, Becoming ColoradoPosted: July 27, 2026 Monday Morning Run Time: 54 minutes Episode: 15.6

BOOKS BY MAXWELL ROTBART:

• Becoming Colorado: The Colorful, Contentious Tale of Statehood - A Sesquicentennial History

• All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: Second Helpings: A Fresh Monday Morning Radio Anthology of Actionable Advice

• All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: A Monday Morning Radio Anthology of Actionable Advice

https://tinyurl.com/BColo-Amazon