Strategies in Today's SBA Lending Market, with John Wahl

Bonus Episode, with Eric Gall

How much of your business comes from intentional relationships versus hoping the right leads stumble your way? Are you building credibility step by step—or chasing big deals before you’ve earned your stripes? In this episode, we explore the shift from cold outreach and random chance to purposeful relationship-building and relentless skill development. The conversation challenges you to rethink whether your daily actions are compounding your reputation and network, or keeping you stuck playing a numbers game with little to show for it. Eric Gall, Founder and Broker of Edison Business Advisors, covers everything from winning strategies for new and seasoned business brokers, like leveraging centers of influence, building a track record with smaller deals, and investing in education and certifications—to the non-negotiable importance of processes, human-to-human respect, and knowing when to walk away. Subscribe for more insights on how to grow your deal flow and become a trusted advisor. Connect with Business Broker Growth: Website - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth [https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth [https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth] Take the Digital Impact Assessment - https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC [https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC] Get your copy of Trusted Advisor Shift (eBook) - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/] Build your online presence as a business broker. Get Jason’s free Online Presence Course and learn how to create more visibility, authority, referrals, and inbound opportunities. Access it here: https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course [https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Broker Types and Preparing for a Profitable Exit, with Eric Gall

Are you using technology to strengthen relationships, or allowing it to replace the human connection that gets deals across the finish line? In this episode of the Business Broker Growth Show, host Jason Cutter sits down with Eric Gall, founder of Edison Business Advisors, to explore why efficient systems and automation can only take a brokerage so far. Processes may streamline operations, but trust, respect, and thoughtful communication remain essential to successful transactions. Jason and Eric discuss practical ways brokers can grow their pipelines while becoming more effective and trusted advisors. They cover the importance of building strong referral networks, investing in education and professional certifications, avoiding the temptation to focus exclusively on “whale hunting,” and adapting communication to the people involved in each deal. Eric also shares cautionary examples of transactions derailed by overlooked relationships, poorly handled conversations, and generic automated responses. As these stories reveal, deals do not always fall apart because of the numbers. Sometimes, the deciding factor is how people are treated throughout the process. If you are ready to move beyond transactional dealmaking and become a trusted advisor, this conversation offers practical insights for strengthening your pipeline, improving your process, and creating better outcomes for everyone involved. Subscribe to the Business Broker Growth Show for more strategies to help you grow your brokerage, build stronger relationships, and take more successful “trips to the bank.” Connect with Business Broker Growth: Website - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth [https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth [https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth] Take the Digital Impact Assessment - https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC [https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC] Get your copy of Trusted Advisor Shift (eBook) - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/] Build your online presence as a business broker. Get Jason’s free Online Presence Course and learn how to create more visibility, authority, referrals, and inbound opportunities. Access it here: https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course [https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Strategies in Today's SBA Lending Market, with John Wahl

What if the key to closing more deals isn’t about finding the perfect buyer, but about raising your awareness and your sellers’ awareness of the hidden pitfalls and powerful financing options that most people overlook? So many business brokers and advisors limit their own success by sticking to familiar scripts, focusing on listings, ignoring deeper preparation, or assuming that every deal will fit neatly into a financing box. This episode challenges you to think bigger: to proactively educate your clients, spot unseen options like partial buy-ins, and start treating relationships with buyers, sellers, and lenders as your most valuable asset. Your mindset can be the difference between chasing one-off listings and building a repeatable, financeable pipeline. In this episode, Jason Cutter sits down with John Wahl, Director of Acquisition Lending at Live Oak Bank, who draws back the curtain on SBA lending, industry-agnostic financing, and the rapidly changing landscape of business acquisition. They dig into how the new breed of younger, more educated buyers is shaping the industry, why pre-qualifying both sides of a transaction is more critical than ever, and how emotional barriers often cause deals to fall apart at the last minute. John shares actionable advice on packaging deals, working with lenders, and understanding both the psychology and logistics behind every transaction, offering real-world lessons from the deals that got away. Subscribe for more insights on how to grow your deal flow, transform your relationships, and become the trusted advisor every business owner needs. Connect with Business Broker Growth: Website - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth [https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth [https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth] Take the Digital Impact Assessment - https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC [https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC] Get your copy of Trusted Advisor Shift (eBook) - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/] Build your online presence as a business broker. Get Jason’s free Online Presence Course and learn how to create more visibility, authority, referrals, and inbound opportunities. Access it here: https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course [https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Protecting Deals from Dishonest Sellers, with Gregory Kovsky

What if the biggest threat to your pipeline isn’t flaky buyers, but sellers who sabotage the deal themselves? How well are you vetting not just the business, but the owner behind it before you stake your time and reputation on the outcome? Often, brokers are so eager to secure listings that they overlook critical warning signs;misaligned values, undisclosed facts, or unrealistic price expectations, that can doom a deal before it even starts. Success isn’t just about filling your shelf with inventory. It’s about aligning yourself with sellers who are honest, coachable, and committed to seeing the process through. The episode challenges brokers to rethink the quality over quantity approach and to recognize that protecting your reputation is as important as winning new deals. In this special episode, Jason Cutter welcomes back his friend and mentor Gregory Kovsky, the show's first returning guest. With over three decades of experience and thousands of deals overseen, Gregory Kovsky unpacks the many ways sellers can derail deals through poor financial disclosure, hidden material facts, over-inflated valuations, or negotiating in bad faith. The episode is rich with hard-earned lessons, war stories, and actionable vetting strategies, urging brokers to raise their standards, stand on integrity, and serve as true advisors, not just deal-chasers. Share this episode with another broker committed to building a trusted, reputation-driven practice, and subscribe for more insights on how to grow your deal flow the right way. Connect with Business Broker Growth: Website - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth [https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth [https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth] Take the Digital Impact Assessment - https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC [https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC] Get your copy of Trusted Advisor Shift (eBook) - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/] Build your online presence as a business broker. Get Jason’s free Online Presence Course and learn how to create more visibility, authority, referrals, and inbound opportunities. Access it here: https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course [https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Bonus Episode, with Clint Fiore

What if the biggest opportunity to grow your brokerage isn't finding more listings—but building stronger relationships, creating authentic authority, and knowing when to walk away from the wrong clients? In this episode, Jason Cutter sits down with Clint Fiore, Founder & CEO of Dealonomy, to explore the marketing strategies that have helped him build a powerful brand while challenging traditional business brokerage models. From referral partnerships and social media to speaking engagements and cold outreach, Clint shares the practical growth strategies that continue to generate opportunities in today's market. The conversation also dives into one of Clint's most memorable deals that fell apart—and the valuable lessons it taught him about seller red flags, protecting yourself with proper documentation, and why not every listing is worth pursuing. If you're looking to grow your brokerage while building a stronger reputation, this episode is packed with actionable advice. If this episode challenged the way you think about marketing, referrals, buyer relationships, and raising the standard of business brokerage, be sure to subscribe to the Business Broker Growth Show for more conversations with industry leaders who are helping brokers grow stronger businesses and create better outcomes for buyers and sellers alike. Connect with Business Broker Growth: Website - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth [https://www.linkedin.com/company/businessbrokergrowth] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth [https://www.youtube.com/@Businessbrokergrowth] Take the Digital Impact Assessment - https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC [https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentPC] Get your copy of Trusted Advisor Shift (eBook) - https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/ [https://businessbrokergrowth.com/contact/] Build your online presence as a business broker. Get Jason’s free Online Presence Course and learn how to create more visibility, authority, referrals, and inbound opportunities. Access it here: https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course [https://businessbrokergrowth.thinkific.com/products/courses/online-presence-course?utm_source=chatgpt.com]