If a high percentage of your company's revenue is undertaken personally by you or your fellow equity holders, you’re a Rainmaker. You’ve got a strong ability to influence customers, but you may be lowering your company’s value. Amy Franko is a strategic sales expert and author of The Modern Seller. Listen in as Laurie Barkman and Amy talk about the challenge of The Rainmaker’s Dilemma, traps to avoid, and actions you can take to increase your company’s value.

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• Understanding The Rainmaker’s Dilemma and impact on business value
• Architecting a sales process
• Sales strategies to consider in a disruptive business environment

 

Connect with Amy Franko:

https://amyfranko.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyfranko

 

Connect with Host, Laurie Barkman:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriebarkman/

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We'll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

Explore how ESOP management buyouts can be a great succession plan as a way to transfer your family-owned business to your children and employees. Laurie Barkman and Darren Gleeman, an ESOP expert and Partner at MBO Ventures, discuss why you might consider an ESOP over selling to a private equity firm. In addition to substantial tax incentives, your children can get warrants to buy back a large chunk of the company in the future. Listen in to learn more about the immense possibilities ESOPs can create for your business.

• How ESOPs can create a win-win scenario for business owners, stakeholders and employees
• How an ESOP can reduce tax obligations
• Why setting up an ESOP structure can make it easier to transfer your business 
• The importance of incentives such as ESOPs as a way to incentivize your team and retain your workforce 
• How Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned, and Minority Business Enterprises can sell to an ESOP and maintain their certification

 

Connect with Darren Gleeman:

646-734-2035,  [email protected]

www.mboventures.com

 

Connect with Laurie Barkman:

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn

Podcast website: www.successionstories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We'll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

How can employers retain people in the face of The Great Resignation job market phenomenon? Alisa Spector Angelo is the Owner and President of Compass Business Solutions, an HR consulting firm that takes a people first approach in driving organizational performance. Listen in as Laurie Barkman and Alisa talk about why it’s more important than ever to put your company values into practice to drive retention and foster a healthy and productive work environment.

Listen in to learn more about:

• Refreshing your pre-pandemic core values to match the current business environment
• Key human capital concerns as we navigate remote, hybrid and back-to-the-office work setups 
• Recruitment strategies for today’s labor market
• Showing your people you value them through re-recruitment
• Spotting potential culture-killers in your organization

 

Show Links:

Compass Resources website: https://compass-resources.com/

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We'll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

All entrepreneurs will leave their company someday. What’s your path to increasing your company’s value? Steve Peplin, CEO of Talan Products, a $50 million manufacturing company, has achieved impressive growth. Listen in as Laurie Barkman and Steve discuss his secrets to success using enterprise value as a scorecard to improve the business. And how he thinks about the entrepreneurial journey, succession, and what comes next at a personal level.

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• The importance of talent acquisition, recruiting and retention in the current business landscape
• Building enterprise value from a buyer’s perspective
• Continuous learning as a key part of succession planning
• Preparing for your next 

 

Show Links:

Steve Peplin LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/steve-peplin-9095046/

Talan Products website:  https://www.talanproducts.com/

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriebarkman/

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We'll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter.

Subscribe to Succession Stories to get all the weekly episodes!

Have you thought about who potential buyers of your company might be in the future? This week on Succession Stories, Laurie Barkman is joined by David Wible, CEO of Work.Software and former CEO of Industry Weapon, a company he sold in 2020. David shares his experience of selling his business, what made the sale successful, and why he started conversations five years prior to the actual sale. The key was understanding which value drivers mattered most.

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• The benefit of starting conversations with potential buyers before you're ready to sell
• Viewing a sale from the buyer's perspective
• How different kinds of businesses are valued differently
• Recurring revenue models 
• Creating clarity across departments with the value creation revenue metric

 

Show Links:

David Wible on LinkedIn

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We'll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

It’s never too early to have conversations on exiting your business. Whether you’re looking to retire or pass the mantle to the next generation, it’s important to understand the merger and acquisition process sooner than later. Listen in as Laurie Barkman and Miche Jean, CEO of Grotte Business Partners, discuss how to make your business ready for transition while readying yourself for your next chapter.  

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• Clarifying the driving force behind your desire to sell
• Laying down your exit strategy 
• Why you should work with experts rather than go it alone when selling a business
• Being flexible during the merger and acquisition process

 

Show links:

Miche Jean LinkedIn

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We'll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

How can business owners focus on enterprise value rather than short-term profits? Listen in as Laurie Barkman talks with Kevin Trout about preparing your business for sale. Kevin built Grandview Medical Resources with the intent to sell one day. Revenue growth was strong, but created too much risk in the business. Kevin shares some key decisions that he made to drive enterprise value and his reflections on what he would have done differently along the way. Today Kevin pays his experience forward as a Vistage Chair, advising high-performing executives and business owners on growing their businesses and enhancing their lives. 

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• The importance of a Value Builder assessment in driving business value 
• Phases of a business growth cycle
• How to prepare your business for growth
• Building business value beyond revenue
• Three key things to consider when thinking of selling your company

 

Show Links:

Kevin Trout LinkedIn

Three Rivers Leadership Podcast - Laurie Barkman's appearance

Vistage 

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

 

We'll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

 

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

Tricia Staible raised her hand to join the family business, Robinson Fans, and eventually became its sixth generation President. Tricia joined Laurie Barkman to discuss the importance of diversification for long-term growth, and how a culture of curiosity promotes innovation in a manufacturing environment. 

While the company has grown and expanded with an acquisition, there was a time when its prospects weren’t as bright. This ties well with Tricia’s favorite quote about staying in the ring and moving forward despite the downsides that come your way.

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• Driving innovation in a manufacturing environment
• Finding stability even in the midst of crisis
• Adapting a mature business while protecting its legacy
• Incorporating core values into your business strategy 

 

Show Links:

Robinson Fans website

Robinson Fans LinkedIn

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We’ll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

How acquisitions fuel growth at a multi-generational company. Ben Grossman is the Co-President of the Grossman Marketing Group, a fourth generation business he co-leads with his brother. With sustainability as a key priority, they employ acquisition strategies as a platform for expansion.

Listen in as Laurie Barkman talks with Ben about their approach to M&A, including how they source deals, build strong trust based relationships with sellers, and integrate those companies into their organization without losing what makes them special and unique. There’s a ton of wisdom in this episode for NextGen leaders, and anyone on the buy-side of deals.

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• Advice for nextgens entering a family business
• Creating an acquisitions strategy
• How some M&A deals fit better than others
• Why fostering relationships with sellers is important for deal success

 

Show Links:

Ben Grossman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigrossman

 

Ben Grossman website:  http://bengrossman.info/

 

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriebarkman/

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We’ll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer or seller.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!

Did you know that 80% of mergers and acquisitions fail? An often overlooked yet critical aspect of M&A deals and transitions is the people factor. Jennifer Fondrevay, Founder of Day1 Ready, advises senior executives on how to plan for expected challenges. Listen in as Laurie Barkman talks with Jennifer about the emotional aspect of business transition, and how those emotions come into play for a newly merged organization. If you’re anticipating a company transition in your future, listen in to learn more about how strategies around the human factor can drive greater success in M&A deals.

 

Listen in to learn more about:

• What to anticipate from your workforce when you announce an M&A deal
• Three key things to consider when buying or selling a business
• Benefits of a human capital-centric approach to M&A
• How to build confidence and synergy among different parties involved during a transition

 

Show Links:

Jennifer Fondrevay on LinkedIn

Harvard Business Review article

Fast Company article

Laurie Barkman on LinkedIn

Podcast website: SuccessionStories.com

 

About:

The Succession Stories podcast is hosted by Laurie Barkman, Founder of SmallDotBig.

We’ll help you maximize business value, plan your exit transition, and get rewarded for all of your hard work by finding the right buyer.

Visit https://smalldotbig.com for more value building resources and subscribe to our newsletter!