Business Talk With Chalfin

The Attraction of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.   These Briefs are shorter, topic-focused episodes released throughout the season — quick insights on key legal and business issues designed to fit your schedule.   Whether you are a business owner preparing to pass the torch or a next-gen leader stepping into new responsibility, this conversation offers practical insights and a deeper look at the opportunities hidden within the challenges of succession.

With over 35 years of SBA lending experience and the past 9 years focused solely on Mergers and Acquisition lending, Bruce Marks helps buyers finance lower middle market M&A transactions. Bruce works with financial buyers, searchers, and corporate buyers seeking financing for business acquisition transactions. He specializes in transactions with enterprise values between $3 and $8 million dollars and has closed over 1,200 SBA transactions.

In this episode of Business Talk with Chalfin, Bob sits down with Megan Helzner, Principal at CFAR, to explore one of the most critical — and complicated — topics in family enterprise: succession. With more than 15 years of experience working across family-owned businesses, nonprofits, healthcare, and higher education, Megan brings a unique systems-based perspective to navigating leadership transitions. Together, Bob and Megan dive into the emotional and operational complexities of succession planning, from governance and generational dynamics to strategy and communication. Whether you are a business owner preparing to pass the torch or a next-gen leader stepping into new responsibility, this conversation offers practical insights and a deeper look at the opportunities hidden within the challenges of succession.

For this conversation, Bob talks with Gad Allon, the Jeffrey A. Keswin Professor and Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, and the director of the Management and Technology Program at The Wharton School. He received his PhD in Management Science from Columbia Business School in New York and holds a Bachelor and Master degree from the Israeli Institute of Technology. Gad is an award-winning educator, teaching courses on scaling operations and operations strategy. He has also been an innovative leader in many educational technology initiatives. He is the co-founder of ForClass, a platform that enables professors to drive higher student engagement and accountability in their classrooms. Professor Allon regularly consults firms both on service strategy and operations strategy.

In the next episode of Business Talk with Chalfin, Bob is joined by Rebecca Greenbaum, Professor of Human Resources Management at Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, to explore the consequences of a profit-at-all-costs mindset in business. When organizations prioritize financial gain above all else, what happens to workplace ethics, employee well-being, and long-term sustainability? Rebecca, an expert in behavioral ethics and dysfunctional leadership, shares insights from her research on how these factors shape workplace culture, decision-making, and business outcomes. Don’t miss this deep dive into what happens when only profits matter.