The Aprio Advisory

Inflation is hotter than ever, but when will it cool down? We are excited to welcome Simeon Wallis, Chief Investment Officer of Aprio's Wealth Management, back to the podcast. John and Simeon discuss how we are wading through uncharted territory with levels of inflation we have not dealt with in 40 years, coming out of a pandemic that has heavily impacted global supply chains and a land war in Europe. Listen now as Simeon shares how inflation is impacting the economy and what we can expect to see during the upcoming months.

Selling a company can feel like magic. As a female CEO of a tech company, Robbie Hardy, Co-Founder of Our Poker Night, knew the chips were stacked against her. After more than 20 years climbing the corporate ladder, Robbie never lost her focus and has become an experienced and trusted entrepreneur and investor. Listen now as she shares the lessons she learned early in her entrepreneurial career and the importance of keeping a close eye on your company rather than the company acquiring you.

To get the right M&A deals done, it's best to steer clear of growth for growth stake. Corey Kupfer, Principal of Kupfer & Associates, PLLC, Founder and CEO of DealQuest and member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, embodied the mind of an entrepreneur and learned accountability from a young age. From the moment he started his firm at the age of 30, Corey blended his entrepreneurial spirit with his law firm to help business leaders with deal-driven growth. Listen now as Corey shares how every good M&A deal that wishes to secure the right terms must focus on strategy.

If you take the time to understand how your economic engine is working, you can be profitable in almost any endeavor. Bill Dupee, Transaction Advisory Partner at Aprio, doesn't want to see someone jump to do a deal just to do a deal or because an unsolicited one is being offered. Instead, he believes you must first define the strategic direction of your business and then determine how a potential transaction could fit into where your business is headed. Listen now as Bill shares what attracted him to the dynamic, fast-paced nature of the M&A world, the importance of gaining an informed view of your financial performance and how inflation is impacting M&A deals.

Many companies have considered selling their business but have no idea where to start. Jessica Fialkovich, the Founder and CEO of Exit Factor, and prominent member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, built one of the largest M&A business brokerage firms in the US. Listen now as she shares what drove her passion to help small businesses prepare to sell, the biggest lessons she learned from selling her first company and what's going on in the M&A world.

This week we talk with Mark Jacobs, CEO of ScaleWerks, on the key characteristics for companies to achieve sustainable scale and growth—adopting automation to increase efficiencies, a strong online presence to connect with customers and concern for the wellbeing of your employees. Throughout his career, Mark's passion for collaborating with people enthusiastic about change has guided him on his journey to teach companies the art of scaling. Listen now!

Mary Cantando, Founder and Trustee of xElle Ventures, joins us on the podcast as we bring our Women in Leadership series to a close. xElle Ventures is an early-stage angel investment fund dedicated to funding, mentoring and marketing women-owned businesses. In 2001, Mary took a leap to focus her time and energy on what brought her joy — supporting female entrepreneurs. Listen now as Mary shares her passion for empowering female leaders to create positive ripple effects that directly impact families and communities.

This week, we continue our Women in Leadership series with Susan Andersen, the Founder and Executive Director of ANSWER Scholarship, Inc. When Susan received a partial college scholarship at the age of 18, a seed was planted to somehow pay it forward, yet at the time she had no idea what it would look like. Since 2006, ANSWER has provided scholarships, mentorships and professional development to moms of school-age children throughout the Carolina region. Listen now to learn how Susan's passion transformed into a non-profit that gives moms the financial stability to change the destiny of their children.

On a special episode of The Aprio Advisory Podcast, John Bly is joined by three restaurant and hospitality specialists — Tommy Lee, Aprio's Retail, Franchise and Hospitality Leader and Tax Partner, Andy Peskoe, Attorney and Chairman at Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe, LLP and Sarah Diehl, Founder of Empowered Hospitality. Tommy, Andy and Sarah discuss the current state of the industry, the future as COVID restrictions begin to lift, creative solutions to set your business apart and the comeback of the QR Code. Listen now!

This week in continuation of our Women in Leadership series, John interviews Sylvia Cothia, the President/Founder of Positive Women United as well as a licensed nurse clinician specializing in corporate managed healthcare administration under Quality Management/Quality Improvement. Positive Women United is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose primary purpose and mission is to inspire, motivate, advocate and mentor young girls and women of all ages including at risk female youth and seniors from disadvantaged and socioeconomic backgrounds. The organization is committed to gender equality and provides services such as workshops, referrals, seminars, mentorship programs, job readiness, job training, and related economic programs while helping to increase young girls' and women's self-esteem, self-image and holistic wellbeing.

This week, in celebration of Women's History Month, we'd like to revisit one of our favorite women in leadership episodes with Michele Blondheim, Aprio's Director of Corporate Citizenship. Listen now to Michele's advice for establishing a focus, strengthening involvement within your team and creating positive ripple effects in the community while setting your business apart.

This week, in continuation of our Women in Leadership series, John interviews Yelena Epova, Aprio's Atlanta Office Leader, International Practice Leader and Tax Partner. Yelena started working for Aprio in the 1990s after moving to the U.S. and answering an ad placed in the classifieds. At the time, she had no work experience and did not speak the best English, but she was determined to find her path. She went on to found Aprio's international practice, which has grown to 100 professionals, speaking 35+ languages and serving clients in over 50 countries. Today, Yelena continues to empower strong female leaders both within the community and within the firm. Hear her story now.

Today, we begin a Women in Leadership series as John interviews Lisa Robinson, President of OnBoard Inc., the leading authority on women in the boardroom and executive suites of Georgia public companies, dedicated to increasing the number of women in executive leadership roles and on corporate boards. As noted by Lisa, one woman in the boardroom is a token, two is a presence and three is a voice. While we have seen an increase in the number of women on boards over recent years, there is still a lot of work to do - especially when it comes to diversity inclusion. For women looking to accelerate their leadership abilities, raise their visibility and increase opportunities for networking, there are some excellent programs available. Listen now to learn more.

This week, John interviews Mike Maksymiw (otherwise known as Mike Max), Executive Director of Aprio's Firm Foundation. The Firm Foundation is a national alliance which shares research, networking, and coaching opportunities with small to mid-sized CPA firms up to $20 million in revenue. Through connecting growing firms with resources to advance client relationships, Mike has been able to develop a community of forward-thinking CPAs and consulting firms and share ideas, helping them to think through and deal with major issues in the profession. The need for CPA services is infinite, and we can help each other without always having to worry about the competition. Learn more now.

This week we continue our conversation on Mergers & Acquisitions as John interviews Chad Widensky, National Sales Director for Provide, the healthcare industry's only digital finance company. Through their online platform, they provide dentists, veterinarians, and other healthcare practitioners a seamless experience as they build, grow, and elevate their practices. Several common themes in the M&A world include learning from others, community building, surrounding yourself with the right people, and making good decisions based on input from others. Listen now.

This week, we kick off our M&A series as John interviews Justin Schafer, Esq, Aprio's Director of Practice Transitions. Specializing in the dental industry, Justin has advised dental professionals in over 1,000 transitions and facilitated more than $500 million in dental practice financing. The dental M&A space seems to be very hot over the last couple of years. One trigger for this influx may be due to practices reopening so quickly from the mandatory shutdowns without the opportunity to go virtual, therefore, many dental professionals (as well as veterinary and healthcare professionals) did not get the break that other small businesses have experienced. With so many additional stressors such labor shortages as well as legal and safety precautions in place, this is likely leading to an increase in early retirements and careers changes for many doctors and support staff. Despite these factors, the dental industry is booming and there are many exciting opportunities available for someone interested in a startup, acquisition, or associate buy-in. Learn more now.

This week we are joined once again by Simeon Wallis, Aprio's Chief Investment Officer, for an economic update. Listen now to learn more about the main drivers impacting our economy.

This week, we continue our Sales / Marketing series as John interviews Scott Gerber, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Community.co, an organization that builds and manages communities for global brands and media companies. He is also the founder of YEC, an invitation-only organization comprised of the world's most successful young entrepreneurs and author of Super Connector, a guide to building business relationships that matter. Real relationships and success take time. Enjoy the organic journey and enable your personal brand and relationships to build ROI.

This week in continuation of our Sales / Marketing series, John interviews Mo Bunnell, author of The Snowball System, host of the video podcast Real Relationships Real Revenue and the founder of Bunnell Idea Group (BIG). Mo and his team have trained over 15,000 seller-experts at over 400 clients all over the world to create a growth-oriented culture. Some key sales considerations in Mo's teachings include going from reactive to proactive, shifting from selling to striving to be helpful, and reinforcing business development and sales as learnable skills.

This week, in continuation of our Sales / Marketing series, John interviews Jack Daly, a leading speaker, author, and trainer of sales, sales management and culture with over 30 years of sales and executive experience. According to Jack, more than 90% of companies don't have a sales playbook and the cornerstone of highly successful salespeople (less than 15% of sellers) is practice and sacrifice. It is imperative as a business owner to focus on what you have control over and be laser focused on adding value – not just selling. Calling on the right prospects (fewer and better), engaging in high payoff activities and practicing before meeting with the client (not practicing on the client) are all ways to ensure value for your client and it's never been easier than now. Goals and focus proceed success so take action and take some risks.

This week we're continuing our series on Sales / Marketing as John interviews Carl Gould, a worldwide leading authority on business and entrepreneurship, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and Entrepreneur's Organization member. His company, 7 Stage Advisors helps organizations grow to the next level, mentoring the launch of over five thousand businesses thus far. On the side, Carl coaches leaders all over the world to become more successful. Now, he takes some time to share with our listeners some sales and marketing trends we are seeing and provide key takeaways such as the importance of understanding the supply chain, not just your product as well as the benefit of offering options at a premium to better service customers the way they're asking. If you are interested in taking your business to the next level, listen now.

This week kicks off our Sales / Marketing series as John interviews Adam Witty, a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization and Young Presidents' Organization, the Founder, President and CEO of Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks as well as an Aprio client. Over that last 16 years, Adam has built the company into one of the largest business book publishers in America, serving over 1,500 Members in all 50 U.S. states and 67 countries. What's Adam's advice for surviving and thriving? As he shares, “The one thing the pandemic did, is it built a deeper habit within consumers that everything begins online.” What does Google say about you and your business? People buy people so you must control your digital footprint and have a personal brand that sells. Listen now to learn more.

This week we bring back Aprio's Managing Partner and CEO, Richard Kopelman to round out our Culture series with a discussion on living The Aprio Way. The Aprio Way is a sequence of value-based fundamentals created to help the firm walk and talk its ideals through ongoing practice and discussion, conceptualized through the combination of technical expertise with a deep sense of caring for every challenge and opportunity. The name Aprio itself is a prime example of leading culture with head and heart as it was derived from the root words for “head” and “heart.” Richard was so passionate about this symbolism in fact that he even adopted the word “Aprio” as his second legal middle name, making him Richard Barry Aprio Kopelman. With fundamentals such as “practice blameless problem solving”, “be relentless about improvement” and “build meaningful relationships”, it is a consistent way for the team to hold themselves and each other accountable. Learn more now.

This week we continue our discussions on HR / Culture and more specifically on diversity, equity and inclusion as John interviews Dr. Christal Morris, a results-oriented HR and Diversity & Inclusion Executive. Dr. Morris remains committed to optimizing talent for nearly 25 years in HR across many companies as well as through consulting and speaking engagements, with expertise in leadership development, talent management, employee management, diversity and all aspects of the employee life cycle. Beginning with curiosity as a child in understanding why people make certain decisions, Dr. Morris learned that many of those decisions may be based on biases and assumptions. Tune in to hear more about the value in suspending those biases and being thoughtful in the moment to better shape our leadership, especially today as it relates to building a culture around diversity, equity and inclusion.

This week continues our People / Culture series as John interviews Michele Blondheim, Aprio's Director of Corporate Citizenship. Michele is passionate about creating brand reputation and bringing core values to life through community relations, strategic partnerships, and executive board placements. As Michele describes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should be a core value for businesses today. Business owners who aspire to grow authentically should lean into a cause that connects to the business and then encourage and enable team members to get and stay involved. Are you building a case for CSR in your business? Listen now to Michele's advice for establishing a focus, strengthening involvement within your team and creating positive ripple effects in the community while setting your business apart.

This week we pause our People / Culture series to bring you an economic update from Aprio's Chief Investment Officer, Simeon Wallis. Listen now to learn more about the current two main drivers of change (supply chain and inflation) and their impact on the economy.

This week John interviews author, entrepreneur, comedian and fellow podcaster, John Garrett. Garrett serves as a catalyst for cultural change, helping people to pinpoint their passions outside of work (their and) and better understand how they can bring those passions within their organization. According to Garrett, leadership is about setting the tone and being genuine about it. The default at work is that many people don't share. It's our job as leaders to ask the questions and learn more about our people so they can bring their full selves to work. Listen now to learn tips for attracting and retaining top talent and building stronger relationships with clients and customers.

HR and Recruiting teams listen up! This week John interviews Cyndi Gave, Owner and Founder of The Metiss Group. The Metiss Group helps business leaders reach their full potential through the alignment of employee selection, performance acceleration and organizational health to drive employee retention, culture and eventually long-term profits. Learn Cyndi's advice for putting together processes and systems such as behavior-based assessments and performance checks to support a strong culture and healthy organization.

This week kicks off the People / Culture series as John interviews Darrin Friedrich, a partner in Aprio's Real Estate Tax Practice and Leader of The Aprio Foundation. The Aprio Foundation is an employee led Foundation dedicated to educating and empowering individuals to work hand-in-hand with public charities to positively impact the communities in which we live, work and play. Corporate philanthropy is a key aspect of leading a successful business. As Darrin explains, it is important to be strategic in getting others excited about their passions and getting them involved in giving back to the community through their time, talent and treasures.

This week, rounding out the Economic series, John interviews Ami Kassar, EO member, author of “The Growth Dilemma”, and founder and CEO of Multifunding. As an in-demand speaker and trusted advisor to growth-focused business leaders, Ami has helped thousands of business owners achieve ambitious growth goals through creative and personalized funding solutions as well as aided in creating tens of thousands of jobs. Listen now as Ami describes trends seen today in the lending market such as more M&A and partner loan work, strong working capital and interest rates for owner occupied commercial real estate currently available to lock in at historic lows.

This week John interviews Keith Greenwald, Partner-in-Charge of Aprio's Private Client Services as well as Aprio's Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Services, on the topic of ESG. ESG is a system for measuring the sustainability or a company or investment in three specific categories: environmental, social and governance. Many public shareholders, hedge funds, private equity funds and limited partners are now requiring companies to account for ESG factors in their investment decisions, prompting greater transparency on companies' ESG policies and performance. Aprio helps clients navigate every milestone on their sustainability journey from accounting, verification and ESG scoring to advancing corporate social responsibility programs. Listen now to learn how ESG is impacting the economy and reach out to Keith if you would like to schedule a consultation to explore how you can get started creating your own ESG roadmap.

This week in continuation of our economic series, John interviews Jay Offerdahl, Founder and President of Viking Mergers & Acquisitions and Past President of the Entrepreneurs' Organization. Since its establishment in 1996, Viking Mergers has sold over 500 businesses across the Southeast and has grown to eight offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida with over 35 staff members – many of whom are prior business owners. Thinking of buying or selling a business? Tune in now for tips on timing and strategy and learn more about some of the drivers of the robust growth that Jay and the M&A world have recently seen, particularly in the small business space.

This week kicks off our economic series as John interviews Simeon Wallis, Chief Investment Officer of Aprio Wealth Management and Director of Aprio Family Office. Simeon brings two decades of professional investing experience in publicly traded and privately held companies, as well as senior-level operating and strategy consulting experiences. In this episode, Simeon shares the overarching trends he is seeing in the economy and how specifically we can apply those things across small and mid-sized companies. Listen now as Simeon describes the v-shaped rebound seen both in the U.S. and in China, the move to regionalization as opposed to globalization (especially for the manufacturing industry and supply chains) and what the road to recovery looks like.

In this week's episode, John interviews David Anderson, current EO Global Chairman, leadership coach, business owner, CEO, author and speaker. Dave is an experienced entrepreneur whose leadership path has taken him from president of his college fraternity to the White House. He is now focused on building businesses and sharing his expertise to allow others to learn, grow and prosper. Some of Dave's leadership advice involves becoming a good listener, surrounding yourself with experienced people and allowing them to be comfortable debating on issues with respectful conflict. Listen now to learn more.

In this week's episode, John interviews Brian Kight, board member of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Charlotte Chapter and author, speaker, fellow podcaster and founder of Daily Discipline. Daily Discipline is a multi-industry training system / podcast series focusing on topics of leadership, culture and behavior with over 32k subscribers. Brian provides simple systems that produce excellent results for organizations, teams and people. His clients around the world include professional and collegiate sports teams, schools, banks, manufacturing, healthcare, accounting, insurance and many others. Listen now as Brian and John discuss the chain effect of how leaders create culture, culture drives behavior and behavior produces results.

This week, John interviews Brian Brault, Former Chair of the Global Board of Directors for the Entrepreneur's Organization (EO), co-Chair of the Entrepreneurial Masters Program, a Formator in the EO Leadership Academy and founder and CEO of two Inc 500 and 5000 companies. Brian helped bring entrepreneurs from around the world to the United Nations in support of sustainable development goals such as eliminating poverty, fighting inequality and tackling climate change. He is a firm believer in making an impact by giving back, putting service above self and using authenticity as a core principle in his leadership strategy.

This week in continuation of our leadership series, John interviews Jim Canfield, President, CEO and Author of CEO Tools. Jim, "a leader of leaders", has dedicated over 10,000 hours of coaching and worked with more than 300 CEOs to provide programs, mentorship and inspired content to drive bottom line business results and enhance overall quality of life. Jim has served as the keynote speaker and workshop leader for many growth-oriented companies, including McDonald's and Culligan Water, sharing the messages of CEO Tools and helping businesses to increase the results of their top performers. Listen now to hear Jim's take on how you can create a disciplined pattern and cadence of communication, execution and optimization to strengthen your team and maximize the longevity of your business.

This week, John interviews Keynote Speaker and Author, David Rendall. During the last fifteen years, David Rendall has spoken to audiences on every inhabited continent. His clients include the US Air Force, Australian Government, and Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, AT&T, United Health Group, Fannie Mae, and State FarmK Insurance. Prior to becoming a Certified Speaking Professional, he was a leadership professor and stand-up comedian. He also managed nonprofit enterprises that provided employment for people with disabilities. Listen now to learn how to boost your leadership style and channel your inner superhero using the four essential factors of effective leadership.

This week, John interviews John Ricco, Co-Founder of Atlantic Group, a leading accounting/finance recruitment and temporary staffing firm serving multiple locations, industries and lines of business. John has been featured in Crain's, Forbes, The Financial Times, US News & World Report, CFO Magazine, eFinancial Careers, Big4.com, and Glassdoor.com and also made appearances on FOX BUSINES, CNBC Power Lunch, MarketWatch, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Radio, The Street and BNN. Since the firm's inception in 2006, John has honed his crisis management skills, both throughout the financial crisis in 2008 and then again during the COVID-19 era, looking at disruption as an opportunity to grab more market share and come out stronger on the other side. What are his secrets? Listen now to find out.

In this week's episode, John interviews Rhys Wilson, the Co-Chair of the Nelson Mullins Mergers & Acquisitions Group, recently selected by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America in both M&A and Corporate Law. In addition to helping clients buy and sell businesses in his law practice, Rhys is finishing his first year as the Board Chair of The Atlanta Opera – and what a year it was! Listen now to learn how Rhys led the organization in reimagining the experience, pivoting through adversity and keeping the magic of the opera alive.

In this week's episode, John interviews Bruce A. Phillips, CPA, Managing Director and Partner of Aprio Cloud. Aprio Cloud is a branch of Aprio providing cloud-based, outsourced accounting and technology solutions for global small-to-mid-sized businesses and entrepreneurs. While many of us are new to remote work, Bruce was ahead of his time, swapping his dreams of having an active office with a keg and ping pong table back in 2013 in favor of a remote culture with periodic teambuilding trips. More recently, Bruce can be found cruising along the east coast on his yacht, proving that businesses can keep their clients and employees happy no matter where they are. And that virtual nautical background in the Zoom meeting? It's the real deal. ----more----

In continuation of our leadership series, John interviews Barry Kates, Founder and President of Innovative Group, and Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) member, regarding the instrumental pivots required to sustain his company's success in the event world. This dynamic discussion examines the stark contrast in the event space before and after COVID. Barry takes us through the timeline, going from experiential events involving midnight flights over the Bermuda Triangle with Freddy Kreuger to making bold decisions of shutting down large-scale events involving hundreds of employees including major football games in South Florida, knocking the business down to zero revenue and relying on PPP funding to stay afloat. Listen now to find out how Barry persevered, leading his team and business to the ultimate Super Bowl win.

In this episode, John interviews Tommy Lee, Partner-in-Charge of Aprio's Retail, Franchise & Hospitality practice about guiding the restaurant industry using innovation, flexibility and pivoting. Tommy recalls accounts of collecting data, listening, being inquisitive and using various sources of contacts to get additional information to adapt and make the right decisions, all from the comfort of an RV...

In this episode, Bob Tassone, shares challenges as the Chair-elect for the US East Chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This podcast dives in to the importance using timely decision making, risk mitigation and risk assessment to transform, getting information from the people on the ground (and allowing them to act on it) and lastly, have a positive attitude – that is critical, especially in trying times where you have to become a war-time leader.

In the premier episode of The Aprio Advisory podcast, John interviews Richard Kopelman, Managing Partner and CEO of Aprio on the topic of leadership in a crisis and how Aprio and their clients have pivoted in the last year. Richard provides leadership lessons throughout a pandemic and discusses client success stories and strategies to prepare for a swift recovery.