Making The Deal: Frameworks For Transactions

Michael Luzi, from BenePro, joins the pod! On this episode, Mike talks everything employee benefits. What they are, how they drive costs, how business owners and HR managers can contain costs, and the various options that are available to employers. One size certainly doesn't fit all so Mike digs in to talk about how owners can use employee benefits to maximize profitability and their exit.

Joe and Shawn connect with a friend of the podcast, Christopher Bommarito, who founded Castor Engineering. Chris shares his journey from MBA to work in the airline industry and PE. This experience led him down the path of founding his own company. We discuss his background, the entrepeneur's itch and how he manages growth as an owner.

Joe and Shawn are joined by Matt Allison of World Insurance Associates to discuss trade credit insurance and how it can be used to protect against client payment issues as well as be utilized for growth. They cover the rise of bankruptcies and why this tool is so effective in challenging times.

On this episode of MTD, Dylan Straka - Head of Fractional CFO at Mid-States Advisors, joins Shawn and Joe to discuss Fractional CFO and the benefits to owners going through a cash crunch, experiencing growth, and executing on transactions. From working with privately held companies, to joining a family office and getting true family office training, to his pivot to fractional CFO Dylan brings great insights into how he can help companies execute. It's a great listen and one to be enjoyed by any growing company.

Joe & Shawn return for the 2026 season! They kick it off with an engaging conversation with Chris Meso, a founder with multiple successful exits before founding T Rex Advisors. At T Rex Advisors Chris now uses first hand experience, along with proven coaching systems, to guide other founders and owners in his role as a strategic business coach.

Joe and Shawn are joined by Paul Talbot from Insperity, a comprehensive HR and employee benefits firm. Paul walks us through the ways he and his team support the employee part of a transaction. Developing a communication and execution plan, actioning that plan and having important checkins throughout are the major comonents of a succesful transaction.

In episode 16 of MTD, Shawn and Joe discuss an important part of deal making: Networking. Whether finding deals to work on or bringing the deal to a close having the network to make that happen is a crucial part of the process. Shawn and Joe discuss how and where they network and also how to be comoftable in a networking scenario. Enjoy

Shawn and Joe discuss the variety of lenders a business owner or professional may encounter. The variety of lenders, their appetites and differences in expertise make being informed of what type of capital is out there - an important part of a funding process.

In Episode 14 of MTD, Joe and Shawn sit down with Matt Dery from the Q5 Experience, an owner readiness firm that not only prepares businesses for an eventual succession plan but also prepares their owners for life after work. The people side can oftentimes be the most difficult and overlooked part of a transaction. We dig into this topic and more in Episode 14 of MTD.

Joe & Shawn discuss company culture and best fit with Sam Frank from Harvey Hohauser & Associates. Sam joins MTD to discuss his role in the retained executive search field and its impact on a company's bottom line.

Joe and Shawn have a sit down with Kevin McCarron, a seasoned insurance professional. This episode touches on several forms of insurance including environmental, Reps & Warranties insurance, key man and more. Tune in for details on insurance's role in transactions.

David Hamilton, founder of Kickpoint Ventures, joins Joe and Shawn for an engaging conversation. We take a step back from the mechanics of a transaction in this episode. Joe and Shawn leverage David for guidance on the value creation and the journey before the sale.

In this episode, Joe and Shawn discuss the types of buyers a business owner may encounter during a business sale process.

Joe and Shawn have a conversation with guest Kevin Moyer from Bennett Thrasher. The discussion centered around AI and its role in the Mergers & Acquisition market.

Joe and Shawn have an in depth conversation on Asset Based lending with John Klehm of Spectrum Commercial Finance.

What is ABL, when is it used, along with structuring considerations.

In Episode 7 of MTD, Shawn and Joe recap the first year of the podcast, discuss the holidays and related networking and touch on some personal notes. Happy Holidays! We'll see you in the New Year!

In Episode 6 of MTD, Joe and Shawn discuss what the deal package is. What does it include? Who helps prepare it? Who uses it?

In Episode Five of Making the Deal, Joe and Shawn discussion business valuation with Don Price of Bodmer, Price. THe discussion focuses on business valuation, the methods of arriving at a valuation, and the situations where a valuations might be needed for a transaction.

In Episode 4 of Making the Deal we discuss the "Deal Team". There are a lot of important players in making sure a transaction closes successfully and on the best terms for both the Buyer and the Seller. In this episode we talk about who those key players are and their respective roles.

In the third episode of Making the Deal, we are joined by Justin Hanna, Partner with Taft Law. Justin joins us to talk through the contents of the Term Sheet, the Letter of Intent, and the Purchase Agreement and highlights some of the key provisions.

Making the Deal - Episode 2 discuss the general steps taken in almost every transaction. THis is an outline for subjects to be covered in detail in future episodes.

This is the introduction episode for Making the Deal. Tune in to hear how Shawn and Joe met, thier role in the transaction market and what to expect infuture episodes.