In 2009 when I started in our family business, it was doing $21 million and lost close to a million dollars. After five of the hardest years I've been through, in 2014 I helped lead our company through an eight-figure exit. Since then, I have spent every waking minute learning what we could have done differently. My ten-year therapy session led me to create multiple businesses, start a podcast, travel around the US speaking on hundreds of stages to share my story (Vistage, EO, CEO Nexus, industry associations, etc.), and create an ownership framework for owner-operators (over 1,500 have experienced the material) to help them create the independence they deserve.There are countless business operating systems to help us "work in" the business, but there were none to help us understand how to "work on" the business and what it means to be a business owner. That is why I created the Independence by Design™ Ownership Framework.Independence by Design™ is the complete ownership framework for owner-operators who want to align their business operations with their personal goals. By designing a business that generates sustainable cash flow, you can grow the equity value of your business and free yourself from the day-to-day so you can have the independence to do more of what you love.

As the co-founder of Arkona, I was dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and business owners view and run their companies as financial assets. I co-created the Intentional Growth™ training program, which gave owners the tools and mindset to grow and maximize business value while aligning their decisions with personal and financial goals. This program helped entrepreneurs shift from working in their businesses to strategically working on them.At Arkona, we expanded our services to include Fractional CFO offerings and financial dashboards, providing hands-on financial support to over 50 owner-operators. I worked closely with business owners to optimize their finance functions, analyze their numbers, and align their financial strategies with long-term objectives. Along the way, I interviewed hundreds of CFOs and reviewed financials across a diverse range of industries, gaining deep insights into what drives financial success in privately held companies.Under my leadership, we built a team of 10 professionals committed to delivering high-quality financial services and education. Together, we empowered business owners with financial clarity and helped them grow their businesses with purpose and direction.In February 2024, I exited Arkona following a buyout of my partnership. My time there reflects my passion for helping business owners achieve financial independence, grow equity value, and create the freedom to design the lives they love.

Intentional Growth™ is a podcast for entrepreneurs and business owners wanting to clarify a path toward a more valuable business and turn their vision into reality.Weekly, content-rich episodes provide you with information on how to get clear on what you want from the business and why, the way companies are valued, strategies to increase that value, and the variety of ways you can transition your role or exit your ownership. From technical episodes dissecting the inner-workings of private equity and ESOPs to intense discussions with authors and thought leaders like Gino Wickman, John Warrillow, Jack Stack, Todd Herman, Chris Yeh and Alan Beaulieu, this podcast is full of information you need to stay competitive in today’s market.The goal of the show? To help entrepreneurs enjoy work, create wealth and make an impact. By creating sustainable, predictable, and transferable cash flow, you will create a valuable company that gives you choices to grow, acquire, reinvest, or exit and live the life you planned for — all with intention.

As a co-founder of the GEXP Collaborative, I partnered with business owners to align their operational strategies with their ownership and exit goals. Our mission was to help entrepreneurs view their companies as financial assets and implement strategies to maximize equity value, optimize cash flow, and achieve their ideal outcomes.During my time at GEXP, I worked with over a dozen companies on high-value consulting projects that included conducting value growth assessments, performing business valuations, building due diligence libraries, and assembling teams of expert advisors such as M&A attorneys, wealth managers, and CPAs. Together, we helped clients develop actionable roadmaps for growth and ensure alignment between their operations and their long-term plans. I personally participated in countless transactions, gaining valuable insights into the financial, operational, and strategic considerations that lead to successful outcomes.These engagements were intensive and high-touch, requiring deep collaboration across disciplines. They often involved creating tailored strategies to help business owners achieve their desired results, whether that meant preparing for an eventual exit, transitioning to the next generation, or simply building a more sustainable and scalable business.Scaling this consulting model was challenging, but the experience taught me how to connect operational execution with ownership goals and deliver tangible, high-impact results. My time at GEXP Collaborative deepened my understanding of how to bridge the gap between day-to-day operations and long-term financial success while navigating the complexities of transactions and transitions.

After selling my family business, I joined Solidity, a wealth management firm, as my first step in figuring out what we could have done differently. It was here that I truly began to understand the role of money, equity growth, and cash flow in business ownership. I earned my Series 65 and certifications like Value Growth Advisor, The Value Builder System, and the Exit Planning Certification, which gave me the tools to view businesses as financial assets.At Solidity, I helped grow assets under management 3x to $30 million and expanded the firm’s offerings to better serve business owner clients. I introduced consulting services designed to help entrepreneurs optimize financial decisions, align operations with ownership goals, and prepare for transitions. I also facilitated the acquisition of a CPA firm, which enhanced our ability to provide seamless financial solutions.While I gained valuable insights into wealth management and how business owners create value, I realized that sitting on the sidelines wasn’t for me. I wanted to work directly with the people taking risks and doing the hard work of building their companies. This realization inspired me to focus on helping business owners maximize outcomes through equity growth, cash flow optimization, and strategic planning.Key contributions included:-Growing assets under management to $30 million.-Expanding services by introducing consulting offerings for business owners.-Facilitating the acquisition and integration of a CPA firm.-Strengthening internal operations to improve scalability and client service.This experience shaped my understanding of how businesses grow value while deepening my passion for --directly guiding business owners through the challenges of building and scaling their companies.

After selling the family business, Imaging Path, to Loffler Companies I stayed onboard for a brief stint to make sure all of the employees and operations were transitioned smoothly.

• (Company Vision & Strategy): Collaborate with the CEO and Executive team to define the company’s strategy, direction, and mission. • (Leadership - Management): Hire, develop, coach, train, and retain a highly qualified staff. Lead by example through appropriate participation and involvement in all facets of the business. Plan and provide continuity and succession for all critical positions.• (Sales): Guide the sales dept. & clients throughout the sales cycle. Oversee the pricing & packaging for the client’s solution. Develop training programs and a new sales compensation plan that aligns with the business goals. • (Business Development): Develop short- and long-term visions and strategic plans. Work with clients, vendors, and employees to determine what are the desired offerings. Lead the implementation of the offerings and manage the revenue, COGS, and expense in line with the company’s budget and forecast.• (Operations): Manage and prioritize company projects in order of importance by impact on service profitability and expenses in order to hit the desired bottom line. Continuous implementation of the ERP to maximize automation. • (Marketing): Oversee Company’s marketing strategy and Marketing Coordinator; website, sales handouts, proposals, social media vehicles, sales promotions, trade-shows, Wild partnership, webinars, press releases, and any other community relations.• (Budgeting): Attend Bank meetings. Manage & monitor budgetary performance, review and approve capital expenditures, and ensure budget compliance; create effective partnerships and negotiate advantageous agreements with external service providers and hardware and software vendors.

• Responsible for three technology service divisions at Imaging Path; Managed IT Services, Government IT Sales, & Document Management.• Responsible for the budget, P & L, recruiting, hiring, retaining, and managing all employees that range from sales to engineers.• Responsible for pricing and packaging for all three divisions.• Research, vet, and develop product - vendor relations for all three divisions.• Manage all operations and Service Level Agreements for each offering.• Design all go to market strategies and ideas and worked with marketing on materials such as brochures, proposals, handouts, presentations, ROI calculations, etc.• Managed the sales process start to finish and delegate tasks to the correct resource throughout the process.• Train the sales force on service offerings, products, and cases studies.• Develop client contracts for the service and product offerings by working with company Law Firm.

• Present on sales calls in order to identify opportunities within client base as well as new clients.• Analyze P & L of current go to market strategy• Developed future budget and strategy to meet division target revenue and expense goals• Help develop new financial structure within current accounting system to correctly recognize products, services, and costs associated with division• Increase revenue in division from $250,000 to $451,000• Research and analyze current software portfolio. • Developed, presented, and executed migration of current accounts to new platform• Developed processes and procedures for sales cycle and client on-boarding• Developed Imaging Path Scope of Work and Service Level Agreement for our software clients• Recruited and managed engineers, project manager, and sales reps• Developed training and education roadmaps for division resources• Developed and executed marketing initiatives such as email blasts, webinars, and demonstrations specific to industries and target markets.

• Business Development in a set territory by cold-call via phone, email, LinkedIn, networking meetings, trade-shows, webinars, etc.• Utilize company CRM to track all sales activities throughout the sales cycle. • Used CRM database to strategize sales marketing plan for new and current customers• Dialed 400 calls per month to average 20 appointments per month with 50% new client appointments• Preform net new sales presentations and lead appointments by understanding customers' diverse but specific business needs • Created proposals by showing an ROI by applying service and product knowledge to meet the client’s needs• Preform quarterly business reviews with current clients• Prepare and deliver software and hardware presentations/demonstrations articulately and confidently to the client.• Sale rep of the month 3 times and a 2 times Presidents club winner • Increased new customer revenue by $1.4 million in current territory• Increased software solutions in overall company profile by 5%• Handle client hardware or software service issues and escalate to correct technician

-Specialist in incoming and outbound packages.-Assisted in inventroy control.-Used our inventory management system

Business to Business sales:-Seak out opportunities for placement of the current water filtration system.-Replace Culligan water bottle systems-Telemarketing sales-Door to door sales-Follow sales throughout entire process and into implementation