Poised for Exit Julie Keyes

 A Story of two Brothers, their Music and their Give-Back Mission

It all started for Julie when she attended a Christmas Concert by the O'Neill Brothers that impressed her so much, she decided to invite them to be on the show. Both brothers are accomplished musicians; mostly piano, and have had their music downloaded over 2 Billion times worldwide!  They've been inducted into the MInnesota Music Hall of Fame, and besides all the concerts they play and other businesses they run, they recently launched  O'Neill Foundation that helps local citizens manage their lives with financial help that comes to them in various ways.


When they were young, music was strongly encouraged among the family members with talent. When Tim went off to college, his mother asked how she'd keep the music in the house when he was gone, so he recorded her favorite songs on piano for her. From there, a recording and concert career sprung.  Ryan found himself interested in not just music but real estate, and over the years has built The Minnesota Real Estate Team of Remax Results. The largest Remax team in the country.  
 Much more to the story!  Listen to the episode here 


Learn more about the O'Neill Brothers


Learn more about the O'Neill Foundation 


Find the O'Neill Brothers in the MN Hall of Fame



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Are you ready for your best exit? There is no time like the present to prepare.
Check out these resources offered by KeyeStrategies:
Business Readiness Transition online course Free Ebook download here Purchase Poised for Exit book here

A Financial Advisor’s Journey from Global M&A to Private Business Clients

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Jeremy Weston, a financial advisor with Edward Jones whose unique background sets him apart in the financial advisory space. Jeremy's education in Business Finance first led him to work for large manufacturing corporations, primarily as an auditor for Mergers and Acquisitions. After his skill set proved to be one that could bring people together and build relationships, his role expanded into leading M&A Integration teams. His goal then was to align the company's purpose with its financial goals. If the two are not a match, the Integration usually takes much longer, costs more and many times will fail. He found he needed more than being a short term problem solver. 


Fast forward, he found his niche in working with owners of privately held companies to achieve their financial dreams, and 5 years ago acquired his CEPA designation. Now as a Certified Exit Planner, Jeremy is working more closely with business owners. He's not only advising them on their wealth planning, he's also advising them directly on money management decisions. As a CEPA, he wraps in advice on how and when to exit their businesses. Jeremy's expertise in manufacturing has been especially helpful for the clients who own these types of businesses; he gets what they've been through and what they're trying to do now. His advice is sound and not just theoretical. 


As a family man, Jeremy spends as much time as he can with his wife and four children. He's one of Edward Jones higher level advisors and takes his advisory role very seriously. 


Listen to the episode here 


Find Jeremy here and Julie here



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Are you ready for your best exit? There is no time like the present to prepare.
Check out these resources offered by KeyeStrategies:
Business Readiness Transition online course Free Ebook download here Purchase Poised for Exit book here

A Partnership Exit Strategy where Everyone Wins

Our guest Host for today was Chris Jones, President of True North M&A. Chris interviewed his firms' advisor, Tim Schinke and Tim's client, Dan Sundin. Dan is the co-founder and CEO of Innovative Technology Partners (ITP), a managed services tech company in the Twin Cities.  Dan and his partners, Andy and Mark founded the business in 2004, and grew it rapidly, utilizing the unique skill sets they each brought to the table. Andy and Mark were former employees of Dan's at another firm, which is how they initially met. When Dan approached them to discuss starting their own business, they were all ears. 


They did a lot of the right things to try and stay out of the day to day of the business. They even hired outside leadership to grow and operate the company, but that plan didn't work so well, so when Dan decided he was ready to take some chips off the table, he approached his partners to see what their appetite was for selling the company. Being about 10 years younger than Dan, they were at different stages in life and were more motivated to get the most money possible for the business than Dan. They kicked the idea around for a couple of years, and then brought Tim in to talk more seriously about their options. Dan knew that his children were not interested in taking over, so an outside sale was apparent. The team at True North was able to help them structure the right deal at the right price, and everyone came away with feeling it was a fair deal. 


They all still work for the firm and Dan has an equity stake. Each partner achieved their best exit outcome, and Dan says that would have never happened without the help of the team at True North M&A. 


Listen to the show here


Learn more about True North M&A here 

Connect with Chris here 



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Are you ready for your best exit? There is no time like the present to prepare.
Check out these resources offered by KeyeStrategies:
Business Readiness Transition online course Free Ebook download here Purchase Poised for Exit book here

Building our  "All Star Network" with Cathy Paper

Cathy Paper has been teaching best practices in meaningful connections for many years and we were happy to have her on the show again today, because we know that Business Development and building a network that fosters it can be very challenging; regardless of the industry!  

If you have sales people or other professionals whose job it is to be the face of the business, but who don't like to leave the office, this episode is for you. Let's face it, some people are "people people" and some are "project people", yet there are folks in both groups who are many times in charge of building a book of business. 


"Paper" as everyone calls her, delivered some simple, valuable techniques for how to build a strong network, and she said "it doesn't have to be just for business referrals". Having other professionals in your network that you can connect to your inner circle are just as valuable. She also noted that a diverse network is also recommended; people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, and generations bring a wealth of unexpected perspective, expertise and knowledge. To her point about networking with 20 somethings, they know people and have technology prowess far beyond the older generations who may have more street smarts or industry expertise. In other words, if you want to know how to effectively use TikTok, ask a 20 something! We all have our strengths. 


Some primary tips from Paper include: 
Be on time
Introduce yourself well
Do one new thing weekly to build your network
Understand how to use LinkedIn to your benefit and start with your Profile!
Take a few risks; if you normally would not be the first to initiate a conversation, try it
Be genuine, whether online or in person


Her new book "A Scaredy Cat's Guide to Networking: Bloopers, Blueprints and Best Practices" is in its pre-order stage and can be found below on her website!


Listen to the episode here 


Contact Cathy Paper here



Support the Show.
Are you ready for your best exit? There is no time like the present to prepare.
Check out these resources offered by KeyeStrategies:
Business Readiness Transition online course Free Ebook download here Purchase Poised for Exit book here

Kendall Qualls and TakeChargeMN: Making Black Lives Better!

It's been a few years since Kendall Qualls was in the studio, so it was great to have him back again. Kendall is the Founder and President of TakeChargeMN, a nonprofit described as "a Coalition supporting Blacks in the pursuit of American core principles".  Their foundational approach includes fostering free enterprise, education, faith and family life in the Black community. All of the values that have historically made America the destination of many from around the globe who aspire to achieve their dreams. 


Kendall started out in dire poverty as a child, yet over time was able to rise above it and accomplish some remarkable things. From being a Military officer, to a C-level leader for several Fortune 100 companies, to a professor at Crown College, Kendall has a background that affords him a wide area of subject matter expertise. As a black man, he has had his share of discrimination and setbacks over the years, but does not believe our country is racist. Rather he believes that America still provides the best opportunities in the world for anyone, regardless of color, and that Black Americans just need the right support, resources and encouragement to succeed, with the nuclear family at its core. Statistically, two parent black households have been on the decline since the 1960's and now comprise just 20% of Black households. Kendall is out to change that through education, leadership and promoting entrepreneurship opportunities that build up black families rather than diminish them. 

Check out all that Kendall has going on here 


Listen to the interview here

Connect with Kendall here and Julie here 



Support the Show.
Are you ready for your best exit? There is no time like the present to prepare.
Check out these resources offered by KeyeStrategies:
Business Readiness Transition online course Free Ebook download here Purchase Poised for Exit book here

CFO of YTS companies Shares their ESOP Journey, with Guest Host, Kyla Hanson of JAK CPA's!

Our episode today featured a guest co-host with Kyla Hansen, Partner at JAK CPA's and Sponsor of the Poised for Exit Show!
Kyla's client, YTS Companies, became an ESOP in 2021 with the help of JAK's team and Kyla's expertise. Kyla invited YTS CFO, Andy Yetzer to share the story of how their company pursued an ESOP transition and after facing some obstacles, successfully organized a structure for ESOP that will eventually involve all three of their companies while honoring the future exit timelines of its founders. 

Andy shared that it was through the expert guidance of JAK that they were able to eventually accomplish their goal. Not only did JAK serve as their accounting firm, but also led the assembly of a collaborative advisory team and acquisition of  independent Board members.  


A couple of key tips they both recommended for our listeners considering ESOP were to know the current value of the business before making any transition decisions. If the value is not where it needs to be, work on strategies to grow it. 
The other is to educate yourself on what an ESOP is and know the basic qualifying criteria before making any decisions.  A good resource for employee ownership education is here 

Listen to the episode here 


Find Kyla here

Find Andy at YTS Companies here

Find Julie here


Support the Show.
Are you ready for your best exit? There is no time like the present to prepare.
Check out these resources offered by KeyeStrategies:
Business Readiness Transition online course Free Ebook download here Purchase Poised for Exit book here