Episode Overview

Podcast: Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Matt Litzelfelner, President & Owner, A One Towing
Date: November 12, 2025
Theme:
This episode spotlights Matt Litzelfelner as the Small Business Owner of the Month. Scott and Matt discuss Matt’s fascinating journey from CPA and CFO to small business owner, focusing on his acquisition of A One Towing. The conversation dives into leadership, the challenges and joys of transitioning industries, the opportunities arising in the current economic climate (especially with baby boomer business transitions), and practical wisdom for running and scaling service businesses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Matt’s Background and Journey to Business Ownership

• Roots in the Service Industry:
  • Matt started as a CPA and auditor, working primarily with service-based industries—IT consulting, medical billing, healthcare RCM, and legal services.
  • “I really enjoyed working with people and growing the service industry.” (01:02, Matt)
• Entrepreneurial Spirit:
  • Inspired by family business—his grandfather built a golf course, father managed it, mother owned a physical therapy clinic. Owning a business was always a dream.
• Acquisition of A One Towing:
  • Matt recently purchased A One Towing, viewing it as a “rescue business,” and opened an auto repair shop to complement the towing operation.
  • “Helping people on the side of the roads when they’re at their…when they’re in need of help.” (01:26, Matt)

Immersion in the Business & Ground-Up Leadership

• Hands-On Approach:
  • Despite his executive experience, Matt got licensed to drive a tow truck and spent 80 hours riding along, learning the business from the ground up.
  • “I want to know from the ground up how the business works.” (02:23, Matt)
• Servant Leadership Philosophy:
  • Matt leads by example—no task is beneath him, and he aims to empower and elevate every employee.
  • “I’ve never had the ego. I’ve always been, you know, treat people how you want to be treated.” (05:53, Matt)

Why Towing? Industry Longevity and Opportunity

• Resilient to AI and Automation:
  • Towing and auto repair remain highly human-centric, despite advances in technology—some automation helps (dispatching), but people are essential.
  • “It's nothing that in my lifetime, my kids’ lifetime, that AI is going to be able to take over.” (03:56, Matt)
• Generational Wealth Transfer:
  • Matt sees opportunity in the impending retirement of baby boomer business owners—there’s a new wave of M&A and legacy businesses changing hands.
  • “We are getting ready to see the biggest change in generational wealth in the history just due to all the baby boomers having businesses.” (04:19, Matt)

Challenges and Lessons from Buying a Business

• Steep Learning Curve:
  • Coming from outside the automotive sector, there’s a constant learning process—particularly in understanding partner organizations like AAA.
  • “For me, it was the learning curve of stepping into a completely new industry.” (07:35, Matt)
• Listening Before Leading:
  • Matt’s first 90 days focused on learning from existing staff, understanding operational pain points, and avoiding hasty, top-down changes.
  • “I am a sponge. So the first 90 days I want to know the good, the bad, the ugly.” (07:47, Matt)
• Bringing in Process & Technology:
  • Identifying manual processes and systematically replacing them with tech solutions (digital invoicing, process automation) to boost efficiency and morale.
  • “How do you use technology to increase your productivity, increase your efficiency, take the administrative burden off the people and their job on a day to day basis…” (10:43, Matt)

Leadership & Employee Engagement Wisdom

• Transparency and Alignment:
  • Share the business’s direction, align team goals, and clarify everyone’s role—transparency builds trust and cohesion.
  • “Transparency is huge. Knowing the direction of the business and telling your employees...this is where you fit into that growth plan.” (11:51, Matt)
• Healthy Communication:
  • Matt distinguishes between meaningful, problem-solving communication vs. unnecessary meetings ("meeting to have a meeting").
  • “My day would be bogged down with meeting after meeting... being a business owner, I don’t have very many meetings...it’s productive in the way of, okay, there’s a problem, let’s go fix it.” (13:35, Matt)
  • When addressing mistakes, focus on learning and support, not blame.
  • “My communication is never default someone or say, you know, you screwed up, never do that again. It’s what did we learn from this?” (14:12, Matt)

Setting and Pursuing Goals

• Long-Term Vision, Short-Term Action:
  • Matt sets both broad five-year growth goals (aiming to 5x the business) and practical week-to-week/monthly improvement targets.
  • “For me it is, it’s probably more of a weekly or monthly type of plan to say, look, this is what I want to accomplish this month.” (15:31, Matt)
• Culture of Continuous Improvement:
  • Staff input is encouraged on process improvements and operational changes.
  • “I've always challenged my employees...What are you seeing with the operational issues of the business?...those are the ideas where as a leader you can say, you know what, I hear you.” (16:15, Matt)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Why Towing & Automation:
  • “It was very intriguing to me...the tow truck industry, auto repair industry, although you can use AI... it’s nothing that...AI is going to be able to take over.” – Matt (03:47)
• On Servant Leadership:
  • “I really live by the servant leadership mentality, and I think it’s so important.” – Matt (05:39)
• On Buying a Business:
  • “There’s nothing like buying your own business with your own money.” – Scott (06:58)
• Lesson on Change Management:
  • “I wanted to bring a corporate feel into an organization that hasn’t had it before. But I also knew that’s not always the right way to operate.” – Matt (08:38)
• On Transparency:
  • “I've seen it in multiple organizations where they tried to kind of hide...but we've always been one where, look, if you set that common goal and say this is what we’re going to do...everyone has the same common goal.” – Matt (12:04)
• On Handling Mistakes:
  • “How you communicate those failures to make people want to change their behavior and continue to grow as an employee and a human is just so important.” – Matt (14:41)
• On Growth Mindset:
  • “If we can improve that a little bit month over month over month, then that big picture of trying to grow this company 5x is absolutely achievable.” – Matt (15:47)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Matt’s Background & Business Overview: 00:55 – 01:56
• Hands-On Approach / Learning to Drive a Tow Truck: 02:12 – 02:51
• Why Towing? Industry Opportunity & AI: 03:20 – 04:56
• Leadership Philosophies: 05:36 – 06:58
• Lessons from Acquisition & Change Management: 07:31 – 09:31
• Process and Tech Upgrades: 10:13 – 11:25
• Advice for Other Operators (Transparency & Alignment): 11:43 – 13:08
• Healthy Communication: 13:19 – 15:06
• Goal Setting and Employee Involvement: 15:17 – 17:01

Overall Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is candid, optimistic, and grounded in real-life experience. Matt’s combination of operational humility, leadership acumen, and enthusiasm for both people and process make this episode an inspiring and practical listen for anyone in business ownership or management. Scott’s admiration is genuine, and Matt’s responses reflect a mix of strategic thinking and hands-on commitment—setting a compelling example for aspiring entrepreneurs and current business leaders alike.