Why Small Businesses Fail (w/ Jethro Hopkins)

Why Small Businesses Fail (w/ Jethro Hopkins)

Small business ownership is failing, and owners are paying the price. The system keeps telling them they do not matter. Reserve your seat for Cabo Mastermind: https://builttoexit.biz/yt-cabo Do you carry more than your share? You are not imagining it. You are not alone. And you are not failing. In this episode, I speak with Jethro Hopkins, founder of No Coast Business Advisors and one of our top Built To Exit advisors. Jethro takes on the deals most firms will not touch. He works with owners of firms worth $750,000 to $5 million. Large firms often treat these owners as a low priority. Jethro does not. Together we cover: - Why small business owners hold 63% of U.S. jobs, yet get treated like they do not count - What it meant when the state called these firms "nonessential," and the real cost of that word - Why spread income, not politics, builds real freedom - The three things that give you freedom: time, money, and force as a last resort - Why owners who sell with no plan end up broke or bored in two years - The Owner Syndicate: our plan to help 600 owners exit on their own terms - Why we are bringing this group together in Cabo this fall This episode is for owners who want to: ✔ Build a firm that runs without them ✔ Learn what it takes to make a firm easy to sell ✔ Stop hearing that their work does not matter You do not have to work through this alone. You do not have to sell your firm the wrong way. And you do not have to wait until your options run out to plan your exit. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Why small businesses fail after the owner leaves 00:40 – How to sell a business under 5 million dollars 01:07 – Business broker for main street businesses 03:32 – How to sell a business with messy books 06:41 – Why small business owners were called nonessential 09:16 – How to build financial freedom as a business owner 11:58 – How to get certified in business succession planning 15:42 – Best business owner mastermind events 2026 21:32 – Business owner retreat in cabo mexico 30:19 – How to plan your business exit strategy Reserve your seat for Cabo: https://builttoexit.biz/yt-cabo Connect with Jethro Hopkins: 🌐 Website: https://nebraskabusinessbroker.com/the-right-business-broker 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jethro-hopkins-30b84425/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jethrohopkins/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nocoastbusinessadvisors/ Connect with Jason Sisneros: 🌐 Website: https://builttoexit.biz 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-sisneros 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejasonsisneros/?hl=en 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuilttoExit/

Why Your Business Hasn't Created Your Personal Vision Yet (w/ Scott Snider)

Most business owners think exit planning is something they do later. But Scott Snider says that is the mistake. Exit strategy is business strategy. The decisions you make today around people, culture, profitability, customer relationships, systems, leadership, and value creation are already shaping what your company will be worth tomorrow. Get The Exit Code Blueprint (Free): https://exitcodeblueprint.com/ [https://exitcodeblueprint.com/] In this conversation, Jason Sisneros and Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute, break down why owners need to stop thinking only like operators and start thinking like value creators. From Scott’s first business at 17, to building and selling his landscape and snow removal company, to growing the Exit Planning Institute with his father, this episode is about what it really takes to build a company that is valuable, transferable, and aligned with the owner’s life. This is not just about selling someday. It is about building a significant company now. What’s covered: → Why exit strategy is business strategy → Why business owners wait too long to think about value creation → The difference between growing for income and growing for enterprise value → Why a profitable company is not automatically a sellable company → How owners can shift from operator mindset to investor mindset → Why your business should be viewed as an asset in your financial portfolio → The four things owners need to understand: mindset, value measurement, value drivers, and goal alignment → Why culture, human capital, and decentralizing the owner matter in a successful exit → Why bad advisors can lead owners to bad buyers → Why price is only one part of the deal — and terms, alignment, and buyer fit matter just as much → What Scott means by “activation” for both advisors and owners → Why Drive Value exists to help owners start learning before they are ready to transact → Why the best move an owner can make is to get educated before the exit becomes urgent Scott’s CTA: If you own a business, start getting educated now. Pick up a book, listen to a podcast, immerse yourself in the world of value creation, and begin learning how to think differently about your company. You do not need to wait until you are ready to sell to start building a more valuable, transferable, and significant business. Connect with Scott / Drive Value: https://drivevalue.com/ [https://drivevalue.com/] Exit Planning Institute: https://exit-planning-institute.org/ [https://exit-planning-institute.org/] Chapters 0:00 – Intro: why sell-side advocacy matters for owners 1:45 – Scott Snider’s background and the start of Exit Planning Institute 4:04 – Why owners misunderstand exit planning 8:30 – Value Acceleration and building a significant company 10:52 – The mindset shift from income generation to value creation 13:39 – The four things owners need to learn to build value 17:43 – Why price is not enough: terms, buyers, and bad advisors 18:52 – Building a company around “we,” not just “me” 28:30 – Advisor activation, owner activation, and Drive Value 31:30 – Scott’s advice: get educated before the exit becomes urgent #entrepreneur #sellingyourbusiness #businessexit #exitplanning #valuecreation #builttoexit

How to Sell and Exit Family Businesses w/ Rena Striegel

Most business owners wait too long to make their business legitimate. And when it comes time, hand off, or step back, they've lost the chance to lift up their family and those around them with a life-changing exit. Get The Exit Code Blueprint (Free): https://exitcodeblueprint.com/ In this conversation, Jason Sisneros and Rena Striegel break down what it really takes to get a business ready for transition or sale before you are already at the closing table. From family business dynamics to emotional decision-making, succession planning, wrong-team risk, and the difference between owning a company and being trapped inside one, this episode is about preparing the owner, the team, and the business for what comes next. What's covered: → Why buyers count on 4 seller weaknesses: arrogance, ignorance, impatience, and the wrong team → Why building a business is emotional — but selling one has to become intellectual → The danger of building a company around dysfunction, loyalty, and long-standing relationships instead of transferability → Why “when emotions are high, intellect is low” can cost owners credibility, money, and leverage → How to stop treating the business as your identity and start seeing it as a cash-producing machine → The family farm transition that went from “a farm with a business” to “a business that happens to have a farm” → Why your longtime attorney, CPA, broker, or advisor may not be the right person for a transition → How hiring the wrong professional early can make the transaction more expensive later → Why planning protects not just the sale price, but the values, people, and legacy behind the business Rena’s CTA: If you are testing the waters, thinking about transition, or unsure what your next move should be, have an initial conversation before you start signing contracts. Calling does not mean committing — it means getting information, collecting your thoughts, and making sure you have the right resources around you. Connect with Rena / Transition Point BA: https://transitionpointba.com/ Chapters 0:00 – Intro 0:50 – Rena’s background: dairy farm roots, banking, and family business 2:00 – Acquiring her firm and focusing on agriculture 4:13 – Why trust matters differently in farming and family businesses 6:25 – How Rena and Jason’s work fits together on the exit mountain 10:00 – Getting the owner, team, and business ready for transition 11:01 – The 4 weaknesses buyers count on 13:43 – Separating emotion from business decisions 16:10 – When emotions are high, intellect is low 20:00 – Your business is not your identity 21:04 – The farmer identity problem: what are you when you’re not the business? 23:36 – Becoming a business that happens to have a farm 28:00 – Trusting the talent already around you 29:50 – The false summit before transition 32:00 – Why credentials are not enough 36:00 – When your trusted generalist is not the right specialist 41:30 – Why the advisor market is so confusing 44:58 – Why most listed businesses do not actually close 46:19 – The cost of getting bullied by transition opportunists 48:46 – Humility, listening, and why some owners win 51:42 – Blind spots, family business, and outside perspective 54:00 – Planning protects the business after you 55:42 – Rena’s CTA: get information before you commit 56:59 – Where to find Rena 58:00 – Jason’s closing message for owners thinking about exit #entrepreneur #sellingyourbusiness #businessexit #builttoexit

America is in a Blue Collar Crisis (w/ Kory and Ali Anderson)

America spent 40 years telling young people not to go into the trades. Now we are paying for it. Get The Exit Code Blueprint (Free): https://exitcodeblueprint.com/ [https://exitcodeblueprint.com/] This conversation between Jason Sisneros, Kory Anderson, and Ali Anderson breaks down one of the biggest threats most business owners are not paying attention to: America’s skilled trades crisis. Foundries are closing. Generational knowledge is disappearing. Young people are not replacing the tradesmen retiring out. And the same industries we depend on for defense, infrastructure, energy, transportation, manufacturing, and national security are running out of people who can actually build, repair, cast, weld, machine, and produce. Kory and Ali Anderson are on the front lines of that fight. Through Anderson Industries, Dakota Foundry, Muncie Castings, and Iron Warrior Academy, they are working to preserve American manufacturing, rebuild the skilled trades pipeline, acquire and strengthen foundry operations, and inspire the next generation to step into work that actually keeps the country running. What’s covered: → Why America’s lack of skilled tradesmen is becoming a national security issue, not just a labor issue → How 40 years of deindustrialization weakened our manufacturing base and drained generational trade knowledge → Why the U.S. has lost massive foundry capacity — and why that matters for defense, infrastructure, and domestic production → The real reason foundries are closing: succession problems, lack of reinvestment, regulation, and no replacement pipeline → Why every retiring baby boomer tradesman creates a gap America is not prepared to fill → How Kory went from a 9-year-old with a dream to build the world’s largest steam tractor to building and acquiring foundries → Why Kory bought his first foundry in 2014 and how that became part of a larger mission to preserve American manufacturing → How Ali brought marketing, PR, branding, and operational thinking into one of the oldest industries in the world → Why SOPs, documentation, and training are critical when the old masters of the trades are retiring out → How AI is being used inside foundries to speed up SOP creation, training, and operational consistency → The vision behind Iron Warrior Academy and their goal to help bring 100,000 skilled tradesmen into the industry by 2030 → Why the AI boom may actually increase demand for electricians, HVAC techs, construction workers, concrete crews, manufacturers, and builders → What business owners need to understand about the coming labor shift: the future belongs to people who can actually build → What it takes to run a mission-driven business as a married couple → The role faith plays in Kory and Ali’s marriage, leadership, business decisions, and ability to keep going when the pressure gets real Connect With Kory and Ali Anderson: https://madebyanderson.com/ [https://madebyanderson.com/] Chapters: 0:00 – Intro: The 2,700°F work America depends on 1:27 – Meet Kory and Ali Anderson 1:46 – Kory’s childhood dream to build the world’s largest steam tractor 4:15 – How Ali met Kory at a steam threshing show 6:08 – Why a business has to be treated like a machine 8:26 – What Ali learned moving from corporate consulting into manufacturing 9:21 – SOPs, training, and surviving generational transitions 11:23 – Why losing American manufacturing capacity threatens national security 17:24 – The regulatory pressure small manufacturers face 19:18 – Billy the Lost Boiler and inspiring kids into the trades 21:19 – The mission behind Iron Warrior Academy 27:33 – What Anderson Foundries is looking for in future acquisitions 32:51 – How foundries are using AI to build SOPs and train faster 38:50 – Ali’s vision for scaling skilled-trades training 40:02 – Kory on AI, data centers, and the coming skilled labor shift 45:13 – Building a business as a married couple 49:17 – The role of faith in business, marriage, and leadership 52:43 – Final advice for business owners #entrepreneur #sellingyourbusiness #businessexit #builttoexit #americanmanufacturing #skilledtrades #manufacturing #foundry #smallbusiness #businessownership

CEO Hunter: What Bad Hiring Costs You (w/ Kip Knippel)

Kip Knippel built Kip Search into a national C-suite recruiting firm by doing the opposite of what everyone else does — he never posts jobs. Get the FREE Exit Code Blueprint: http://exitcodeblueprint.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWNsNDVtYTNxSF9sRjRTOHZCNHJCejRScHhnZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuWW5sWU5xanZSTVVERnVHYTBYNEdTSkQ5YVc0Zi1SZVgwemVSU3QwZEhfbGdfS1ZyNWNSNzBDUlFiOXpvTTVydVBJcUZzZXNvanMtMVE1U1NUcnBnX3k3TUJLM0VhUFdpd0V6N3dLdHRlWW4zMDhDMA&q=http%3A%2F%2Fexitcodeblueprint.com%2F&v=w_b_3llLSPc] This conversation between Jason Sisneros and Kip Knippel gets into what it actually takes to place the right leader in the right seat, why 93% of businesses that go to market never close, and what founders do to blow the deal before they get to close. What's covered: → Why retained search firms never post jobs... and where the best C-suite talent is actually hiding (they're not looking) → The AI hiring trap: companies are paying for tools nobody's trained to use, and the wave of overnight "AI experts" making it harder to find real ones → What PE firms are paying a premium for right now... and how an AI-augmented team changes your multiple before you ever talk to a buyer → The Arena: how Kip matches post-exit founders to high-growth companies through blind profiling and manifesto videos, without the 6-month search timeline → The identity crisis that kills deals at the closing table... and why rock-solid founders blow up their own sale when they haven't figured out what's next → The reticular activating system (RAS) exercise Kip uses with every candidate to get clear on what role they're actually looking for Find the Right Executive (or Your Next Role): https://kipsearch.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXlmYzFYT1o3MnA4SkxnTS11bFRGMXNpekRBd3xBQ3Jtc0tsbk4xeS1vbFdoUXMwb3haUUhhRmduRENOaEJ5QmxxU1NUVHNscnhmQi1oVVlQcms5TkluamFBdWtMak9GYzNIQTVUelhwVkw2ZkZSdG1TcDZSUGVmWHBONF8zOEhTbkFmNExWZUVYdU1BTHdDSUkwcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fkipsearch.com%2F&v=w_b_3llLSPc] Chapters 0:00 – Intro 0:51 – Who Kip is and what he built 2:37 – Kip's career arc (law school, M&A, CBRE, executive search) 4:04 – How KIPP Search works and what retained recruiting actually means 9:46 – What companies look for in a C-suite hire (and why skill is the last filter) 13:29 – How to hire a chief AI officer when you don't understand AI yourself 18:02 – What PE firms want right now (AI-augmented businesses and the capacity) 24:04 – What post exit life should look like 29:33 – Blind profiling, manifesto videos, and AI-assisted matching 32:44 – Work-life balance after 30 years in business and three kids 37:52 – The golden nugget: how to find what you're actually looking for #entrepreneur #executivesearch #businessexit #builttoexit #privateequity