Podcast
CEO Bros - After Hours
Hosted by CEO Bros · EN
CEO Bros is an entertaining weekly podcast hosted by the Balduf Brothers and Matt Croke.
Brian and Brad Balduf are successful entrepreneurs and CEOs with hundreds of engaging and insightful stories from the trenches.
They talk about everything from the challenges of starting a business, to the exhilaration of growing the business, to the ultimate satisfaction of selling a business.
They share real-life stories and lessons in an engaging and candid 'after hours' conversation moderated by Matt Croke, an international entertainer, comedian, and author.
Join the guys every Friday afternoon for a new episode. Hear some rants, some ideas, some lessons learned, and some funny anecdotes about the world of running your own company.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Small things make a big difference ep 71
1w ago00:24:51Tap to summarize*The CEO Picked Up Trash (Then Everyone Else Got the Message) S2 Ep 71* Tiny customer service habits that separate good companies from great ones Would a dirty sidewalk cost you a customer? Would a rude employee cost you a great hire? Would one ignored hello tell people your company does not care? Brian, Brad, and Matt start with three words everybody learned in kindergarten: please, hello, thank you. Then it gets bigger fast. Brad brings up the CEO of Kalahari Resorts, a guy running massive water park resorts who still picks up tiny scraps of paper himself. That is not trash removal. That is leadership. When the person at the top cares about the floor, the sidewalk, the lobby, and the guest experience, everyone else gets the message. Then the guys hit the real issue. A smudged window, a dirty walkway, a front desk that does not say hello, a customer left sitting in the lobby, a Chipotle line where nobody explains what is happening. None of those feel huge in the moment. Together, they tell customers exactly how seriously you run the business. In this conversation you'll discover: • Why small service habits create big trust signals • How leaders set culture without saying a word • Why Matt drove out with no notice to fix one client experience face to face • Why a candidate being rude to a server tells you everything • Why you cannot memo your way into warmth *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS • Pick up the trash yourself. People copy what leaders repeat. • Walk through your own customer experience with fresh eyes. • Train the tiny phrases: hello, can I help you, sorry I kept you waiting. • Hire for how people treat everyone, not just the boss. WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side. Matt Croke keeps them honest. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If this is how they treat the small thing, what do they do with the bigger things?" That is the whole episode. Customers rarely say the sidewalk lost them. They just stop trusting you. Drop a comment: What's the tiny customer experience detail that drives you insane? Subscribe for cocktails, chaos, and CEOs keeping it real. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Tornado warning, still recording 1:01 - Please, hello, thank you 2:53 - The CEO who picked up trash 4:21 - The dirty sidewalk problem 6:37 - Matt drives out to fix it in person 8:43 - Hotel front desk rant 10:02 - The Chipotle line problem 11:19 - You cannot memo culture 14:13 - Customer-facing means you are on stage 17:06 - The server test for hiring *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* Real CEOs. Real problems. No BS. Brian and Brad Balduf share what actually happens when you're running the show. Hosted by Matt Croke. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three tiny signals. Pick the one that matches your customer experience sin. 🍸 *THE TRASH PICKER* Brian Balduf - The guy watching the details Recipe: 2 oz bourbon ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz honey syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters Lemon peel Shake with ice, strain over a large cube. The Vibe: A clean, sharp reminder that leaders do not walk past the problem. They pick it up, fix it, and make everyone else notice. 🍸 *THE DIRTY SIDEWALK SPRITZ* Brad Balduf - The first impression inspector Recipe: 2 oz vodka 1 oz grapefruit juice ½ oz lime juice ½ oz simple syrup Top with soda Build over ice and stir. The Vibe: Bright, simple, and impossible to hide when it is off. Just like the entrance to your business before a customer ever reaches the desk. 🍸 *THE SERVER TEST* Matt Croke - Reading the room Recipe: 2 oz gin ¾ oz elderflower liqueur ¾ oz lemon juice 2 oz chilled sparkling wine Lemon twist Shake gin, elderflower, and lemon with ice. Strain into a flute, top with sparkling wine. The Vibe: Polished on the surface, but the truth shows up in how you treat people. If someone is rude to the server, do not hire them. Make all three. Which one exposes your business fastest: the trash, the sidewalk, or the server test? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #CustomerExperience #LeadershipCulture #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessPodcast #CEOLife
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How to sell your business pt 4 Gotchas ep 70
2w ago00:32:56Tap to summarize*They Offered $1 Million (Then Tried to Take It Back) | S2 Ep 70* The offer looked perfect. Then the buyer started changing the deal. What happens when a $1 million offer becomes $925,000? What if part of your payout gets locked in escrow for 18 months? What if the buyer wants to pay you with stock instead of cash? Most owners think getting the Letter of Intent means they're almost done. Brian and Brad know that's when the hardest part begins. This is Episode 70. The final chapter of selling your business. Earnouts. Escrow. Retrades. Due diligence surprises. The expensive mistakes sellers make after they think they've already won. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why buyers often retrade after due diligence • How a $1 million offer quietly becomes $925,000 • Why escrow accounts change your actual payout • The danger of accepting private-company stock • How employees, customers, and competitors react to a sale *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Get as much detail as possible into the Letter of Intent • Expect buyers to challenge price and terms • Research the buyer as aggressively as they're researching you • Know exactly which assets belong in the deal *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions business owners wish they'd asked sooner. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "The best day of the process is getting the Letter of Intent. After that, everything gets harder." What's the biggest surprise you've seen during a business sale? SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - You Got the LOI. Now the Real Work Starts 1:25 - Why Earnouts Make Sellers Nervous 5:16 - The Retrade: How $1M Becomes $925K 9:50 - Escrow Holdbacks and Frozen Money 11:37 - The Private Stock Trap 17:33 - Asset Sale vs. Company Sale 20:00 - The Legal Bills Nobody Warns You About 25:00 - Employees, Customers, and Industry Reactions 27:23 - Brian's Final Advice for Sellers 30:47 - Ray the Barkeep's Clean Close *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share real stories about scaling companies, acquisitions, exits, leadership mistakes, and hard-earned lessons. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Four drinks for four ways a deal changes after the Letter of Intent. Pick the one that matches your situation. 🍸 *THE RETRADE* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's seen the number change Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist The Vibe: You agreed to a million. Then the buyer found reasons it should be less. Starts sweet, finishes with bite. 🍸 *THE ESCROW HOLDBACK* Brad Balduf - The operator waiting for his money Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • ½ oz orange liqueur • Lime wheel The Vibe: The deal closed, but some of your cash is still sitting in escrow. Frustratingly good. 🍸 *THE FINE PRINT* Matt Croke - The host reading the stuff nobody else wants to read Recipe: • 1.5 oz gin • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Club soda • Lemon wheel • Shake first four with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: The headline said $1 million. The fine print said something very different. Escrow. Earnouts. Holdbacks. Matt spent the episode asking the questions sellers forget to ask until it's too late. Looks simple. Hides a lot. 🍸 *THE CLEAN CLOSE* Ray the Barkeep - The guy who knows when the deal is finally done Recipe: • 2 oz Tito's Handmade Vodka • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Splash soda water • Lemon wheel • Shake first three with ice, strain into rocks glass, top with soda The Vibe: No earnout. No escrow. No surprise stock certificates. No lawyers calling at 4:55 on Friday. Just cash in the bank, signatures on the paper, and a handshake on the way out the door. Ray likes his drinks the same way he likes business deals: simple, clean, and finished. Make all four. The Retrade? The Holdback? The Fine Print? The Clean Close? Tell us which one you've lived through. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH](https://x.com/CeoBrosAH) [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/](https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/) [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH](https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros) #entrepreneurship #businesssale #mergersandacquisitions #leadership #ceobros #exitstrategy #howto #howtosellmybusiness #sellmybusiness #startuplife
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How to sell your business pt 3c (C is for closing the deal)
3w ago00:30:40Tap to summarize*Your Buyer Found the Mess (Your Price Just Dropped) | S2 Ep 69* Due diligence is where deals get slower, harder, and more expensive. Can you explain exactly how your business makes money? Could you produce three years of financial records tomorrow? What happens when a buyer finds the thing you've been putting off for five years? This is episode 69. The Bros finish the business sale process by walking through the stage that catches most owners off guard: due diligence. The LOI is signed. Everyone is excited. Then the buyer starts asking questions. Lots of questions. Financials. Payroll. Processes. Customers. Marketing. Security. Compliance. Anything unclear becomes risk. Anything undocumented becomes a problem. Every red flag gives the buyer a reason to lower the price. Then comes the purchase agreement, where sellers learn a hard lesson: a $1 million deal rarely means $1 million in cash. Earnouts, stock, escrows, and closing conditions all affect what you actually take home. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why due diligence creates deal fatigue • The one thing every seller should organize first • How undocumented processes lower valuation • The owner salary mistake that inflates profits • Why many earnouts never fully pay out *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Keep years of clean financial records • Document your processes before buyers ask • Explain your business simply and clearly • Treat earnouts as bonuses, not guarantees *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke asks the questions business owners need answered. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "Every piece of ambiguity in your business lowers the price." How prepared is your business for due diligence? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Most Important Seller Document 1:20 - Why This Series Took Three Episodes 3:01 - Due Diligence Begins 7:22 - Process Documentation Matters 9:46 - The Problems That Came Back to Haunt Brian 10:56 - Financials Win Deals 12:01 - The Profit Calculation Mistake 13:43 - The 15-Minute Explanation Red Flag 19:35 - Cash, Stock, Earnouts & Escrow 27:09 - The Free Rust-Proofing Story *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies, scaling teams, buying businesses, selling businesses, and leading through chaos. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three stages of selling your business. Pick your poison. 🍸 *THE RED FLAG* Brian Balduf - The guy who's lived through diligence Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist The Vibe: Missing reports. Different answers from different employees. Buyers notice everything. This drink starts smooth and ends with consequences. 🍸 *THE EARNOUT* Brad Balduf - The operator reading the fine print Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • ½ oz Aperol • Lime wheel The Vibe: Looks great in the conference room. Harder to collect in real life. Enjoy it, but don't build retirement plans around it. 🍸 *THE CASH AT CLOSE* Matt Croke - Asking the practical question Recipe: • 1.5 oz vodka • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Splash club soda • Grapefruit wheel The Vibe: No projections. No promises. No performance targets. Just money in the bank. Which one are you ordering? The Red Flag, the Earnout, or the Cash at Close? *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH](https://x.com/CeoBrosAH) [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/](https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/) [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH](https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros) #entrepreneurship #businesssale #duediligence #leadership #smallbusiness #ceobros #bestbusinesspodcast #howtosellmybusiness #sellingabusiness #lhowto
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How to sell your business pt 3b the process continues
4w ago00:35:31Tap to summarize*Six Months From Closing (Then the Deal Died Anyway) S2 Ep 68 * The letter of intent starts the clock. The buyer can still walk away. What happens after a buyer says yes? What are you actually signing when the letter of intent lands? And how does a deal die after six months of work? Brad walks through the alphabet soup of selling a business: NDA, teaser, SIM, IOI, letter of intent, and purchase agreement. The dry terms get expensive fast. Give a competitor too much information, and your customer list, employee titles, and compensation details become their playbook. Then Brian gets into the LOI trap. The buyer wants 60 to 90 days of exclusivity. You stop talking to everyone else. They go under the hood, spend money, ask for everything, and start hunting for reasons to lower the offer. Brad lived the nightmare. By Your Side had an LOI, six months of deal fatigue, and a closing date about two weeks away. Then the buyer chased a company two or three times larger, hit pause, came back five months later, lost its CEO, and the deal was dead. This is episode 68. Time kills all deals. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why an NDA matters most when a competitor wants a look • What a teaser, SIM, IOI, letter of intent, and purchase agreement actually do • Why exclusivity can lock you up while the buyer keeps digging • How a $15M offer turns into an $11M retrade • Why one buyer is leverage for them, and five buyers is leverage for you *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Keep IOIs on the same timeline so buyers compete at the same time • Push for a shorter exclusivity window, 60 days beats 90 • Get your books clean before the letter of intent, not after it • Use a banker and attorney who know where deals fall apart *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "Time kills all deals. The longer it takes to close, the more likely something happens and the deal goes sideways." Which part of selling your business would keep you up at night? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Time Kills All Deals 1:43 - NDA, Teaser, SIM, IOI, Letter of Intent 3:32 - The Letter of Intent Starts Costing Real Money 6:18 - Cash, Stock, Earnout, and Exclusivity 7:58 - The $15M to $11M Retrade 9:03 - Why Multiple Buyers Matter 11:35 - The Stalking Horse Offer 14:14 - Brian Gets Both Bidders to Raise 17:11 - The Accounting Colonoscopy 18:51 - Brad's Deal Dies After Six Months 25:13 - Purchase Agreement and Clawbacks *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three ways a deal gets real. Pick the one that matches your closing anxiety. 🍸 *THE EXCLUSIVITY CLOCK* Brian Balduf - The seller who knows the clock is not your friend Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: The letter of intent sounds friendly until it locks you up for 60 to 90 days. Brian knows the buyer wants the hood open and the clock running. Strong, sharp, and gone faster than your leverage. 🍸 *THE RETRADE* Brad Balduf - The operator who watched big numbers shrink Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • ½ oz grapefruit juice • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: The offer starts at $15M. Due diligence finds problems. Now it's $11M and everyone acts like math did it. Bright, bitter, and slightly painful. 🍸 *THE ALPHABET SOUP* Matt Croke - The host translating the deal jargon Recipe: • 1.5 oz vodka • ¾ oz orange liqueur • ¾ oz cranberry juice • ½ oz lime juice • Orange twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: NDA. SIM. IOI. LOI. Matt hears business terms stack up like a drunk spelling bee. This one looks simple until the letters start costing money. Make all three. Clock running? Offer shrinking? Still decoding the alphabet soup? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #businesssale #exitstrategy #leadership #startuplife #businesspodcast #ceobros
Transcribe →How to sell your business pt 3 - The Process ep 67
May 2900:28:39Tap to summarize*The LOI Gets Signed (Then Deal Fatigue Eats You Alive) S2 Ep 67 * Selling your business feels exciting until the process punches back. What is a buyer actually buying? Are you improving the business, or just spending money on stuff they don't value? And what happens when you sign the LOI and realize the hard part just started? This is episode 67. The Bros move from maximizing value into the actual process of selling your business. And the process is not cute. Brian lays it out fast: the best day is the letter of intent. After that, it goes downhill and you pray for the thing to end. Brad walks through the banker, the teaser, the CIM, the IOI, the LOI, the purchase agreement, and all the fees hiding between those letters. Then the real gut punch: Brian's company was one week from closing in March 2020. Five or six months of diligence, negotiation, and exhaustion. Then COVID hit, the buyer called it an act of God, and the deal died before the checks got signed. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why deal fatigue hits harder than most owners expect • Why a $50,000 pizza kitchen can be a waste before a sale • What a good investment banker actually does for the money • Why the wrong banker learns your industry on your dime • What teaser, CIM, IOI, LOI, and purchase agreement really mean *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Know what the buyer values before you start improving things • Keep running the business while buyers evaluate you in real time • Hire a banker who already knows your space and your likely buyers • Treat the sale like a 6 month process, not a weekend project *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "The best day is the day you agree to a letter of intent or a term sheet. Then it just goes downhill from there." Selling your business someday? What part scares you most, finding buyers, paying the banker, or surviving diligence? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Deal Fatigue Warning Shot 0:41 - Salmon, Not Salmon 1:18 - Maximizing Before You Sell 3:00 - The $50,000 Pizza Kitchen Mistake 5:31 - Running a Tight Ship Is Table Stakes 8:46 - Taking Your Company to Market 10:55 - The LOI Is the Best Day 11:35 - Why the Banker Matters 22:26 - The 2020 Deal That Died One Week Before Closing 24:01 - Teaser, CIM, IOI, LOI *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three stages of selling. Pick the one that matches your pain. 🍸 *THE LETTER OF INTENT* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: The LOI feels like victory. Then diligence starts asking for every number you've ever touched. Smooth up front, sharp on the finish, exactly like the sale process. 🍸 *THE CLEAN TEASER* Brad Balduf - The operator who knows buyers want the real story Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 1 oz pineapple juice • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: A teaser shows enough to make buyers lean in without giving away the company name. Brad wants the story tight, the numbers clean, and the buyer curious. Bright, polished, no clutter. 🍸 *THE ACT OF GOD* Matt Croke - The host watching the alphabet soup get real Recipe: • 1.5 oz dark rum • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Ginger beer • Lime wedge • Shake first three with ice, strain over ice, top with ginger beer The Vibe: Five or six months in, one week from closing, then the buyer calls COVID an act of God. Matt asked the question. Brian delivered the nightmare. Stormy, brutal, and way too real. Make all three. LOI survivor? Teaser specialist? Still recovering from the Act of God? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #SellingYourBusiness #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #DealFatigue #Leadership #CEOBros #bestbusinesspodcast
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How to sell your business - Maximizing Exit Value pt 2 ep 66
May 2200:29:13Tap to summarize*Selling Your Business? This Is What Raises the Price S2 Ep 66: Part 2 of 4.* Your hard work is not the asset. Part one in our four part Selling Your Business series asked the big question: lifestyle business or equity business? Part two gets meaner. Brian and Brad move from "do you want to sell?" to "why would anybody buy this?" A lot of owners get stuck there. They know why they want out. They know they worked hard. They know people like them. But a buyer isn't paying for your stress, your years, or your reputation. A buyer wants the thing they can scale. Maybe it's your customer list. Maybe it's your contracts. Maybe it's your geography, your data, your IP, your process, or one weird asset you didn't realize was the whole deal. This is episode 66. How to sell your business, part two. What buyers actually value, and why "good business" is only the starting line. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why your reason for selling has nothing to do with why someone buys • The difference between strategic buyers and financial buyers • Why "good customer service" isn't enough of a value driver • How buyers decide between building it themselves or buying you • Why Brian rarely bought whole companies, he bought the assets that mattered • Why knowing your inputs, outputs, and growth levers increases valuation *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Identify the real asset. Not what you love. What a buyer can scale. • Know your buyer type. Strategic buyers want fit. Financial buyers want to add rocket fuel. • Prove the formula. Show how a dollar in creates three dollars out. • Understand your numbers cold. Due diligence finds every weak spot. • Stop saying "we're a good business." That's the bare minimum. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "They know why they want to sell it. But that's got nothing to do with why someone would buy it." If a buyer looked at your business tomorrow, what would they actually want? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Dollar-In, Three-Dollars-Out Test 1:40 - Part 2: Maximizing Exit Value 3:04 - "What Would Somebody Actually Be Buying?" 4:24 - The Perfect Buyer Pays the Most 6:09 - Should You Upgrade the Pizza Kitchen? 7:41 - Strategic Buyer vs. Financial Sponsor 12:26 - Customer Lists, Contracts, IP, and Geography 13:31 - Brian Bought Assets, Not Whole Companies 15:36 - The Hot Sauce Company Nobody Wanted for Hot Sauce 16:48 - The Paper Company Sitting on Beachfront Gold 20:14 - Why Customer Service Isn't Enough 22:23 - What VHT Thought Was Valuable vs. What Sold 25:27 - The Growth Lever Test *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from Brian Balduf (VHT Studios), Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy), and host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three value drivers. Pick the one your buyer notices first. 🍸 THE STRATEGIC BUYER Brian Balduf - The guy asking what someone is really buying Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz maple syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: This drink knows what it wants. No wandering around. No "we're a good business." Just the asset, the fit, and the reason somebody pays more than the standard multiple. 🍸 THE ROCKET FUEL Brad Balduf - The operator thinking 10 to 20 to 40 to 80 Recipe: • 2 oz blanco tequila • 1 oz pineapple juice • ½ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave • Jalapeño slice • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Financial sponsors don't buy sleepy. They buy the platform they can scale hard. This one has heat, lift, and enough pressure to make you prove the model works. 🍸 THE HIDDEN LAND VALUE Matt Croke - The host who found out the hot sauce wasn't the point Recipe: • 2 oz dark rum • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz simple syrup • ¼ oz allspice dram • Grapefruit twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Looks like one thing. Turns out the real value is somewhere else entirely. Hot sauce, paper mills, customer data, beachfront land. Sometimes the buyer wants the thing behind the thing. Are you the strategic fit, the rocket-fuel platform, or sitting on the hidden asset nobody's priced yet? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH](https://x.com/CeoBrosAH) [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/](https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/) [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH](https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros) #entrepreneurship #businessexit #sellyourbusiness #ceomindset #smallbusiness #leadership #startups
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How to sell your business pt. 1 Lifestyle vs Equity business?
May 1500:26:49Tap to summarize*Selling Your Business? (It Starts on Day One) S2 Ep 65: Part 1 of 4.* Know which one you're building. Brian's had the conversation a hundred times. Someone says they want to sell. He asks what a buyer would actually be getting. Silence. "We have a good reputation. People like us." That's not a valuation. Turns out they've been taking quarterly distributions for years, paying themselves with the fuel they needed to grow, and wondering later why no buyer showed up. This is episode 65. Why selling your business isn't a decision you make, it's a destination you build toward from day one. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • The lifestyle vs. equity distinction that determines everything • Why quarterly distributions are a red flag that kills your sale before it begins • What a buyer is actually asking when they say "what am I purchasing?" • Why being irreplaceable means nobody can buy you out • The financial reporting rules for businesses built to sell *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Decide upfront: lifestyle or exit. Everything flows from that one choice. • Stop taking distributions if you want to sell. That's growth capital, not salary. • Build yourself out of the business. If it can't run without you, it's not sellable. • Tight financials from day one. P&L, balance sheet, cash flow. No exceptions. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "You can't just decide, oh, it's June, I'd love to sell the business by the end of the year. That's not going to happen if you haven't built it to sell it." Lifestyle or exit? Do you actually know which one you're building? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Lifestyle or Equity: The Question Nobody Asks 1:31 - The Most Common Call Brian Gets 2:03 - The Four-Episode Breakdown 3:10 - What You're Actually Deciding When You Start 7:36 - "What Is Somebody Actually Buying?" (The Crickets Moment) 7:43 - The Pizza Place That Closed Instead of Selling 11:03 - The Quarterly Distributions Red Flag 13:04 - Why Being Irreplaceable Kills Your Sale 22:27 - Financial Reporting: The Difference That Matters 24:33 - Preview: What a Buyer Is Actually Paying For *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three types of builders. Pick the one that matches how you're running things. 🍸 THE QUARTERLY DISTRIBUTION Brian Balduf - The guy who watched sellers drain their own fuel Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ¾ oz honey syrup • ½ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Looks like profit. Tastes smooth going down. But every time you pour one, you're draining what should have grown the business. Brian's watched sellers do this for years then wonder why no buyer showed up. 🍸 THE LIFESTYLE TRAP Brad Balduf - The operator who built it to scale, not to coast Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Nothing wrong with this drink. It's honest, does what it says, tastes exactly like what you ordered. Just don't call it an exit strategy when someone asks what they're buying. 🍸 THE CLIFFHANGER Matt Croke - The host who already knows what's in part two Recipe: • 2 oz gin • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz simple syrup • 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters • Grapefruit twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: This drink ends before it feels finished. Just like this episode. The real answers live in part two. Hit subscribe so you don't miss them. Make all three. Draining your distributions? Coasting on lifestyle? Waiting on part two? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #businessexit #sellyourbusiness #startuplife #ceomindset #smallbusiness
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How to Optimize - When to Innovate
May 800:27:28Tap to summarize*He Charged Ford $25,000 for a Box of Chalk (The Invoice Breakdown Changed Everything) S2 Ep 64* *The $1 chalk. The $24,999 lesson.* Ford was losing $250,000 a day on the assembly line. They called in Deming, the god of process mapping. He fixed it in a day. The invoice: $25,000. Ford asked for a breakdown. Deming's letter: box of chalk, $1. Knowing what to do with it, $24,999. Brad scaled By Your Side to 550 employees without reinventing his business once. His word isn't innovation. It's optimization. This is episode 64. Why most businesses are chasing the wrong word. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why "never been done before" is usually a red flag, not a selling point • Ford didn't invent the car. McDonald's didn't invent the hamburger. What they did invent. • Brad's rule: innovation can break a scaled business. What to do instead. • Why Blockbuster didn't need Netflix's playbook to survive • Whether anyone would actually pay for your idea (the question nobody asks) *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Brad's framework: new way = innovation. Better way = optimization. Most businesses need the second one. • The Deming principle: knowing where to draw the line is worth more than the chalk. • Innovate freely when you're small. When you're scaled, innovation breaks things. • Evolve with your customers or get Blockbusted. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "We didn't grow by reinventing the business. We got better at what works." Which are you chasing right now, innovation or optimization? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Brian's Take on "Never Been Done Before" Pitches 1:04 - Is Innovation Even Necessary? 2:05 - Brad's Framework: New Way vs. Better Way 5:33 - Ford Didn't Invent the Car 7:15 - Matt's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Quiz 13:47 - "Just Because It's New Doesn't Mean It Should Exist" 15:08 - Why Innovation Gets Riskier As You Scale 17:40 - The Blockbuster Lesson 19:29 - The $25,000 Box of Chalk Story 23:48 - We Didn't Grow By Reinventing Anything *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three takes on getting it right. Pick the one that matches your approach. 🍸 *THE CHALK LINE* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ½ oz honey syrup • ¾ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Deming walked Ford's floor, pulled out a piece of chalk, and marked one spot. The invoice said $1 for the chalk and $24,999 for knowing where to put it. Aged, precise, and worth every penny. 🍸 *THE BETTER WAY* Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled across 11 locations Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Lime wheel • Shake hard with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: 550 employees, 11 centers, zero reinventions. Brad didn't chase innovation, he optimized what worked. Clean, direct, no wasted ingredients. 🍸 *THE TOP TEN* Matt Croke - The host keeping it real Recipe: • 1.5 oz vodka • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz honey syrup • ¼ oz lime juice • Club soda • Grapefruit wheel • Shake first four with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: Matt did prep. Brought an innovation quiz. Guessed Apple and Amazon, then stalled out. Pfizer? Siemens? Nobody saw those coming. Looks simple, keeps surprising you. Make all three. The chalk expert? The optimizer? The quiz kid who ran out of answers? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #innovation #optimization #startuplife #leadership #businessstrategy #ceobros
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Burger Wars, Blockbuster bungle and other wildcard stories ep 63
May 100:31:20Tap to summarizeThe McDonald's CEO went on camera to promote the Arch Burger. He took one tiny, tepid nibble, called it "a product," and smiled like everything was fine. The internet destroyed him. Competitors dunked. It became a meme. This is episode 63. Wild Card Friday, where Matt ambushes Brian and Brad with real business news they haven't discussed prior and makes them react on the spot. No notes. No prep. Just two CEOs calling it like they see it on McDonald's, Netflix, LinkedIn, and a startup that lied its way to collapse. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why the McDonald's CEO's nibble became a masterclass in what not to do on camera • How Burger King secretly used Brian's company to embarrass McDonald's executives • The one word every CEO should stop saying publicly (Netflix learned the hard way) • Why Brad pays $60 a month for LinkedIn and still can't get a human on the phone • The zombie company trap that's about to drain average investors dry *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Never say "never" as a CEO. Say "for the foreseeable future" instead. • Real revenue is cash in the bank. Commitments are not revenue. • Invest in the beer, not the foam. Hype fizzles. Results don't. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If the product is free, you're not the customer. You are the product. Then they start charging you too." Which company goes in your loser column this week? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 1:21 - Wild Card Friday Kicks Off 2:19 - The Nibble Heard Round the World 5:00 - Burger King's Response Backfired on Burger King 5:49 - Brian's Company Accidentally Helped Burger King Roast McDonald's 9:55 - Domino's Bashed Their Own Pizza and It Worked 11:51 - Netflix Promised They'd Never Charge You 18:02 - Brad's CEO Rule: Never Say Never 21:05 - LinkedIn Takes $60 a Month and Offers Zero Help 25:26 - Brad's Beer vs. Foam Analogy 29:10 - The Zombie Company Trap Warning *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🕔 *FIRE UP THE GRILL: THIS WEEK'S BURGERS* We're flipping the script, err the burger, this week in honor of the McDonald's CEO who taught us all how NOT to eat one. Three burgers for three personalities. Pick yours. 🕔 THE NIBBLE Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 6 oz wagyu beef patty • Aged white cheddar • Truffle aioli • Arugula • Brioche bun, barely toasted • Cook to medium, assemble with restraint The Vibe: Sophisticated. Measured. Technically correct. Just like the McDonald's CEO, this burger looks the part. But if you only take one tiny nibble, you completely miss the point. 🕔 THE FULL SEND Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled to 11 locations Recipe: • Double smash patty, 4 oz each • American cheese x2 • Caramelized onions • Pickles, mustard, ketchup • Potato bun, smashed hard on cast iron The Vibe: No tiptoeing. No nibbles. Brad signed a 7-year lease with his name on the dotted line. This burger commits fully. Smash it hard, stack everything, and take the biggest bite you can manage. 🕔 THE FLAME ROAST Matt Croke - The host keeping them honest Recipe: • 6 oz beef patty • Pepper jack cheese • Fresh and pickled jalapeños • Chipotle mayo • Brioche bun, charred on open flame The Vibe: Matt holds everyone accountable. This burger grills over open flame until char marks appear and the heat is undeniable. Just like what the internet did to that CEO. No escape. Cook up all three. Which one are you? The nibbler? The full sender? The flame roaster? T ag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #startuplife #leadership #businesslessons #burgerwars #netflix #blockbuster #facebook #dominospizza #pepsi #burgerking #mcdonalds
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Customer Feedback the good the bad and the ugly
Apr 2500:28:42Tap to summarize*Customer Feedback Is Screaming at You (You're Just Not Listening) S2 Ep 12* Brian Balduf spent years building a feedback machine at VHT Studios. Same seven questions every year, sliced by geography, rep, product, and brand. Forty ways to Sunday. Then he stayed at a hotel, got a generic email survey, and ignored it. He had five complaints. They'll never get them. His window is shut. This is episode 62. What your customers aren't telling you, and why it's your fault. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why the guy who built a feedback empire refused to fill out a hotel survey • The $500 Starbucks math that could shape your next five years • Why your survey asks questions that matter to you, not your customers • The "close the loop" rule that turns one-time responders into repeat ones • Why no complaints doesn't mean everything is fine *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Ask in person while they're still there, not days later in a generic email • Tie every survey to something small that shows you value their time • Ask the same questions every year so you can track if you're improving • Close the loop. Tell clients what changed. Or they stop responding. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "We offered you feedback. You said no. That guy flamed us online." Your customers have opinions. Are you making it worth their time to share them? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Hotel Survey Brian Deleted 2:35 - Where Does Feedback Actually Rank? 5:29 - How Brian Built VHT's Feedback Machine 6:31 - The Same Seven Questions Every Year 9:42 - The $500 Starbucks Math 11:13 - The Close the Loop Rule 13:06 - Boulder Ridge Does It Right 14:19 - Brian Gets Called Out Live 19:34 - What Would Get Brian's Feedback 22:04 - Why JD Power Gets Timing Wrong 26:32 - The Bathroom Button Nobody Will Touch *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three takes on feedback. Pick the one that matches how you handle it. 🍸 *THE FORTY WAYS TO SUNDAY* Brian Balduf - Built the feedback machine, then deleted the hotel survey Recipe: • 2 oz blended Scotch whisky • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Brian sliced VHT's annual survey by geography, rep, and brand. Same seven questions every year, forty ways to Sunday. Then the hotel sent a generic email and his window slammed shut. Meticulous, complex, worth far more than anyone expects. 🍸 *THE CLOSED LOOP* Brad Balduf - The operator who built 11 centers on following up Recipe: • 2 oz blanco tequila • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: You ask. They answer. You tell them what changed. No kale on the burger. Brad closes the loop because if you don't, they stop filling out the next one. Sharp start, clean finish, just like a feedback cycle that actually works. 🍸 *THE BATHROOM BUTTON* Matt Croke - Watching Brian's window slam shut in real time Recipe: • 1.5 oz gin • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz lemon juice • Club soda • Lemon wheel • Shake first three with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: Someone thought bathroom feedback buttons were genius. Easy, on your way out. Then reality: the last button you want to touch in a bathroom is one everyone else has touched. Matt's watched Brian argue against surveys for twenty minutes. This drink is his only comfort. Make all three. Building empires you won't use? Closing your loops? Just surviving the chaos? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #CustomerFeedback #Entrepreneurship #CEOLife #BusinessPodcast #StartupLife #Leadership #ClientExperience
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