From the headlines: Cuba's electrical grid went down and the whole country went dark.

There are lessons in this for lower middle market companies, including:

• You must make capital expenditures before they're needed
• If you have FFE&V you need to spend money to grow
• EBITDA is misleading where there are fixed assists

The episode ends with some great quotes from Warren Buffett

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903

Mike Horne leads the "People Dividend" movement and is the host of The People Dividend Podcast.

His new book is aptly titled, "The People Dividend." He joins John to discuss:

1. Work in the new era
2. What exactly is The People Dividend
3. Why dignity, kindness, and respect are keys to success
4. His work helping fix people, teams, and organizations

Mike works with founders, C-suite leaders and those aspiring to be leaders. He likes to work with goal oriented people and strives for "Integrity by design."

You can reach Mike at www.mike-horne.com.

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903

Sean Grace is the author of, "The Art of the Question." Sean is the owner of Peak LUMA (www.peakluma.com) and an advisor and coach to people in all levels of business. He offers comprehensive training sessions on using questions (and more) to help people advance their careers and improve their business operations.

During our discussion we cover:

1. The difference between leadership, management, and coaching
2. The importance of questions and the different type of questions
3. The three sections of his book: Knowledge, Interpersonal, and Innovation and how questions play an important part

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903

Jim Creagan is a second generation owner who has grown the business organically and by acquisition. He discusses:

• Joining (buying) the business from his dad (and working with dad)
• Learning management on the fly
• Acquiring other companies
• Outsourcing with industry partners
• How his risk profile has changed

Fascinating discussion with tips for any and all small business owners. Check out Jim's firm at www.crossingwell.com.

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903

Fascinating discussion with Joshua Monge who does fractional COO work for small businesses (up to about $10 million in sales. We cover:

• Empowering Business Owners to Step Away from the Day-to-Day
• How Fractional COOs Can Transform Mid-Sized Businesses
• The Role of Technology in Scaling Service-Based Businesses
• Building a Business That’s Ready for Sale – Even If You’re Not Selling Yet
• The Importance of Leadership Development in Growing Businesses
• Process Mapping and Visualization as IP and Assets

We cover a lot - of great information - in 25 minutes.

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903

There's a Seattle area school district in a deep financial hole, as per the state auditor and their own management team.

I don't know the whole story but often well meaning people like the mission and don't understand the workings. Large business, small business, school district, or non-profit, you can't spend more than you take in (for very long).

In this episode I talk about debt issues, understaning financial statements, and how they're tied together.

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903

Business buyers look for areas where they can improve and add value.

Business owners should be looking to see where they can add value.

Too many owners do too many things below their pay grade. Listen to learn:

• Things buyers look for that they can do better than the current owner (and easily add value).
• Eight common areas an owner works on that are under their pay grade.
• Eight common things an owner should do to increase value.

Sometimes it just means don't go into coast mode and for a buyer to see these things as opportunity not as a blemish.

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903

In our soon to be released book, Exit With Style, Grace, and More Money we cover things an owner should think about (besides getting the business soaring and in tip-top shape).

Buyers should want the seller to think through these things because if no thought is given the chances seller remorse increase.

Listen to learn and here some examples.

John Martinka
Jessica Martinka

Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our videos
https://nokomisadvisory.com/
https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos
425-515-4903