Grow or Go Podcast

What's it like leaving a safe, salaried job to start your own business? Not everyone understands the risks it takes, but sometimes the cards you are shown just make sense, and taking that risk is the answer.

Christian Olson took the leap once he realized there was a real need for better student transportation services. No solution is that easy, however. Mix in Covid, uncertainty, complete demand decline, and just trying to keep the lights on.

Christian explains his whole story about how Transportation Delivery Inc. came to life, grew, and eventually sold. Now Christian helps business owners mitigate their operating expenses, allowing more money to transfer to the bottom line.

Christian's Blog

This one is for all of you automotive gurus, the grease monkeys, the ones that want to work on cars all day long. Craig Carlson joins us as a founder, an owner, and now seller of the successful Carlson's Collision & Glass.

Just like any business owner, Craig started at the bottom. Borrowing as much money as the banks would allow him to start his own shop. His journey of blood, sweat, and tears is what has now allowed him to retire and live out his other dreams.

As a business owner, most of your net worth is tied up in your business. So, how do you match your retirement vision with your business exit? The key takeaway: Do your homework and plan early to match your goals for the next chapter with the plan you establish for your business exit.

Bernstein has been in business for 60 years in wealth management services. One of their main focuses is working with entrepreneurs and multi-generational families, and advising business owners for retirement isa key aspect of their services.

The political landscape that your business lives in has a huge effect on how you choose to operate your life’s work. So, where do things stand today, and what does the future look like?

We welcome Tim Sanders to the podcast this week. Tim is the mayor of the city of Blaine, having served in office since 2021. Previously, Tim was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for 8 years from 2009-2017.

Business owners are commonly trying to find new ways to grow their business. They are searching for ways to bring new customers or clients their way. But when the answer isn’t a big sales team or a big new active marketing campaign, what will work? Many businesses are finding that optimizing and maximizing their digital presence can make a huge impact in this technology driven environment.

Evolve Systems is a digital marketing agency based in St. Paul, MN. They work primarily with middle-market B2B business. They specialize in design and branding, website development, digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Marnie is the founder of Evolve Systems and has been the CEO of the company for 23 years.

Leading a company and being “at the top” can at times feel like a lonely position. The direction of your company rests with you as the main visionary and decision maker and everyone is looking to you to have the right answer every time. So, where do business leaders go when they are looking for advice?

Vistage Peer Groups connect business leaders and CEO’s to collaborate and make better decisions for their companies. These groups provide leaders an opportunity to discuss potential options, decisions, and directions and get feedback on the best routes going forward. They also provide accountability for leaders to stay proactive and keep their business on the right track.

Business transition is completely predictable, we know it is going to happen. Every leader or employee is eventually going to “log off” for the last time. Key employees retire, move on to a new opportunity, or take on new responsibility. When that happens, where does all their valuable knowledge and experience that has been vital to business success go?

Welcome to Ben Bomar and Lithyus Group. They help businesses recognize and retain the institutional knowledge of their vital team members while mitigating the risks of business disruption caused by employee transition.

With the arrival of AI and other new technology, the future across most industries is uncertain for the work force. Future generations may begin to see that careers in manufacturing and the trades are more secure. But where will they see the potential?

Introducing MAKE PUBLISHING (Manufacturing A Kid's Experience) Children's Books. They explain to kids that everything they see in the world had to be made by someone. It promotes more curiosity about where the things around them came from.