Closing a merger and acquisition deal is just the beginning. Majority of M&A deals fall short of pre-deal expectations, and the key difficulty is ensuring that the deal delivers the value that prompted the decision to get into the agreement in the first place.

In today’s episode, I am joined by none other than the M&A Whisperer herself Jennifer J. Fondrevay who has been a part of three separate multibillion-dollar merger and acquisition deals. 

Jennifer and I chat about ways of pulling through mergers and acquisitions, a subject that she also covers in her book “NOW WHAT? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving through Mergers & Acquisitions.”

Most companies that undergo mergers and acquisitions do not get the valuation that they originally intended. Majority of these deals also fail because of the workforce being unable to pivot and adapt as rapidly as the leadership expected. 

If you’re worried that yours could end up the same, then this episode will help you find a way to change that.

We’ll talk about:

1. Introduction [00:00]
2. Going through an M&A is a matter of when [04:10]
3. What CEOs need to prepare for during M&A [06:00]
4. Power and influence of culture in an M&A [09:59]
5. Dealing with the new reality of the workforce [11:47]
6. How to avoid becoming a “former rock star” [15:37]
7. Being crystal clear when approaching the deal [18:07]
8. Premortem Exercises - Scenario Planning [20:19]
9. The challenge of giving up old ways [25:32]
10. Overcommunication as a key to a successful M&A transition [28:44]
11. Trends in the new normal set-up of businesses [31:18]
12.  Jennifer’s piece of advice to fellow workaholics [36:33]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• Get a copy of Jennifer’s book “NOW WHAT? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving through Mergers & Acquisitions” (https://jenniferjfondrevay.com/now-what-by-jennifer-fondrevay/)

About Our Guest:

Jennifer J. Fondrevay is the founder of Day1 Ready, an M&A consultancy agency that works with forward-thinking business executives to redefine what day one looks like in the M&A deal experience.

Jennifer has been on both sides of the deal equation as a Fortune 500 C-Suite "survivor" of three multibillion-dollar acquisitions. She witnessed countless growth strategies fail due to a workforce that couldn’t pivot and adapt as quickly as leadership anticipated.

Her satirical business book, “NOW WHAT? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving through Mergers & Acquisitions,” helps middle managers navigate business transformation to find the opportunities in change.

Connect with Jennifer J. Fondrevay:

Website: https://jenniferjfondrevay.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-fondrevay

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjfondrevay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferjfondrevay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGusxCB8gysRPpB8B4RQBJA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jfondrevay

Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

By now everyone knows how crucial content marketing is. Effective content marketing connects your business to the right customers and amplifies your brand message. But while B2C brands are nailing it, B2B businesses are having a much harder time finding and distributing their content. 

Today we have Jonathan Gandolf, Co-Founder and CEO of The Juice, sharing with us his unexpected journey from craft beer to content marketing and how he envisions the future of B2B marketing. 

Find out the most common problems marketers have, how content marketing has evolved over the years, and what you can do to make your vision a reality. 

We’ll talk about:

1. Introduction [00:00]
2. Jonathan’s career background [02:18]
3. Getting involved with High Alpha [04:12]
4. How Jonathan’s craft brewery cut through the noise [05:19]
5. Who High Alpha is and what they do [08:23]
   • The problem with B2B content distribution [13:35]
   • The vision for The Juice [16:09]
   
   
6. Becoming the co-founder of The Juice [12:53]
7. The value of surveying over 100 marketers [18:07]
8. The growth of content marketing due to a pandemic [22:38]
9. Being the B2B content hub [24:35]
10. What Jonathan would have done differently [26:40]
11. What’s next for The Juice [28:00]
12.  The one thing that Jonathan recommends [30:34]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• The Juice website (https://www.thejuicehq.com/)
• Talk to Your Persona: Here’s How We Talked to 100 Marketers in 100 Days (https://www.thejuicehq.com/blog/talk-to-your-persona-heres-how-we-talked-to-100-marketers-in-100-days)

About Our Guest:

Jonathan Gandolf is the co-founder and CEO of B2B content hub The Juice. He started his career in digital marketing with Salesforce ExactTarget Marketing Cloud where he spent years gaining insights and experience in content marketing, relationship marketing, and product management. 

After leaving tech and 4 years of pursuing his craft brewery dreams, he found himself getting drawn back into the biz, surrounded by like-minded colleagues and an idea he pursued relentlessly. 

Within a year of conceptualizing, The Juice was born and Gandolf has been busy growing his B2B content hub while also prospecting for new businesses with VC company High Alpha. 

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with Jonathan Gandolf:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JDGandolf

Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/

What does Zero to Ten even mean?

If you’ve been listening to my podcast, then you know how often I talk about scaling a startup from 0 to $10 million in revenue. That’s the goal I’ve been helping startups to reach. 

So as I do a rebrand of my podcast, I find it fitting to make that a part of my podcast name. In this short and special episode, I’ll tell you what pushed me to make this change and what you can expect as we head towards 120 episodes and beyond!

We’ll talk about:

1. Why I’m making this change [00:41]
2. What to expect [01:38]
3. The history of my podcast [02:38]
4. It’s not a traditional podcast [03:51]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with B2B Founder: 

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/

Reaching the $1 million threshold is a milestone for all entrepreneurs. But that doesn’t mean everyone actually gets there. In fact, less than 2% of all American businesses have been able to get past this marker. And with the right approach, you can also be a part of that elite group. 

In today’s episode, we take a deep dive into the millionaire mindset with Chicago-based business consultant Brad Farris. 

Brad leads his team of consultants at Anchor Advisors to get creative services firms reach their million-dollar objective through strategic decision-making and goal realignment. 

Learn the most common pitfalls of expanding your business, why you can’t reach that $1M mark, and what you can do to ensure unlimited growth. 

We'll talk about: 

1. Anchor Advisors [1:57]
   • The Value of Specialization [5:56]
   • Higher Client Qualification [11:19]
   • Becoming Attractive to Clients [12:26]
   
   
2. Challenges of Reaching $1M [3:55]
3. Solving Burnout [13:55]
4. The Art of Selling Services [18:49]
5. Doing Outreach [22:15]
6. The Role of Salespeople [27:08]
7. Raising Prices [35:15]
8. Take a Vacation [36:48]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• Anchor Advisors (https://anchoradvisors.com)
• Business Growth Assessment Test (https://learn.anchoradvisors.com/accelerate-your-business-growth/)

About Our Guest:

As Principal Advisor, Brad Farris guides business owners through the pitfalls and joys of growing their business. Brad is passionate about helping business owners find better ways to do things, make more money and enjoy life more. Brad is a speaker and author. 

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:

Email: [email protected]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/

What does it take to build a high-performing team? Is it about getting the best talents? Or building the best program? 

We have a unique episode this time as I interview Gene Heidkamp, the basketball coach at Benet Academy. The Redwings netted the 3rd most wins in Northern Illinois from 2010-2020 making them one of the most successful high school basketball programs of the decade.

I believe B2B startups can learn several lessons from Coach Heidkamp’s approach. From how he built the program, getting the team to buy in, dealing with adversity, to setting the expectations for the season, this interview definitely gives us an insider look into the mind of a great leader.

Be sure to catch this episode as it’s a must listen! 

We’ll talk about:

1. What made the Benet Program successful [04:50]
2. The importance of sacrifice in the success of the program [06:09]
3. Coach Heidkamp’s philosophy [07:53]
4. Why defense is the backbone that leads to wins [13:06]
5. The key is to be detail oriented [15:41]
6. Dealing with adversity [18:57]
7. How the Coach got the team to buy in [20 :13]
8. The approach towards those who don’t buy in [24:22]
9. Everybody needs to bring in value and be valued [27:21]
10. Focusing on presence instead of setting expectations on wins [30:54]
11. What can we expect from the team this year [33:06]
12. Why the Coach stays away from preseason predictions [34:30]
13. The one thing Coach Heidkamp highly recommends [35:59]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)

About Our Guest:

Gene Heidkamp is the long-time teacher and head basketball coach at Benet Academy. During his tenure, he led the Redwings to win 300 games. Having had only three Division I scholarship players in the last decade, Coach Heidkamp is one of the top high school coaches in Illinois and has led the team to achieve tremendous success.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with B2B Founder: 

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/

Has staying in your comfort zone made you stagnant?

We’re living in a very developed world that has granted us comforts our ancestors likely couldn’t even imagine. But this has somehow impacted our health and our ability to grow.

Today’s episode is going to be very different from my usual, but I guarantee the message will resonate with a lot of B2B founders. Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, comes in to talk about what’s really causing the physical and mental health issues we’re seeing become more prevalent, despite modern science. 

Michael gives us the blueprint for leveraging the power of discomfort so that we can tap into our evolutionary instincts and our need to be challenged. Doing this will allow us to dramatically improve our health and happiness.

For the startup founders there who’ve been neglecting their health and have been feeling stuck, don’t miss this episode.

We’ll talk about:

1. Michael’s inspiration for writing the book [02:08]
2. When is too much comfort bad? [06:59]
3. How to push ourselves out of our comfort zone [09:15]
4. Sheltering our kids is us failing them [15:09]
5. Experiencing difficult helps us be more grateful [17:01]
6. Finding the happy medium [21:29]
7. Why fad diets don’t really work [27:17]
8. We are most likely overeating, without knowing about it [32:08]
9. How to optimize our fitness [35:22]
10. The benefit of rucking [38:30]
11. Do you need to go to the gym? [40:13]
12. One thing that Michael highly recommends [43:31]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter (https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Crisis-Embrace-Discomfort-Reclaim/dp/0593138767)
• Michael Easter Website (https://eastermichael.com/)

About Our Guest:

Michael Easter is a leading voice on how humans can integrate modern science and evolutionary wisdom for improved health, meaning, and performance in life and at work. He travels the globe to embed himself with brilliant but often overlooked scientists, thinkers, and people living at the extremes and shares the best of his findings and experiences in books, articles, and other media.

Michael’s investigations have taken him into ancient monasteries in Bhutan, US Special Forces training grounds, high-tech genetic labs in Iceland, Fortune-500 boardrooms, the world’s most remote wilderness areas, and more.

He is the author of The Comfort Crisis. You can also find his writing in Men’s Health, Outside, Men’s Journal, Cosmopolitan, Vice, Esquire, Scientific American, Women’s Health, and more. He also shares his thoughts on a Medium feed.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with B2B Founder: 

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/

The global workforce is fast becoming remote and borderless. 

The current technologies in the human resources space pose so many challenges for companies like Eppione, but along with it comes the enormous potential for scale and profitability as well.

In this episode, David Kindlon, shares with us how their company is catching up with the demands from HR tech platforms and how they are disrupting the insurance industry through their SaaS.

We’ll talk about:

1. How David started in the HR tech space [01:49]
2. Finding the RIGHT co-founders in business [08:25]
3. From mere idea to actual product with early adopters [10:03]
4. SaaS is where the future of money is for Eppione [11:45]
5. The insurance industry is still using old tech stacks [15:08]
6. Global remote work changes the landscape for HR technology [16:53]
7. The pivot directed by user feedback [19:19]
8. What David would have done in the early stages of the business [21:38]
9. Be ready with a plan before getting funding [23:18]
10. When should the business have processes in place? [24:11]
11. Funding is finding the RIGHT money [27:57]
12. Don’t be afraid of competition [30:05]
13. The one thing David recommends [34:39]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• Check out David’s intelligent HR solutions - (https://eppione.com/)

About Our Guest:

David Kindlon is the CEO of Eppione, an intelligent HR solutions company from Ireland with several locations in the world. Their cloud-based solutions enable companies to have flexibility and understand their unique workforce.  

David is passionate about supporting businesses to empower, nurture, and inspire their workforce through technology

Connect with David through his LinkedIn. 

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with B2B Founder: 

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/

The world of selling has changed so much. It’s no longer just putting up a website and a couple of clicks later - Bam! You just made a sale. 

David Premier comes back to the show as we get knee deep into founder-led selling. Why are we seeing founders struggle and face a lot of inefficiencies? David goes over the little, but actually big misses that stop startups for getting over that hurdle.

From the image you need to present the prospective buyer to how you make that discovery call, learn what’s going to make your customers buy. So tune in now.

We’ll talk about:

1. A quick background on David [02:17]  
2. Why you need to look at how you speak to a customer [04:30]  
3. Being consistent with your mission and vision will get you farther [08:54]
4. How to move from features & benefits to problem solving [11:58] 
5. Think about how you can sound different [16:52] 
6. People buy the product that aligns with their mental image [18:08]
   • Think about that unknown, unspoken [24:33] 
   • Get them to tell you what they don’t want you to know [25:13]
   
   
7. Tips for making that discovery call [23:00]
   • What a customer tells you isn’t what the objection is about [29:02]
   
   
8. You don’t have to overcome all objections [27:44]
9. Your message and marketing are for helping shape the customer’s journey [33:03]
10. The one thing that David highly recommends [36:45]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• Cerebral Selling Website (https://cerebralselling.com/)

About Our Guest:

David Priemer is the Founder and Chief Sales Scientist of Cerebral Selling, a modern sales training built through the lens of science and empathy. 

David is the author of the highly recommended book, Sell The Way You Buy, which came out last April 2020.

Get more of his free content on their YouTube. Or connect with David on Instagram or Twitter.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with B2B Founder: 

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/

In a busy world of entrepreneurship, staying fit and healthy has always been quite a struggle. 

In this episode, Gav Gillibrand, takes us back memory lane to his journey from being a male stripper back in the ’90s to being a Fitness Instructor and now to being a Fitness and Nutrition Coach. Learn how he was able to scale a one-on-one, service-based profession to a highly scalable and highly profitable Fitness and Nutrition Coaching business. 

Learn how working less but making more can be made possible by knowing 

We’ll talk about:

1. How Gav transitioned from the world of stripping to the world of fitness [01:37]
2. Scaling the personal trainer profession [09:30]
3. LinkedIn as the best B2B platform to connect with ideal clients [13:04]
4. Power of video for fitness and nutrition coaches [17:38]
5. People want to buy from a person not a company [21:51] 
6. It’s okay to say things some people disagree with [24:20]
7. The benefits of staying healthy for busy entrepreneurs [33:31]
8. Gav’s goal to educate people on the myths of weight loss [35:53]
9. Two schools of thoughts in nutrition [40:30]
10. Your WHY is what will get you to the finish line [46:41]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• Visit Gav Gillibrand’s website and subscribe to his newsletter (https://gavgillibrand.com/)
• You can grab a copy of Gav Gillibrand’s book here (https://gavgillibrand.com/the-ghg-method-order-now/)

About Our Guest:

Gav Gillibrand is a fitness and nutrition expert with over a decade of experience and success in helping people lose weight. From being a fitness instructor to a fitness and nutrition coach, Gav specializes in helping busy executives become great role models and leaders both in their family life and business.

He is also known for his book, The GHG Method, which employs practical and actionable weight-loss methods designed for busy entrepreneurs and executives.   

Back in the ’90s, he made a TV appearance on “Blind Date” and made a career as a professional revue artist (male stripper) in the UK. 

Connect with Gav through his LinkedIn. 

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with B2B Founder: 

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/

Getting known, getting leads, and getting sales are all part of online marketing. But the popularity of paid ads shifted businesses to think of marketing as merely budget considerations.

However, SEO pioneer Damon Burton believes that SEO is making a full circle as more entrepreneurs get burned out by paid ads.

Damon has been in the SEO space for almost 15 years and has seen its evolution over the years. He has worked with a wide variety of businesses from mom and pop stores to multi-billion dollar companies and startups. 

Listen to him as he shares why SEO remains a strong choice for long-term online marketing efforts and how SEO should be done right over a period of time to experience its full benefits.

We’ll talk about:

1. Damon as an early adopter of SEO [02:13]
2. The evolution of SEO and paid ads [04:26]
3. Why SEO is more stable and scalable than paid ads [05:38]
4. Long term and short term objectives of SEO [09:17]
5. Understand your audiences when doing paid ads [14:13]
6. The difference between transactional item and emotional purchase [16:10] 
7. Why simplistic websites outperform the most visually amazing websites [17:43]
8. Do the content you feel comfortable making [21:35]
9. Audio content transcripts are pleasing to search engines [25:15]
10. The role of schema in helping search engines understand your website [27:53]
11. SEO has the biggest return on profit and better client retention [32:03]
12. What to look for when outsourcing SEO work for your business [35:13]
13. How social proof helps build your social media credibility [39:19]
14. Figure out what format works for you [46:22]
15. The one (actually two) thing that Damon recommends [52:23]

Resource Links:

• Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
• Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
• Connect with Damon on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonburton/)
• Check out Damon’s SEO Company (https://www.seonational.com/)
• Get a copy of Damon’s book for free (https://trusting.clickfunnels.com/optin1589481029888) 
• Read Damon’s published articles in Forbes 

About Our Guest:

Damon Burton has been in the Search Engine Optimization space for almost 15 years and is one of the early adopters of SEO. His company, SEO National, has optimized websites for INC5000 companies, NBA teams, and businesses featured on Shark Tank.

Burton has published the SEO book, "Outrank: Your Guide to Making More Online By Showing Up Higher on Search Engines and Outranking Your Competition." He also has tons of published articles in Forbes, 

He is a husband and father of three and has been featured on Entrepreneur, BuzzFeed, USA Weekly, and has spoken at conferences.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast. 

Connect with B2B Founder: 

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/