Send us a text

Jeff Swan from Sellside M&A has introduced an innovative platform called A Happy eXit tailored for business owners navigating the transition process. As two-thirds of business owners, particularly baby boomers, are preparing to retire or make transitions, A Happy eXit is designed to support those with businesses valued between $5 million and $50 million, especially in industrial sectors. Beyond the straightforward sale price, the platform emphasizes the importance of recognizing the hidden value in a business, such as intellectual property, licenses, strategic advantages, unique processes, and company culture. Their four-component assessment framework—focusing on financial health, legal aspects, operational processes, and revenue—ensures a comprehensive approach to selling a business.

With A Happy eXit, business owners gain access to everything they need for a successful transition, including expert coaching, essential tools, and a supportive community. The platform is set to launch in September, and those interested can join the waitlist to be among the first notified. Additionally, the first 100 people who sign up will receive free lifetime access to A Happy Exit's invaluable resources, making this a crucial opportunity for those planning their next chapter.

What’s Inside:

• An exciting new platform for business owners.
• An important look at the hidden value in businesses.
• Don’t miss the awesome incentive to join A Happy Exit.

Mentioned In This Episode:

A Happy eXit
Sellside M&A
Sellside M&A: Exit Readiness Grader
MBA CPA

Send us a text

Steve Geddes is a new friend of mine, and when we hit it off, I knew I had to have him share his incredible business story and advice on the podcast. Steve’s journey is a masterclass in understanding and scaling a business. He emphasizes that to scale effectively, you must understand every facet of your business—from the overall flow to the finer details. In order to deliver on your promises, you need to grasp the whole process. Steve knows there’s no magic pill for business success, but the closest thing to it is having a solid template and truly understanding your market. His approach combines passion, hard work, and strong relationships, shunning the “spray and pray” marketing tactics for targeted efforts where customers are most likely to be found.

Steve explains where he finds opportunities and customers via commercial work; more so, he emphasizes the potential of referrals, which generate warm leads and drive growth. Steve advises selling with passion and marketing as a “product enthusiast” rather than the traditional negative association many might have with a salesperson. This shift is critical to connecting with customers genuinely. Importantly, he notes that you don't need to be your business's target customer; instead, you must understand and find excitement in whatever you’re doing. This enthusiasm will resonate with customers and naturally lead to sales, making your business thrive. Steve was generous enough to share his phone number and email so that The MBA Way listeners could pick his brain even more!

What’s Inside:

• Is the way you’re scaling your business working?
• Selling with passion; no more toxic salesman.
• The “secret” to understanding your business and delivering promises.
• Referrals: The underrated lead generator.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Call or Text Steve: 250-212-3622
Steve@sgefurniture.com
Leather Repair, Plastic, Vinyl Restoration: Fibrenew Kelowna
MBA CPA

Send us a text

This Client Spotlight episode features MBA client Lucas Griffin, president of Secure-Rite. These spotlights serve the purpose of providing insightful advice and resources to help other entrepreneurs in their business and life.

Secure-Rite founded in 2005, is changing the way the world views and uses shipping containers, bringing people and portable spaces together in meaningful ways. Lucas shares his journey to launch, leading up to his great team in multiple provinces 19 years later. His entrepreneurial journey is one of change and growth, as he is always learning and creating new value in the world.

Lucas fires off a harsh reality; owning a business is not an easy way to make money. And in the same vein, it can’t be your only purpose. Fired up by his customers and his team, Lucas is engaged in a bigger purpose, something he outlines in the Secure-Rite Values: Community, Excellence, Agility, and Cowboy Grit. He also highlights three critical positions in any business you must have clearly defined values, purpose, and roles.

We could have taken this conversation down many roads, but it is an inspiration to hear about Secure-Rite’s innovation in the storage and shipping container industry as well as Lucas’s skills and passion as a leader and entrepreneur.

What’s Inside:

• Client Spotlight: Secure-Rite, innovation in the storage and shipping container industry.
• 3 critical positions for every entrepreneur to define in their business.
• Finding purpose in your business beyond financial success.
• Secure-Rites’ values and how they contribute to their operations.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Secure-Rite Mobile Storage
EOS Worldwide
Wholehearted Leaders
MBA CPA

Send us a text

How much better would you sleep at night if you knew your life was covered? Today I’m joined by Mike St. Croix at Covello Financial. MBA has personally completely switched to Covello because of the incredible work they’re doing with insurance and benefits.

Covello takes a different approach to finances and insurance because they think like entrepreneurs. They put the client first and they understand this is an investment in yourself and your employees. While every business might say they’ve got the best cost for the best service, Covello truly does. We discuss three hallmark services that set them apart:

• Their unique service model lessens the administrative burden
• They proactively price shop, making sure you’re getting the best deal when the market changes
• They are in constant review of fees to increase compound interest in group retirement and benefit plans

They are out to save you and your employees money because insurance and benefits aren't something you think about until you need it…and they want you to know they’ve got you covered.

What’s Inside:

• Why MBA switched to Covello Financial?
• What value can Covello provide to entrepreneurs?
• Three key service differences that Covello provides.

Today’s Guest:

Michael St. Croix is an entrepreneur with 5 years of business experience in property management, enterprise sales and start-ups. After playing three years of professional hockey under a New York Rangers contract, Michael retired from professional sports in 2015 and attended the Asper School of Business in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

He is now the Chief Operating Officer for Covello Financial Financial Group. They provide Group Benefits, Group Retirement, Estate & Succession Planning, and Financial Planning for Canadian business owners.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Covello Financial Group
MBA CPA

Send us a text

“To get the best marketing results, you’ll need to assemble a team of badass people to work with you. Luckily, we have them in spades and raring to go.” That’s pulled straight from William Walczak's website at Hiilite and its the same energy he brings to today’s conversation.

William works to bridge the gap between the scientific engineer brain and the aesthetic brain, formulating a total genius design and marketing combination. People do business with people who are passionate about their business; that has to translate into everything you do. Hiilite hallmarks on three topics we really get into in this chat.

1. Everything Communicates! — this profound statement means you literally cannot afford not to be intentional with every aspect of your business.
2. Where are you cringeworthy??? —Find those impediments to growth and make a change!!
3. You can't manage what you can't measure! — Data across companies, growth charting, and maximizing ROI—William explains all these crucial points.

If you bring in a professional to tell you what the next best step is, it is almost certainly going to be whatever they are selling. Hiilite helps you see what you need to see, so that your business can grow!

What’s Inside:

• Bridging the gap between science and aesthetics in marketing.
• Communicating your business to the world and ideal clients.
• Finding your impediments to growth.
• Why data measurement is important in the growth process.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Hiilite
William Walczak, MBA - The University of British Columbia | LinkedIn
William Walczak on Instagram
MBA CPA

Send us a text

Tony Woods shares his impressive resume, working with National Money Mart, BC Ferries, and now as the owner and president of THINK Communications, working with business owners with white glove IT services.

THINK stands for Truth, Honesty, Integrity, Networking and Knowledge; their tagline is "Great People, Great Ideas." As a company, they focus on two key areas, Left of Boom and Right of Boom because it's not a matter of if it happens, it's when it happens. As Tony describes it, Left of Boom is how well you're protecting your organization from cyber threats. Right of boom is ok; they've got you; how well can you recover from it.

Tony advises on a major point of protection: 14 Character Passphrases and multifactor authentication. You can also focus on training your human firewall with phishing campaigns. The truth is, ignorance is not bliss, and while Tony points out that you don't truly need cyber insurance, you do need protection, and the best suited one is from a professional IT service like THINK.

THINK today offers a Security Stack that includes specific pieces of software on machines to block the execution of unknown files, 24x7x365 real-time monitoring from a SOC (security operations center), and other tools of the trade. Including MDR - Manage, Detect, Respond. And for free, they offer an Attack Surface Report and a Blast Radius report.

What’s Inside:

• How to protect your business from cyber threats.
• How to create better password protection.
• The Security Stack with THINK.
• Training your human firewall.

Mentioned In This Episode:
twoods@thinkcommunications.ca
Think Communication Inc.
MBA CPA

Send us a text

ADHD is not synonymous with unruly school kids, it's about a different process going on in the brain. André Brisson, host of The Impulsive Thinker, owner of an entrepreneurial consulting engineering company, and creator of Tactical Breakthroughs, was himself diagnosed with ADHD at age 44. An entire lifetime of struggles and hardships explained by 4 little letters.

This isn't an uncommon diagnosis, especially in the entrepreneurial world. In fact, people with ADHD are 500% more likely to be entrepreneurs. It is estimated that 4–5% of adults and 29% of entrepreneurs have ADHD. Research estimates that 3.3 million American adults have been diagnosed with ADHD, but 85% of people are undiagnosed.

Interest-driven behavior and time blindness, are just some of the behaviors that come from an ADHD brain that André explains. But there isn't anything wrong with you. André actually says ADHD is the only diagnosis that is actually triggered by how your behavior affects those around you, not how it affects yourself. With Tactical Breakthroughs, he's developed an ADHD Transformation Journey program that helps entrepreneurs align three key pillars affected by ADHD: Environment Control, Habits, and Personal rules

If you’re listening to this episode and your brain is pinging all over the place and you’re thinking “Hey! That's me”! Check out some of the resources mentioned, like the personality tests (PRINT, Kolbe, or Clifton Strengths), reach out to organizations for ADHD awareness like CADDAC, and go check out the work André is doing with his podcast and new company, Tactical Breakthroughs.

What’s Inside:

• What does ADHD do to the brain?
• Why ADHD isn’t a “problem”.
• How societal norms make things difficult for ADHD brains.
• How common is ADHD?
• How to be a successful entrepreneur with ADHD: 3 key pillars!

Mentioned In This Episode:
André Brisson on Facebook
André Brisson on LinkedIn
Objective Engineering Inc.
Tactical Breakthroughs on Facebook
Tactical Breakthroughs | LinkedIn
Tactical Breakthroughs
The Impulsive Thinker Podcast on Facebook
The Impulsive Thinker Podcast | LinkedIn
MBA CPA

Send us a text

How much more excited would you be about your future if you had everyone working in your unique ability? Julia Waller, Unique Ability Expert, is like a guiding light, showing people and businesses the power of Unique Ability. It's all about breaking free from the rut of just being "good" or "excellent" at something and diving deep into what truly lights you up.

Finding your UA is not just coaching; it's a journey into people's souls, unlocking natural energy and helping discover what makes people truly unique. Imagine a workplace where everyone is doing what they love most, where passion fuels productivity and creativity knows no bounds. That's the vision Julia paints, and it's a game-changer for any business.

Julia explains the levels of activity we can use to classify and find our Unique Abilities: 1. Superior Skill, 2. Passion, 3. Energy, 4. Never ending improvement. We all work in a variety of activities, including incompetent, competent, excellent, and Unique Ability. I like to say I suck at it, I'm good at it, I'm great at it, or it’s my unique ability. The difference between “great” (my excellent activity) and my unique ability is my energy. Julia Waller’s number one tip…Follow your energy.

Who wouldn’t want a self-managing company culture where individuals are empowered to bring their talents and energy to the table, contributing to the bigger picture in their own unique ways? Then add a self multiplying company to the picture, because that's what happens when people use their passions and energy to grow the value of a business.

Julia's approach isn't just about professional success; it's about personal fulfillment too. It's about saying no to the things that drain your energy and yes to the ones that make your heart sing. It's about nurturing your true self and watching as your potential explodes into purposeful action. It's about having fun, creating results, and expanding your freedom all at the same time. That's the world Julia Waller is working to create—one where work doesn't feel like work because you're doing what you were meant to do.

Be sure to check out the resources we’ve linked to learn more about Strategic Coaching and Unique Ability!

What’s Inside:

• How can Unique Ability change the future for you, your business, and even the world?
• Finding the difference between excellent activities and Unique Ability.
• What can Unique Ability do for your business?
• The four levels of activity: Incompetent, Competent, Excellent, and Unique Ability.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Strategic Coach
Unique Ability
MBA CPA