Poised for Exit Podcast

Most recent episodes

#PoisedforExt featured Chris Jones, President of True North M&A. Chris interviewed 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.  

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#PoisedforExt featured 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!  

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#PoisedforExit featured Kendall Qualls.  Kendall is the Founder and President of TakeChargeMN, a nonprofit described as “a Coalition supporting Blacks in the pursuit of American core principles”. 

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#PoisedforExit’s episode today featured a guest co-host with Kyla Hansen, Partner at JAK CPA’s and Sponsor of the Poised for Exit Show!

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#PoisedforExit’s guest today was Steve Juetten, CFP and Founder of Bridgegate Partners, a firm who specializes in succession and exit for owners of financial advisory practices.

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#PoisedforExit’s guest today was Bonnie Speer McGrath, Chair of the Minneapolis chapter of Tiger 21, a ultra-high net-worth peer group for former entrepreneurs, investors and executives. 

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#PoisedforExit had the pleasure of hosting Shane Slominski on today’s episode, who is a partner with Tonka Bay Private Equity Partners in the Twin Cities.

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#PoisedforExit’s guest this episode is John Palen, CEO and Founder of Allied Executives, a long running executive peer group in the Twin Cities.

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#PoisedforExit had the great pleasure of interviewing Colin Hirdman in today’s show. 

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#PoisedforExit featured the long time leader of a family business in its 3rd generation.

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#PoisedforExit had the opportunity to have Luke Riordan, Founder and Partner of Dayta Marketing in the studio today as our guest host!

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Being a visionary entrepreneur with a constant flow of ideas requires you’re surrounded by a solid team of leaders you can delegate to. Wale Banjoko is that kind of entrepreneur. 

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#PoisedforExit was joined by Sarah Line, CEO of Boredroom Breakouts and how intriguing was our conversation!

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#PoisedforExit had the honor today of hosting Christopher Burns, partner with Henson and Efron Law Firm.

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#PoisedforExit was joined by Patrick Donahue, Chapter President of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization in MN to talk about EO; its origins, benefits, success stories and how it has transformed the lives of so many members across the globe. 

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#PoisedforExit had the honor of featuring a long time colleague of Julie’s, Ken Saddler, with B2B CFO. 

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#PoisedforExit had John Thwing, “The SBA Guy” in the studio today to talk about SBA financing for acquisitions of small businesses.

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#PoisedforExit featured a returning guest in this episode; Dr. Theresa Ashby, who is and author, podcaster and the co-founder of Kaleidoscope Media Services.

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#PoisedforExit’s guest in today’s show is Zarir Erani, Partner with StratWiser, a firm which specializes in helping owners break through their growth plateaus and scale to their potential.  

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#PoisedforExit’s guest today was Mike Huey, President of Scalable Sales Solutions, a company that builds sales systems and processes for companies looking to scale and set their sales people up for success. 

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Julie Keyes is interviewed on her birthday in this episode! 

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#PoisedforExit had the pleasure of interviewing Gordy Meyer, CEO of Dayta in this episode. 

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#PoisedforExit was thrilled to feature James Jack on today’s episode, who is the head of Business Owners and Multigenerational Client Segments at UBS Wealth Management. 

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#PoisedforExit had the privilege of speaking with Tyler Van Eps, a Charitable Giving Strategist for the National Christian Foundation. 

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#PoisedforExit was joined today by national speaker, author, and consultant, Mary Schmid, who specializes in teaching financial advisors how to have deeper, trust based conversations with clients.

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#PoisedforExit featured some of the most telling results of the recent State of Owner Readiness Survey conducted by the Exit Planning Institute and spearheaded by Brent Engelbrekt, Senior M&A Advisor at the national award-winning firm, True North M&A. 

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#PosiedforExit featured the one and only Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute. Scott and his father, Chris Snider purchased the business in 2005 and have grown it from a few hundred CEPA advisors to several thousand.

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#PoisedforExit interviewed Michael Gregory today, who’s background includes working for the Treasury department and as a financial analyst for several companies, both public and private.

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#PoisedforExit interviewed Andy Kocemba, President and CEO of Calhoun Companies in today’s episode.

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#PoisedforExit had the pleasure of interviewing Wayne Arndt and Adam Dewey, founders and owners of Yard Creations from the Brainerd Lakes area that specializes in lake home and large estate landscaping design and fine gardening.

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#PoisedforExit had the good pleasure today of interviewing Derek Gruber, Managing Director for Cox Insurance.

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#PoisedforExit met up with Joe Hellman, partner at Redpath and Associates and leader of their M&A services area. 

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#PoisedforExit featured Guillermo Mazier, an advisor for the Ready for Next Cities Program that provides transition planning training for cities and communities to strategically support small business health in those areas! 

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#PoisedforExit interviewed Kyla Hansen, partner at JAK CPA‘s today, who’s also one of their esteemed show sponsors!

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#Poisedfor Exit was joined today by Michael Hubsmith, Senior M&A Advisor with True North M&A to cover the highlights of two must-go events for owners and advisors. 

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#PoisedforExit had the pleasure of interviewing Jody Weinberg, Founder and CEO of JTel Connections, a channel partner builder and lead generator for executive salespeople and C-level leaders.

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#PoisedforExit had the honor of interviewing Zondra Evans, CEO and Founder of ZondraTV, a multi award winning television network, carried by Amazon Fire, Roku and Apple TV.

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#PosiedforExit featured Heather Polivka, Founder and CEO of Awesome People Leaders and HeatherP Solutions. 

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#PosiedforExit talked with Steve Schad, President and CEO of Optima HR Solutions, which is a fractional HR services organization.

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In this episode #PoisedforExit had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan Stremater, Senior Manager at SDK CPA‘s and forensic accounting specialist.

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#PoisedforExit had the good pleasure of interviewing Dr Heather Johnson, President of Klassen Performance Group.

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#PoisedforExit talked with Angela Christman, Founder of Lift Bridge Strategy, an HR firm that provides people development that fosters enterprise growth. 

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#PosiedforExit talked about their favorite episodes over the last year.

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#PoisedforExit talked today with Jeff Campbell, Sr Vice President of Fidelity Bank.

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#PoisedforExit featured Amy Kiefer, President of Automotive Parts Headquarters, or APH.

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#Poised for Exit had the privilege of interviewing two experts on how collaboration works and why it can make or break a deal.

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#PoisedforExit met with Stacey Stelter, Co-Founder of GTS Financial Services.

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PoisedforExit was honored to have Linda Fisk as our guest, who has founded several companies, most notably “LeadHERship Global” of which Julie Keyes is a proud member!

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#PoisedforExit had the honor of interviewing Tsitsi Mutendi, Founder of African Family Firms, Nhaka Legacy, and host of “Enterprising Families” podcast! 

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#PoisedforExit had the good pleasure of featuring Aaron Eggert on the show today! Aaron is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Coalition 9, a Peer Group organization that seeks to create communities of trust, diversity, and growth for leaders of companies and executives in various industries from a span of backgrounds. 

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Julie Keyes talks with Scott Sustacek, who is a “Free Agent CEO”. Scott has run and built several businesses as well as facilitated and grown several CEO Roundtables. His perspective on bringing in outside leadership comes at a time when many founders of companies are pondering that very thing. 

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This episode features the Managing Director of the Trust Point Family Office, Christine Schmidt.  Christine got her start as a CPA, working in the insurance industry. From there she spent 16 years working as an accountant for a large Family Office with many types of holdings.

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Julie Keyes had the honor of interviewing a client of KeyeStrategies, Peggy Hedgpeth, who is the founder and CEO of Golden Rabbit Enamelware. 

Peggy had a very interesting journey to entrepreneurship, first working as an IRS Agent for 10 years and earning her CPA credential during that time, and then earning her MBA before founding her first start-up.

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Julie Keyes interviews Scott Jackson of Sandy Bay Partners, whose background as a former Navy Commander has served him well in his leadership role at Sandy Bay.

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In this episode, Keyes featured a very seasoned M&A advisor, whose background as a serial entrepreneur proves to serve his clients in a big way, especially when the deal structure gets a bit complicated. Michael Hubsmith, Senior Advisor with True North M & A joined us to talk about Rollover Equity; what it is, and why sellers should consider it as a viable option for a future exit.

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Guest Mary Merrill, Principal of Heritage Capital, brings so much knowledge and so many lessons to share, that we decided she has to come back to the podcast! From Buy Side, Sell Side, investor financing, bank financing, and every possible way to structure a deal, Mary has the knowledge and skills to create a win-win situation. 

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Julie Keyes had the distinct honor of interviewing Ben Utecht, who’s not only a Super Bowl Champion with the Indianapolis Colts, but also a winner of the Tony Dungy Award for Servant Leadership and now works as Chief Culture Officer for several mid-size firms, including my sponsor, Sunbelt Business Advisors and True North M & A. 

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Julie Keyes talks about what happens to the seller’s 401K in a sale. The expert guests were none other than the 401K experts at Trust Point; Jon Marquet and Allyson Krause. 

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Our show today featured John Curry, a repeat guest of Poised for Exit. John is the CEO of Knutson Construction and is doing impressive things at the helm in the two years since his appointment. 

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#PoisedforExit had the pleasure of talking today with Jennifer Zick, Founder and CEO of Authentic Brand, a Fractional Marketing Leadership firm.

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Denise Logan today, who is a national speaker, author and specialist in working with sellers of companies to determine and plan what’s next for their life after business!

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We had the honor of interviewing ESOP Fiduciary, Neil Brozen, President of Ventura ESOP Fiduciary Services. We’ve had other guests talk about ESOP on the show in the past, but never one with his expertise. 

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Our #PoisedforExit guest in this episode featured Marnie Ochs Raleigh, Co-Founder and President of Evolve Payment and Evolve Systems.

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#PoisedforExit had the privilege of speaking today with an M&A leader and adviser with True North M & A who specializes in transactions for the Technology and IT Services industries. 

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As a business owner, you know how your stress level will go up or down depending on what you’re dealing with, because you can feel it, but how do you deal with reducing it?

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I had the privilege of interviewing a favorite adviser of mine today with Edward Jones, Jesse Abercrombie. Jesse is a CEPA like me, and we know each other through the Exit Planning Institute.

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In this #PoisedforExit episode, Julie is interviewed by her producer, Bob Sansevere. Let’s start by highlighting the hefty discount on the BRT course for Small Business Week!

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Today’s episode featured Nicki Vincent, Founder and CEO of NV Brands. Nicki’s vast professional network and reputation for being a master connector prompted her to leave her long standing corporate position as Executive Director of ACG MN and expand her reach by starting up her own venture.

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This #PoisedforExit episode featured an interview with Cathy Paper and Matt Tell, who each have their own entrepreneurial interests.

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Our guest today on #PoisedforExit featured Sharon Olson, Founder and President of Olson Wealth Group. Sharon got her start as an entrepreneur at the ripe old age of 9 years old, when she started a paper route.

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Today’s show is an extra special edition of #PoisedforExit! I invited my sisters, Connie and Wendy to talk about being raised in an entrepreneurial home and how it impacted our lives as entrepreneurs. 

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Business owners don’t always want to completely sunset their time in the business they grew from nothing.  If that’s you, then listen to this episode. 

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Today on #PoisedforExit we talked with Kyla Hansen and Andy Knutson, partners at JAK CPA’s. They’ve done some impressive work in creating and sustaining a strong culture within their organization.

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Our #PoisedforExit episode today featured Brian Adamek, Founder and wealth adviser for E Wealth Partners. E Wealth Partners works with business owners, especially when exit planning is in the mix. 

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Today on #PoisedforExit we talked with Sue Crockett, Executive Director of the MNCEO, which is a non profit organization working to help business owners navigate employee ownership options through education and free resources.

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Today’s episode of #PoisedforExit featured an interview with Andrew Knutson, partner and 4th generation successor of JA Knutson CPA’s in Falcon Heights MN.

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In this episode of #Poised for Exit I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Theresa Ashby, Founder of Kaleidoscope Media Services. On top of running a successful firm, “Dr. T” is also an author, professional speaker, and podcast host.

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This #PoisedforExit episode features a conversation today with KG Graminschi, Senior Associate with True North M & A. We talked about how the work I do as an Exit Planner impacts an owner’s exit outcome and how being prepared well in advance ensures that the owners will have more options and sell for a higher multiple! 

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This #PoisedforExit episode featured Mariano Jurich, Product and Project Manager with Making Sense LLC. Making Sense takes the ideas of founders and business executives of middle market companies and works to bring them to life.

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Today’s episode of #PoisedforExit featured Lance Madson, CPA and Tax Partner with Boulay. Lance got his start in tax and stayed there. Imagine his level of  expertise when working with business owners! 

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This week’s guest featured Heather Parbst, Director of Owner Transition Services with CliftonLarsonAllen. Heather has worked with family businesses in transition for several years and prior to that work was an entrepreneur with her own set of ownership issues.

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In today’s #PoisedforExit show we featured Lucas Root, a Wallstreet M&A adviser turned entrepreneur. Lucas spends his time speaking, teaching and mentoring women entrepreneurs of startups and established businesses.

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Today on #PoisedforExit we featured Brian Slipka, CEO, founder and acquirer of numerous companies in various industries, with a common foundational thread: “help people and success will follow”. 

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In #PoisedforExit today’s episode we interviewed Stephanie Searle, industry expert in Long Term Care solutions. Stephanie has been in the financial services industry for many years, having started as a financial adviser and stock broker for Prudential and working there for a number of years, before going into Long Term Care.

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Our #PoisedforExit show today featured Tim Olson, Business Development professional at Honour Capital. Tim’s background in equipment sales uniquely positioned him as a great fit for the typical client at Honour Capital.

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Our guest today featured Henry DeVries, Publisher and Owner of Indie Books International. Henry’s firm published my book “Poised for Exit” two years ago already. 

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In today’s episode we interviewed Scott Plum, Founder and President of MN Sales Institute. Scott is a two-time author, podcaster and sales training expert. He shared some really great advice today.

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Our guest for this episode featured Nike Anani, Founder of African Family Firms, which is a non-profit community of family business owners of African descent from around the globe. Nike’ got her start as a member of her own family’s construction firm when she lived in Nigeria.

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In today’s episode of #PoisedForExit featured Alec Broadfoot, CEO of Vision Spark, a consulting firm that specializes in selecting and placing leaders for strategic growth. 

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In our #PoisedForExit for episode today, we featured Jason Early, President of BizEquity, which is a software service that advisers use for valuing a privately held company.

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Today’s episode of #PoisedForExit featured Chris Steffl and Daniel Metcalf, partners at Cyberfin, a firm who offers complete Cybersecurity protection for small to middle market companies across the globe. 

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In this, our 100th Episode of #PoisedForExit, we invited Lisa Meyer, adviser with Sunbelt to interview a client of hers, who’s growth strategy has been to acquire other companies in his industry.

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Today’s episode of #PoisedforExit featured Bruce Werner, author, private equity investor and family business advisor. Bruce and I met through our book publisher “Indie Books International” a couple years ago.

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In this episode we interviewed the father and son team, John and Marc Sylvestre of Sylvestre Remodeling and Design, who shared some of their transition planning journey with us which started at the onset of the pandemic!

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In this #poisedforexit episode, we caught up with Aleesha Webb, President of Village Bank. Aleesha has been on the show a couple of times in the past and always has great insight to share with you, our business owner audience, and this time was no exception. 

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Craig Siiro, CEO and Founder of Integrated Consulting Services, got his start in the 1980’s as a CPA working for a Tax and Audit firm. He spent a lot of time with entrepreneurs and learned that he really liked the advisory side of the business.

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Today on #PoisedforExit, we caught up with Melissa Johnston, Co-Founder and Chief Credit Officer of EntreBank, a brand new community bank, located in the Twin Cities.

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In this #PoisedforExit episode I had the distinct honor of interviewing Ben Utecht, who’s not only a Super Bowl Champion with the Indianapolis Colts, but also a winner of the Tony Dungy Award for Servant Leadership and now works as Chief Culture Officer for several mid-size firms, including my sponsor, Sunbelt Business Advisors and True North M & A. 

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We had the pleasure of talking with Dave Pederson in this #PoisedforExit episode, who is a partner with Dunlap Seeger Law Firm in Rochester, MN.  Dave’s background in business finance and law brought him to a place where structuring deals was part of his job when working for a large commercial lender in Chicago.

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On this episode of #PoisedforExit, we featured the founder and president of National Theatre for Children, who happen to be former clients of mine and friends as well.

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Today’s episode featured Josh Bobich, partner with Best & Flanagan Law in Minneapolis, and supporters of the 2nd Edition of Poised for Exit!

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In this episode, Julie was interviewed by her producer, Bob Sansevere and announced the launch of the 2nd edition of “Poised for Exit“!

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Back in December of 2020, we featured Nicole Anthony on the show to tell us about her start up “COYABLU Premium Tequila Cocktails“.  Today, we caught up with her and one of her equity partners, Nicki Vincent.

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On today’s episode of #PoisedforExit, we interviewed my long-time colleague, Dyanne Ross Hanson on this episode of Poised for Exit. Dyanne is a CEPA like me and specializes in working with families looking to transfer to other family members or employees. She has a process that is worth learning!

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Our #PoisedforExit guests today featured JB Lloyd and Jill Petschl of Oasis. With the abounding matters that business owners deal with everyday, HR matters are at the top of the list. 

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Today’s episode on #PoisedforExit is a special interview between Brad Peterson of Sunbelt Business Advisors and his clients, Janet and Keith McCarty, who recently sold their business called “Virtual Bookkeeping“. 

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Today’s #PoisedforExit episode featured pricing expert, radio host and speaker, John Ray. John’s expertise in how to price your services is far reaching, and we only touched on the tip of the iceberg with this episode, but you’re sure to glean some valuable nuggets from this interview just the same!

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Today on #PoisedforExit we interviewed Cat Breet, Chief Stripe Changer, whose mission is to help people get more freedom, fun and money out of work! Cat’s work brings her into Board rooms, executive offices and group coaching sessions where she works to help her clients “find their fire“.

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Our guest for this #PoisedforExit episode has a long history in manufacturing, as an owner and now as the President of Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association. Steve Kalina and I had a great conversation about what his organization specifically does to help manufacturer’s grow, educate their teams, retain talent and plan for transition. 

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On this #PoisedforExit episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Mark LeBlanc and it’s loaded with nuggets of wisdom and action steps!

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On this episode of #PoisedforExit, we spoke with two partners at Durabotics, Ron Jost and Tim Hedlund who are expanding the robot systems they manufacture to new industries. 

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Our guest in this #PoisedforExit episode featured Leslie Holman, CEO of Pinnacle Performance Group. Leslie bought Pinnacle in 2012 and has since expanded into providing services that help owners execute their growth strategies. 

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In this #PoisedforExit episode, we met with someone who has found great success in owning a number of different franchises and living a life he loves at the same time. Ben Cowan, owner and CEO of360 Wow Inc., is not stranger to owning a business and his big success strategy is happiness. 

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We welcomed back Kyla Hansen today as our featured guest to talk about planning for 2022!  So much to consider in that loaded topic, but we focused on budgets, projections and what to do with excess cash from PPP funds. 

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Our show guest featured Sam Eicher, partner with CRE Partners. A firm specializing in commercial real estate representation for buyers and tenants. Sometimes business owners aren’t sure if they should lease, buy or move on when it comes to location and expansion decisions.

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Our #PoisedforExit episode today featured the host of Poised for Exit, Julie Keyes!  Interviewed by Bob Sansevere, Julie highlighted her picks for 2021’s best interviews.

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I had the privilege of interviewing Kirby Sneen in this #PoisedforExit episode, who is the president of Manufacturer’s Alliance in the Twin Cities.

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Our show today featured Sandy Hansen Wolff, founder and owner of several companies, including a consulting and speaking firm. 

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This episode featured Dave Toeben, Founder and Owner of Insight Insurance Services.  Dave’s firm specializes in coverage for business owners, their partners and key personnel.

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Our guest today on #PoisedforExit featured Corey O’Connell, CPA and Business Valuation specialist at Boulay Group. Corey helps owners of businesses determine Fair Market Value of their companies in dispute and divorce situations.

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This #PoisedforExit episode featured part two of our series with guest interviewers from Sunbelt Business Advisors! Today’s interviewer was Mike Slater, a long time M & A adviser and former business owner, who specializes in the hospitality industry.

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Poised for Exit produced a special edition show and  invited Randy Krivo of Sunbelt Business Advisors to be a guest interviewer and feature a client of his who successfully sold her business during COVID!  

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This episode of #PoisedforExit we featured Mike Gregory, who specializes in conflict resolution, using a method he calls  “The Collaboration Effect“.  Mike is also a national speaker, instructor, consultant and professional Mediator.

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Today’s #PoisedforExit episode features Andy Tellijohn, Editor and Publisher of UpSize MN Magazine. UpSize is a magazine for entrepreneurs, with content that focuses on growth and improvement strategies, how-to tips, professional advisory and other matters relevant to business owners. 

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In this episode we interviewed Russ Fleming, a partner at Baker Tilly, who runs their Real Estate and Construction division in Minneapolis. Russ and I talked today about Private Equity as a viable option, and specifically what he and his clients are experiencing with that type of exit strategy.

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Today on #PoisedforExit we talked with Tim Reed, a business consultant and podcaster, specializing in services for owners in the fireplace sales and manufacturing industry. A very niche market, for sure. 

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Our guest for this #PoisedforExit episode is Kit Welchlin. Be prepared with a notebook when you listen to the show! We’ve all had to deal with very tough situations over the past year and a half.

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In this episode of #PoisedforExit, we interviewed Bret Erickson, President of Passkey Technology, a managed IT services firm. Bret has been on the show before, and we brought him back because we know by the number of downloads from the previous episode, he was a popular guest speaking on a hot topic.

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Business owners and individuals alike have been well acquainted with the need for a Back-up plan in these times! Our guest for this #PoisedforExit episode is Cindy Reid-Shelton, partner, co-founder and adviser with the Ready For Next brand of companies. Cindy has been advising business owners and other advisers for 30 years. 

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In today’s #PoisedforExit episode, I interviewed a true Long Term Care expert, Ruth Fay, of Versatile Insurance Services. Ruth has been in the insurance industry for over 30 years; 20 of them in Long Term Care.

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Today’s #PoisedforExit episode featured Marcia O’Connor, CEO and Founder of the award winning firm, The O’Connor Group based in Philadelphia. 

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It was a blast spending time with today’s #PoisedforExit guests, Sam and Peter Blankenship, owners and founders of Wahiwater. When we first met in 2018, I was one of the speakers for an event they attended and afterwards we chatted.

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On this #PoisedforExit episode we had the pleasure again of hosting Aleesha Webb, President ofVillage Bank. We talked a great deal about the times being ripe for acquisition! 

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For this #PoisedforExit episode we are taking it back to nearly a year ago and reprising episode 13 – All in the Family (Business). Our #PoisedforExit show today focused on family business success tips with Jon Keimig, Director of the Family Business Center at the University of St. Thomas.

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For this #PoisedforExit episode we are taking it back to over a year ago and re-featuring episode 6 – Marketing: Metrics that Drive Revenue.

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My guest today is Todd Krough, a Senior Wealth Adviser with Tealwood Asset Management. Tealwood is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) group who specializes in working with business owners. 

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This episode of #PoisedforExit featured J. Forrest, a Principal of Employee Strategies, a firm providing Organizational Leadership services to low-middle market companies. 

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