In This Episode You might have noticed that it’s been a few weeks since we’ve dropped a podcast.  It’s the first time in nearly 8 years of recording Dirty Secrets of Small Business that we’ve missed a week. We have some sad news to report.  My business partner of over 20 years in Maximum Value Partners, and my co-host for nearly 8 years on Dirty Secrets of Small business has passed away.  Jack Mencini left this world two weeks ago on November 8, 2023 at the age of 80.  While we had plans in place for MVP after Jack, we never really had plans for DSSB after Jack since he pla ..read more

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Jeremy Orsky of Ohio Collision Group.  Jeremy was an MVP client for nearly 8 years and we had a lot of fun and tremendous success together!  During the show today Jeremy shared his story of acquiring several underperforming collision repair shops and growing them and eventually selling them to a consolidator.  He was able to accomplish all of this by his early 40s. We covered a lot during our chat but some of the highlights include: Working with family in the business including his dad, sister, and spouse, not t ..read more

In This Episode With all the battles going on to get workers back in the office, we started to think of the good old days when folks would complain that the boss is never around or the opposite, they never leave!  But our question today is bigger than that.  Is it good for the boss to be around?  What kind of message does it deliver if the boss is around too much or not enough? One of the things we discuss with all of our clients is that most people have no idea what the boss does.  The “work” of the boss often looks very different from the “work” of much of the rest of the ..read more

In This Episode One of the great things about buying vs. starting a company is that when you buy a business you have some history and some things established.  Things like customers, vendors, and employees.  When starting out you have to build everything from scratch.  As you might imagine, when you’re building something from scratch it’s easy to put your stamp on the company.  But how do you do that with a company you just bought?  What if it’s one your family started?  How do you honor what they’ve built but still put your own stamp on the company? This is somet ..read more

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Phil Billick of Valley Ridge Farms.  Phil was one of MVP’s earliest coaching clients with a prior company he started and he is also Jack’s nephew!  During the show today Phil shared his story of not only starting, growing, and then eventually selling one business, but also how he’s been involved in starting several more including his 800 acre farm in southeast Ohio. We covered a lot during our chat but some of the highlights include: Partners in business, the good the bad and the ugly; What do you do when you “retire ..read more

In This Episode The good news is you’ve gotten that offer you can’t refuse and you are going to sell your company.  Now the question is what do you do next?  Do you stay on with your company after the acquisition?  Do you ride off into the sunset?  Do you start another company?  So many choices and so little time. We’ve been blessed in our coaching business to have taken several clients through the process of growing, running, and eventually selling their businesses.  While each situation is unique, there are several questions you’ll want to answer when deciding w ..read more

In This Episode How many times have you uttered the phrase, “I don’t have time!”?  If you’re like most of us, it’s likely been hundreds or even thousands of time…just this year!  Way too many small business owners utter that same phrase when we talk with them about exploring new opportunities. Are you one of them?  Then tune in for today’s show where we help give you some ideas for how to find and make the time to pursue some of these opportunities.  Thomas Edison summed it up well, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work ..read more

In This Episode One of the things we talk about often when it comes to business partners is the timing of difficult discussions.  This is especially important when those business partners are also life partners because you’re going to be seeing this person after work as well.  The last thing you want to do is let things that happened at work impact what happens at home.  But hey, we’re all human.  And sometimes our emotions and best intentions can get in the way. We’ve been blessed to coach dozens of couples who are also business partners over the years.  One of the ar ..read more

In This Episode Today we were joined on the show by business owner Ben Ihde of Wild Birds Unlimited. Ben was a coaching client of MVP for several years and is a repeat guest on Dirty Secrets of Small Business (see link below for his February 14, 2019 appearance).  During the show today Ben shared with us what’s been going on since we last heard from him. When Ben was last on the show he had just completed the buyout of his former boss and he was ready to grow that business, D&S Color Supply.  Not everything worked out as planned as Ben got an offer he couldn’t refuse less than a ..read more

In This Episode If you think it feels lonely being a small business owner, just wait until after you sell your business.  There are even fewer people who can relate to that.  Especially if you sell the business for enough money and you don’t have to work any more.  I mean how do you answer the question when your kids’ friends wonder why your mom or dad doesn’t go to work? We know, you can’t wait for that challenge right?  The challenge of having to fill your time with stuff to do that you want to do vs. what seemingly everyone else wants you to do, from employees to custome ..read more