Succession Stories

Laurie Barkman
  • 5.0 (75)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Succession Stories is an award-winning podcast guiding entrepreneurs through the journey of transition to transaction, with an exclusive limited series called The Entrepreneur Gene™ Hosted by Laurie Barkman—The Business Transition Sherpa®, nationally recognized business advisor, and Amazon best-selling author of *The Business Transition Handbook*—the show explores the full entrepreneurial lifecycle: from growth to maturity, value creation to exit planning, succession, and M&A for owner-led companies. If you're an entrepreneur looking for inspiration to build a more valuable business, or a business owner seeking the best way to transition or sell your closely held company, this podcast is for you. Each episode provides actionable insights, expert conversations, and real-world stories to help you navigate one of the most important chapters in your entrepreneurial journey. 🎙️ Learn more at https://btsherpa.com

  1. Jul 26

    234: The State of Exit Planning in 2026 with Scott Snider, Exit Planning Institute

    Podcast Episode Description "A successful exit isn't about leaving your business. It's about leaving the world a better place after you leave it." Host Laurie Barkman welcomes back Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute — the organization behind the Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation and the Value Acceleration Methodology — for a return conversation four years in the making.  Since their last episode in 2022, EPI has grown from 3,000 to 11,000 CEPAs, Scott has navigated his own leadership succession from his father Chris, and the exit planning profession has undergone one of its most significant evolutions yet.  Scott and Laurie unpack what has changed — and what hasn't — about how business owners think about exit planning, why personal planning remains the weakest leg of the stool, and why exit strategy and business strategy are not two separate conversations. Key Insights: The leadership transformation nobody talks about is the internal one. Scott went from a militant, gritty leadership style — forged running a landscape construction company — to leading a 56-person team of highly educated, motivated professionals who needed to be led completely differently. His biggest surprise? Discovering he was capable of leading with empathy, grace, and love. The style that built his first business would have destroyed this one. Decades of success does not equal transferable value. Business owners can have profitable products, great people, loyal customers, and a lifestyle they love — and still have nothing a buyer actually wants. Scott draws a sharp line between income and value, between success and significance. The gap between the two is exactly why exit planning exists — and exactly why owners keep kicking the can. Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials are asking completely different exit questions. Baby Boomers — who own 51% of privately held companies at an average age of 67 — are navigating a 50-year identity crisis. Gen Xers want out early so they can actually live, with 38% between 45 and 59 planning to exit earlier than their predecessors. And Millennials have grown up inside value acceleration thinking — they're already building to sell. Personal planning is still the weakest leg of the stool — and that needs to change. Despite all the evolution in exit planning since 2005, personal planning remains the area most business owners defer, dismiss, or avoid entirely. Scott's challenge to the profession: stop treating it as the soft stuff. Who am I with and without my business is the most important question a founder can answer — and most never do. Exit strategy and business strategy are the same conversation. Every decision a business owner makes today is already affecting their future exit value. Scott reframes the entire conversation: instead of positioning exit planning as something you do when you're ready to leave, position it as what makes your business stronger, more financeable, and more valuable right now. The foot in the door is helping owners grow a better company — the exit conversation follows naturally. The profession is growing — but awareness is still the biggest gap. With 11,000 CEPAs and a path to 20,000, EPI's CEPA credential could become the second largest professional credential in the country. But even at 20,000, it would still be a fraction of the 250,000 CFPs. The next five years are about activation — helping advisors start the conversation with owners earlier, and meeting owners where they are before a triggering event forces their hand. Chapters: 00:04 Introduction and Four Years Later — What's Changed 01:56 Welcome Back: Scott Snider Returns to Succession Stories 02:57 What Scott Did When He Got the Baton at EPI 04:10 First Year Priorities: Structure, People, and Culture 05:58 The Challenge of Succeeding a Founder — Even a Non-Traditional One 09:28 The Biggest Personal Surprise of Scott's Leadership Journey 10:55 Head, Heart, and Wallet: The Balance of Leadership 12:16 How the Exit Planning Conversation Has Evolved Since 2022 14:34 Are Business Owners Asking Different Questions Today? 17:00 Gen X, Baby Boomers, and Millennials: Three Different Exit Mindsets 19:18 The Biggest Misconception About Exit Planning That Still Frustrates Scott 22:19 Personal Planning and the Card Sorting Exercise 25:13 Decades of Success But Zero Significance — Why Owners Kick the Can 26:15 What Needs to Happen to Make Exit Planning Mainstream 29:50 How Advisors Should Start the Conversation With Business Owners 30:32 Exit Strategy IS Business Strategy 32:42 Lightning Round: Books, Advice, and Finishing the Sentence 34:13 What Scott Hopes His Dad Would Say About the Last Four Years 🎙️ Missed Scott's first appearance? Catch Episode 89 with Scott Snyder — the conversation that started it all. Watch here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/make-your-business-independent-of-you-scott-snider/id1507050698?i=1000558509078  Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.   Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa   Connect with Scott Snider / EPI: Website: https://drivevalue.com/  Website://earncepa.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-snider-epi

    234: The State of Exit Planning in 2026 with Scott Snider, Exit Planning Institute

  2. Jul 12

    233: What It Really Takes to Build a Business Ready for Transition with Alan Bennett, Trust Built Solutions

    Podcast Episode Description: "It's an exit plan, not an exit due." Host Laurie Barkman sits down with Alan Bennett, founder of Trust Built Solutions and exit planning coach who has lived through three very different business exits — a retail meat market that he closed in 2008, a contract catering business that a seller-financed deal and COVID unraveled in 2020, and a psychiatric practice exit to private equity where he finally got to use every lesson he had learned the hard way. Alan's story is one of the most honest and unfiltered accounts of what owner dependency really costs — not just in valuation, but in hours, health, relationships, and missed opportunities. He shares the trust cycle that unlocks delegation, the trap that keeps owners perpetually in the weeds, and why exit planning isn't about selling — it's about building a business that actually works without you.   Key Insights You can build a $2 million business and still have nothing to sell. Alan's first business did over $2 million in combined retail and catering revenue — but without systems, processes, or a team that could run without him, he had no transferable asset when the time came. When the landlord forced the issue in 2008, closing was the only option. The business had value in revenue but none in structure. The tape measure at 2am is the moment owner dependency becomes visible. Alan snuck into his meat market at 2am to measure steaks with a tape measure — and his team saw it on the security camera. That moment destroyed their trust in him. Owner dependency isn't just about overwork — it's about the signal you send your team every time you step in to fix what they should be handling. Trust is the real solution to owner dependency — and it flows both ways. Owners think the problem is whether they trust their team. The real problem is whether the team trusts the owner. Trust must be rebuilt the same way it was broken, consistently over time. Once the team sees the owner trust them, delegation follows — and with delegation comes purpose, accountability, and a business that runs without the owner in every room. Recurring contract revenue changes everything about valuation. Alan's second business had almost the same revenue as his first — but seven school contracts and two summer camp agreements made it dramatically more valuable on paper. The nature of the cash flow matters as much as the size of the revenue. Predictable, contracted income is what buyers pay premiums for. Seller financing without protective deal structure is a catastrophic risk. Alan's chef bought the catering business on a 10-year seller note — and COVID made him unable to pay after four months. Because the right protective language wasn't in the agreement, Alan had no real recourse beyond liquidating equipment at pennies on the dollar. The deal structure must be built before the agreement is signed, not after something goes wrong. Exit planning is not the same as selling — and most owners don't know the difference. Many business owners, especially in the trades, recoil at the phrase "exit planning" because they think it means they're selling. Alan reframes it: a well-executed exit plan makes the business easier to grow, easier to finance, and easier to scale — whether you ever sell or not. The best time to start was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.   Chapters: 00:05 Introduction of Alan Bennett 01:13 Business #1: The Retail Meat Market 06:34 100 Hours a Week and the Physical and Mental Toll 08:45 The $30,000 Consultant and the Map He Couldn't Read 10:23 Closing the Business: No Runway, No Plan 12:30 The Anger After the Close — And What He Learned 14:00 Business #2: The Contract Catering Company 15:51 How Recurring Contracts Changed the Business Model 18:30 Working 25 Hours a Week in Flip Flops 19:30 The Seller-Financed Deal with His Chef 21:21 COVID Hits: Four Payments In, Everything Stops 25:18 Liquidating the Assets and Licking the Wounds 27:54 Business #3: The Psychiatric Practice Exit to Private Equity 29:30 Owner Dependency — Calling It What It Is 30:55 The 2am Tape Measure Story That Changed Everything 33:30 How Trust Is Broken — And How It's Rebuilt 35:57 The Owner Dependency Trap: Bridging the Gap 40:31 Exit Plan vs. Exit Due — The Reframe That Changes Everything 41:44 Key Takeaways for Business Owners Thinking About Transition   Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession   P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.   Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa   Connect with Alan Bennett: Website: https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanbennettcepa Email: alan@trustbuiltsolutions.com

    233: What It Really Takes to Build a Business Ready for Transition with Alan Bennett, Trust Built Solutions

  3. Jun 28

    232: A Family Business Succession Done Right with Jennifer Wilson, Oak Bay Coaching and Consulting

    "These are long-term decisions that have far-reaching impacts — not just for us, but for future generations." Host Laurie Barkman sits down with Jennifer Wilson, founder of Oak Bay Coaching and Consulting and former CEO of the Canada Homestay Network — a family business her mother started in 1995 from a bed and breakfast in Toronto that has since placed over 100,000 international students across Canada.  Jennifer joined the company as an accidental second-generation leader, grew into the CEO role after completing her MBA, and spent 17 years building the organization before transitioning to chair in 2022.  She built a co-CEO structure, created a board of directors from scratch, and navigated a partial management buyout — all while keeping the family intact. Here's how she did it.   Key Insights The CEO handoff is as much symbolic as it is structural. Jennifer's mother passed her a vintage recipe box — the company's original "analog database" — in front of the entire team at a company retreat. That moment publicly transferred authority and gave the whole organization clarity about who was leading. Succession isn't just paperwork — it's a signal. A co-CEO structure can work — but only under two conditions. Different skill sets and clearly separated accountabilities are non-negotiable. Jennifer hired an HR consultant who specializes in co-CEO models, created distinct strategic plan line items for each CEO, and built separate performance reviews. When both conditions are met, both leaders say they wouldn't want to do it alone. Leadership succession and ownership transition are not the same thing — and confusing them is costly. Jennifer separated the two processes deliberately. She transitioned leadership years before she transitioned ownership, and treating them as distinct conversations gave the family time to think clearly about equity, estate planning, and sibling fairness without the pressure of an operational handover happening simultaneously. Give your successors enough time. Jennifer gave her two internal candidates 18 months of lead time before officially stepping back. That window allowed for trust-building, task delegation, and honest conversations about whether each person actually wanted the role. One of them said no — and that was crucial information to have before the transition, not after. Family-to-management buyouts require a mind shift, not just a legal agreement. The reframe that unlocked Jennifer's MBO: instead of "they're paying for the business with our revenue," think "we sold it on day one and they're paying us back." That shift changes the emotional dynamic — and the 80/20 split they landed on was driven in part by Canadian tax thresholds that required each buyer to hold over 10% equity.   Chapters: 00:04 Introduction of Jennifer Wilson 02:08 Origin Story: How Canada Homestay Network Began 04:30 Jennifer's Unexpected Path Into the Family Business 07:12 Flash Forward: When Succession Conversations Started 08:40 The Recipe Box Ceremony: A Symbolic Handoff 09:36 The Trio: Running the Business as a Family Team 12:00 Deciding to Think About Her Own Succession 13:12 Building a Self-Managed Organization 16:05 Identifying and Developing Internal Successor Candidates 18:24 The Big Reveal: A Co-CEO Structure 18:53 How the Co-CEO Model Works in Practice 21:15 Governance: Building a Board and Separating Strategic vs. Operational Plans 24:28 Pitfalls and What Went Wrong: When One Candidate Said No 25:21 COVID: Laying Off 100 People in Six Months 29:01 Ownership Transition vs. Leadership Succession 29:37 Equity, Estate Planning, and Sibling Fairness 38:17 The Management Buyout: How the 80/20 Split Was Determined 40:23 Top Takeaways for Founders and Next-Gen Leaders   Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.   📘 The Business Transition Handbook by Laurie Barkman — grab your copy at lauriebarkman.me/book or search on Amazon.   Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa   Connect with Jennifer Wilson: Website: oakbaycoachingandconsulting.ca LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferrobinwilson Email: jennifer@oakbaycoachingandconsulting.ca

    232: A Family Business Succession Done Right with Jennifer Wilson, Oak Bay Coaching and Consulting

  4. Jun 15

    231: Leadership Mistakes Destroying Your Succession Plan with Chip Scholz, Scholz and Associates

    "There's a time when an exit is going to be inevitable — there may not be a time certain, but there is a time." Host Laurie Barkman reunites with Chip Scholz, founder of Scholz and Associates and author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts and the upcoming Handoffs, for a deeply personal and insightful conversation about the hidden leadership mistakes that quietly destroy business succession plans. Chip has spent nearly 30 years coaching executives and family business leaders through some of the most complex transitions in business — and he first met Laurie 13 years ago when she was a CEO candidate in a third-generation family business. Together they explore what great leadership evaluation looks like, why founders hold on too long, how hubris silently collapses delegation and decision-making, and the three stages every leader goes through on the road to retirement. Chip shares what he's learned — and what he's still learning — about the small decisions that ultimately create the biggest shifts.   Key Insights Culture fit is the foundation of every great leadership hire. The best organizations are people-oriented and performance-driven — in that order. When performance leads and people follow, bad things happen. Every hire, especially at the CEO level, should be evaluated through three lenses: strengths, motivations, and fit. Viewing the business as an asset — not a legacy — is what makes a clean exit possible. Founders who treat their company as an asset can make clear-headed decisions about growth, transition, and sale. Those who treat it purely as a legacy often hold on too long, stall the next generation, and turn what was once a strength into a bottleneck. Hubris is the silent killer of succession. When leaders believe they are the only ones who can run the business, delegation collapses, decision-making centralizes, and the organization becomes dependent on one person. Chip has seen companies where no one could spend $100 without CEO approval — and half the leadership team couldn't survive the transition when that CEO finally left. Retirement has three stages — and most founders only plan for the first one. Vacation, depression, and meaning and purpose. The honeymoon phase fades fast. Founders who haven't built outside interests, hobbies, or identity beyond the business hit a wall — and without a plan, depression follows. The goal is to reach meaning and purpose before a crisis forces the issue. Crisis is often the catalyst for transition — but it doesn't have to be. Whether it's a health scare, a lost client, or a market shift, crises force the introspection that should have happened years earlier. Chip advocates for doing that work proactively — in your 50s or early 60s — before external pressure removes your options. A hobby isn't a luxury — it's a succession strategy. Finding something outside the business that gives you purpose, community, and a sense of leadership is one of the most practical things a founder can do to prepare for transition. For Chip, it's woodturning. The point isn't the craft — it's the identity that lives outside the company.   Chapters: 00:00  Introduction of Chip Scholz 02:26  Reconnecting After 13 Years — A Personal Story 03:02  Leadership Evaluation: Strengths, Motivations, and Fit 06:37  Family Business Succession: Common Challenges 07:33  Asset vs. Legacy — The Mindset That Changes Everything 12:16  The Third-Generation Company: A Shared Story 14:04  Phantom Stock and Making 100 People Millionaires 16:00  The Five C's Framework for Leadership 17:42  Why Letting Go Is So Emotionally Hard 18:11   Hubris and Delegation: When Founders Won't Step Back 20:14  The $100 Approval Story 21:50  Why "Retirement" Triggers an Allergic Reaction 22:25  The Three Stages of Retirement 23:34  15 Years Preparing for Retirement — A Coaching Story 24:52  The Real Risk of the Depression Phase 26:44  What Does Retirement Really Mean? 29:33  Finding Purpose Outside Work: Woodturning 30:51  Handoffs — The Upcoming Book 35:02 Three Takeaways for Every Business Owner     Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.   Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa   Connect with Chip Scholz: Website: https://scholzandassociates.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipscholz

    231: Leadership Mistakes Destroying Your Succession Plan with Chip Scholz, Scholz and Associates

  5. May 31

    230: The Multi-Million Retirement Opportunity Advisors Miss with Susan Latremoille

    "Don't just sit there and coast along thinking your financial prowess is going to win the day." Host Laurie Barkman sits down with Susan Latremoille, Founder of Next Chapter Lifestyle Advisors, and discusses the retirement myth and the conversation that the advisors are missing. Susan spent nearly four decades in financial services watching well-prepared clients fall apart emotionally after selling their businesses — and watching their assets walk out the door with them. After losing a $100 million client post-transaction to the bank that handled the deal, Susan pivoted her entire career to answer the question the financial services industry had been avoiding: what happens to your client — and your relationship — after the money lands? Laurie and Susan unpack the ugly myth of retirement, the factors affecting exit regrets, and exactly how financial advisors can turn this gap into their greatest differentiator.   Key Insights The Hollywood version of retirement is a myth — and your clients believe it. The idea that selling the business means sailing off into unlimited golf, travel, and happiness is exactly the opposite of what many business owners actually experience. The sooner advisors challenge this narrative, the better positioned they are to serve their clients.   75% of business owners regret exiting within the first year. This figure has been consistent across surveys since 2013. It points directly to a planning gap that advisors are uniquely positioned to fill — if they're willing to have the harder conversation.   The conversation about identity and purpose is not "soft" — it's the most critical planning work an advisor can do. When a founder exits, they don't just lose a company — they lose their social circle, their daily structure, their title, and their reason to get up in the morning. Laurie and Susan emphasize that advisors should stop dismissing this as someone else's job and start treating it as a core part of the transition conversation.   Silence on the personal side has real, measurable consequences. The aftermath of an unplanned exit can show up as depression, broken marriages, health decline, and worse. This key message to advisors is clear: you are in the room, you have the relationship, and you have the responsibility to ask the harder questions — not just review the portfolio. The higher the achiever sitting across from you, the more they need someone to have that conversation with them.   A $100 million wake-up call: the relationship ends at the transaction if you're not in the room. Susan lost her biggest client the day he sold his company because she had no role beyond managing his retirement money. Advisors who aren't engaged in the personal planning conversation have no seat at the table — and no leverage to retain assets after a liquidity event.   Up to 80% of business owners change financial advisors within one year of a liquidity event. The advisors who survive that window are the ones who went beyond portfolio management and helped their clients build a life plan that outlasted the deal. This is the next frontier for advisor differentiation — and AI is accelerating the timeline.   Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction of Susan Latremoille 01:40 - The Retirement Myth 02:21 - Bucket List vs. A Real Plan 03:00 - The Ugly Truth About Retirement 06:25 - Personal Planning to Avoid Exit Regrets 07:31 - The Four Core Losses After Exit 12:41 - The Five Consequences of an Unplanned Exit 15:29 - Personal Transition Process and Coping with Exit Regrets 20:09 - The Financial Implications of Exit Regret 20:46 - When Should These Conversations Start? 23:24 - The $100M Lesson: What Susan Lost and Why 25:51 - How Financial Advisors Can Stay in the Relationship 26:28 - Why Early and Consistent Transition Conversations Matter 27:31 - The Financial Advisor's Role Is Shifting   Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.   Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa   Connect with Susan Latremoille:  Website: https://nextchapterlifestyleadvisors.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanlatremoille  Email: Susan@nextchapterlifestyleadvisors.com   📣 Write a Podcast Review: ratethispodcast.com/successionstories    📖 Grab a copy of The Business Transition Handbook, go to https://lauriebarkman.me/book or search in Amazon. This Show Is Sponsored by The Business Transition Sherpa® Learn what every entrepreneur needs to know about building value and avoiding pitfalls!

    230: The Multi-Million Retirement Opportunity Advisors Miss with Susan Latremoille

  6. May 3

    229: Profit From What You Know with James Allen, Profit Your Knowledge

    "Don't do what you think the world needs, do what makes you come alive." Most entrepreneurs sitting on decades of hard-won expertise have no idea that knowledge alone could be their next business. James Allen is the founder of Profit Your Knowledge, a platform helping coaches, creators, and experts turn what they know into scalable, freedom-based online businesses. He left a six-figure union construction career at 22 with no roadmap, just a belief that he'd only make money doing things he enjoyed.  James shares the frameworks, mindset shifts, and practical systems behind monetizing expertise and why this conversation matters deeply for founders thinking about what comes after their current chapter.   Key Insights The Expert Paradox is real — and it's costing you. The more qualified you are to solve a problem, the less impressive it feels to you. What seems ordinary to you could be exactly what someone else is desperate to learn and willing to pay for. Use the Income Intersection Framework to find your profitable idea. The sweet spot lives at the intersection of three things: something you have experience with, something people are actively paying money to learn, and something you genuinely enjoy teaching. All three must be present. You can't figure out your niche in your head — you have to talk to people. Worksheets and solo brainstorming only go so far. Real clarity comes from getting into conversations, working with people, and discovering who energizes you and who doesn't. Charge for outcomes, not hours. Packaging your expertise into a high-value offer — rather than selling single sessions — is what creates both income and freedom. One $10,000 client beats a hundred $100 sessions every time. YouTube is the most leveraged long-term system for coaches and experts. Consistent, niche-specific content compounds over time, brings the right people to you, and converts viewers into paying clients — even at 12 subscribers and 17 videos. Your next chapter doesn't have to be a cold stop. For founders stepping back from their current business, monetizing expertise creates a natural on-ramp to what's next — a way to stay alive, relevant, and financially active without starting from zero.   Chapters: 00:00 - 01:35 - Introduction and James's Origin Story 02:20 - 03:28 - Growing Up, Personal Development 03:29 - 05:30 - Leaving Construction & Taking the Leap 05:55 - 08:02 - The Knowledge Monetization and The Expert Paradox 08:03 - 09:10 - You're Undervaluing What You Know 09:11 - 10:38 - Real Client Stories: Landing a deal even with 12 videos 11:25 - 16:49 - Building a Business & Finding Your Niche 16:50 - 17:50 - Time Saving & Creating Your Own Process  17:51 - 25:10 - Systems and Pricing: How to Work Less and Earn More 25:37 - 26:20 - The On-Ramp/Off-Ramp for Founders Eyeing Their Next Chapter 26:21 - 27:38 - Rapid Fire: Books, Tools, Mistakes, and Best Advice 27:39 - 29:16 - What Succession Means to James Allen   Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.   Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa   Connect with James Allen: Website: profityourknowledge.com  YouTube: @ProfitYourKnowledge Email: james@profityourknowledge.com   📖 Get your FREE digital copy of The Business Transition Handbook https://lauriebarkman.me/book 📣 Write a Podcast Review: ratethispodcast.com/successionstories    This Show Is Sponsored by The Business Transition Sherpa® Learn what every entrepreneur needs to know about building value and avoiding pitfalls!

    229: Profit From What You Know with James Allen, Profit Your Knowledge

  7. Apr 8

    Scaling Smart, Exiting Intentionally with Bruce Eckfeldt

    "Exit planning is good business, not just about exits. Doing exit planning is going to help your business today." Too many founder CEOs pour years into scaling their company without ever building a plan for what comes next — and it costs them. Bruce Eckfeldt is a former Inc. 500 CEO who scaled, led, and exited his own company, and now coaches founder CEOs to do the same with intention. He faced the reality of an unplanned post-exit life firsthand — and what he discovered changed how he coaches everyone who comes after him.   Key Insights: Exit planning improves your business today, not just at the finish line. Treating your business as if it could be sold tomorrow forces clarity in strategy, leadership, and operations — giving you a stronger company whether you sell or not. Develop a compelling post-exit vision first. When founders have a clear, exciting plan for what comes after, they become more motivated to grow faster, set tighter timelines, and make better decisions leading up to a transaction. Founder dependency in sales is the riskiest — and hardest — constraint to break. When the founder is the rainmaker, it suppresses valuation, complicates deals, and is fueled by a dopamine cycle that's genuinely difficult to step away from. Institutional knowledge must replace individual knowledge to scale. Brilliant technical founders often are the smartest person in the room — but a company built around one person's intellect cannot scale or transact at full value. Know where you fall in the valuation range — and move the levers. The market sets the multiple range; what you can control is whether you land in the bottom, middle, or top third of it by addressing the fundamentals buyers care about most. The "keep-sell posture" protects your negotiating power. Being genuinely ready to either sell tomorrow or hold for another decade removes desperation from the table and ensures you're choosing the right deal — not just the first one. Chapters 00:00 - 01:51 Introductions 01:52 - 05:24  Bruce's Founder Journey as Inc. 500 CEO 05:25 - 06:48 The Architectural Thinking Behind Scaling a Company 06:49 - 08:04 Why Scale and Exit Planning Are Connected from Day One 08:05 - 09:25 Building a Post-Exit Vision That Motivates Faster Growth 09:26 - 10:51 Founder's Identity and System Building 10:52 -12:30 Founder Dependency: The Sales Dopamine Trap 12:31 - 14:46 When Intellectual Capital Is Trapped in the Founder's Head 15:22 - 18:56 Exit Readiness and Push & Pull Factors across Generations 18:57 - 21:19 Legacy Building  21:20 - 24:33 What makes a Business Valuable 24:45 - 25:45 Bruce's Three Takeaways for Every Founder 26:00 - 26:36 Life After Exit: Himalayas, Adventure, and What Comes Next   Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.   Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa   Connect with Bruce Eckfeldt Website: https://www.eckfeldt.com   Email: bruce@eckfeldt.com   LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/beckfeldt      📣 Write a Podcast Review: ratethispodcast.com/successionstories   This Show Is Sponsored by The Business Transition Sherpa® Learn what every entrepreneur needs to know about building value and avoiding pitfalls!

    Scaling Smart, Exiting Intentionally with Bruce Eckfeldt

  8. Mar 19

    Protecting People, Legacy, and Culture with Amy Veltri, NGE

    "The day you start your business, you should know your exit strategy."  Host Laurie Barkman sits down with Amy Veltri, Co-Founder and CEO of NGE, an environmental and geotechnical engineering firm. Amy built the company with her brother nearly 20 years ago, and made the deliberate choice to transition to 100% employee ownership through an ESOP. Amy shares the personal journey of weighing a third-party sale, doing nothing, or choosing a path that protected the people who helped build the business.   Celebrating 6 Years of Succession Stories This episode is part of a special milestone—celebrating 6 years of the Succession Stories Podcast. Thank you for being part of this journey, where we explore the real stories, decisions, and strategies behind building, transitioning, and exiting businesses. This episode was filmed in front of a live studio audience in partnership with the Exit Planning Institute Pittsburgh Chapter, bringing the conversation to life with an engaged community of advisors and business owners.   Key Episode Insights Co-founding a business with a sibling requires clear operating agreements to protect both the relationship and the company Drive may be an innate entrepreneurial trait, but skills like communication and judgment can be learned Knowing your exit strategy from day one shapes how you build and grow your business An ESOP can be financially compelling — tax savings alone can nearly offset transaction costs Employees who become owners are motivated to grow company value for themselves and future colleagues Leadership succession planning requires intentionality — and starting the search early enough to find the right fit   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction and the Entrepreneurial Gene  02:00 Co-Founding NGE with Her Brother — and Making It Work  08:00 Scaling from $50K to $5M in Five Years  09:15 Challenges when scaling the business 11:30 The Three Exit Options for a Service-Based Business  14:00 Why a Near-Closing Third-Party Sale Changed Everything  15:30 Understanding ESOPs and the Feasibility Study Process  17:00 The ESOP Magic — Tax Benefits and Employee Engagement  21:00 Leadership Succession and the Search for Amy's Replacement  22:25 What's Next: Retiring, Grandbabies, and Letting Go     Is your business truly ready—and are you? Take the Succession Readiness Assessment to get a clear snapshot of where you stand and what to focus on next. https://btsherpa.com/succession   P.S. Most owners don't realize where they stand until they're already in a transition. Take a few minutes now to understand your readiness—and give yourself more options later.     Connect with Laurie Barkman:  Website: https://lauriebarkman.me LinkedIn: in/lauriebarkman YouTube: @LaurieBarkman_BTSherpa     Connect with Amy Veltri: Website: https://www.ngeconsulting.com  Email: aveltri@ngeconsulting.com

    Protecting People, Legacy, and Culture with Amy Veltri, NGE
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Trailer

5
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75 Ratings

About

Succession Stories is an award-winning podcast guiding entrepreneurs through the journey of transition to transaction, with an exclusive limited series called The Entrepreneur Gene™ Hosted by Laurie Barkman—The Business Transition Sherpa®, nationally recognized business advisor, and Amazon best-selling author of *The Business Transition Handbook*—the show explores the full entrepreneurial lifecycle: from growth to maturity, value creation to exit planning, succession, and M&A for owner-led companies. If you're an entrepreneur looking for inspiration to build a more valuable business, or a business owner seeking the best way to transition or sell your closely held company, this podcast is for you. Each episode provides actionable insights, expert conversations, and real-world stories to help you navigate one of the most important chapters in your entrepreneurial journey. 🎙️ Learn more at https://btsherpa.com

Information

  • Creator
    Laurie Barkman
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    235
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright @ Laurie Barkman, The Business Transition Sherpa® 2020 - 2025
  • Show Website
    Succession Stories

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