Investing
**Grow Your Business and Grow Your Wealth**

The Grow Your Business and Grow Your Wealth Podcast with Gary Heldt is the go-to place to help plan for your future. Whether you’re a business owner looking to maximize your tax profit, a parent planning for college, or an individual looking to improve your life, Gary is the expert for you.Guests on the podcast will chat with Gary and share their secrets to build a better financial foundation for your business and your life. Tune in for informative conversation about keeping your finances organized and not wasting your well-earned money.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 341: When Your Business Is Your Entire Portfolio. Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Your business may be your greatest asset. It may also hold most of your financial risk.

In this episode of Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth, Gary Heldt speaks with Alexey Sokolov, a Northwestern Mutual financial advisor who co-founded and sold Grid Capital. Alexey explains how building and selling his own company changed the way he thinks about protecting wealth.

Gary and Alexey discuss a problem many successful founders overlook: their income, company value, and personal investments can all depend on the same industry. If conditions change, those assets may fall together. They also explore why having substantial assets does not always mean having cash available when you need it.

Alexey shares why tax and investment decisions deserve attention well before a business sale. He explains “tax drag,” examines the role of bonds in a portfolio, and makes the case for bringing a CPA, attorney, and financial advisor into the conversation early. For business owners, the question is bigger than what the company might sell for. It is how to manage what you have built, both before and after an exit.

About Alexey Sokolov

Alexey Sokolov is a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual in Los Angeles. Before becoming an advisor, he co-founded Grid Capital, a regulated investment platform that he later sold. He works with founders, business owners, investors, and professionals on wealth planning, concentrated holdings, and business transitions.

Connect with Alexey

Email: Alexey.Sokolov@nm.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexeysokolovnm/

Connect with Gary Heldt

Website: https://www.sbadvisors.cc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-d-heldt-jr/

Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/gheldt21054/podcast-follow-up-conversation

Listen and subscribe

Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grow-your-business-and-grow-your-wealth/id1521874291

This episode is for educational purposes and does not constitute individualized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Consult qualified professionals about your circumstances.

Episode 340: Your Most Powerful Leadership Tool Is Choice Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

What happens when professional success requires you to become someone you no longer want to be?

Charlene Wheeless, MA, MBA, ICF-ACC, spent more than 30 years rising through corporate America, ultimately reaching the C-suite and leading communications for major global organizations. But after being diagnosed with cancer twice, she stepped away from the corporate treadmill and confronted a difficult truth: she had invested enormous energy in becoming the person others expected her to be.

In this candid conversation with Gary Heldt, Charlene shares how pivotal moments of choice shaped her journey from an abusive childhood to corporate leadership, bestselling authorship, and entrepreneurship. She explains why organizations often reward conformity instead of contribution, how leaders unknowingly surrender their agency, and why every business outcome begins with a decision that was made, delayed, or avoided.

Charlene also discusses the inspiration behind her book, You Are Enough!, and challenges professionals to stop chasing validation disguised as ambition. She reminds leaders that words carry lasting power, people must be led rather than managed, and authentic success should never require trading away who you are.

For entrepreneurs, Charlene offers another important shift: stop thinking like a consultant and begin operating like the CEO of your business. Sometimes all it takes to move forward is seven seconds of courage and the willingness to do the thing you have been avoiding.

What You’ll Learn

Why choice is one of a leader’s most powerful tools
How professionals surrender their agency without realizing it
The difference between contributing to a culture and conforming to it
Why leaders manage work but lead people
How delayed or defaulted decisions create organizational bottlenecks
Why chasing validation can look deceptively like ambition
How to develop a CEO mindset as an entrepreneur
What seven seconds of courage can help you accomplish

Learn more about Charlene, her coaching, speaking, and bestselling book at CharleneWheeless.com.

Listen to Grow Your Business and Grow Your Wealth on Apple Podcasts.

Visit https://www.sbadvisors.cc/

Episode 339: The Winning Playbook for Business Reinvention Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

The Winning Playbook for Business Reinvention

What happens when the career you worked years to build suddenly ends?

Jack Oujo spent eight years pursuing his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball umpire, advancing to Triple-A before an unexpected setback forced him to reinvent his future. He went on to become a CPA, build Oujo Wealth Strategies into one of the nation’s largest tax-focused wealth management firms, and oversee approximately $900 million in assets under management.

In this episode, Jack joins Gary to share how the discipline, pressure, teamwork, and resilience he learned in professional baseball helped him build an extraordinarily successful financial services business. He explains why business owners need a Plan B, how numbers can remove emotion from major decisions, and why developing strong processes and people is essential for sustainable growth.

Jack also discusses the difficulty of letting go, the importance of preparing employees to lead, and how business owners can create a meaningful life after selling the company that once defined them.

What You’ll Learn

How Jack rebuilt his life after his baseball career ended
Why every entrepreneur should prepare for worst-case scenarios
How financial projections can make difficult decisions less emotional
Why business owners must stop doing everything themselves
How documented processes support business growth
Why coaching employees is one of a leader’s most important responsibilities
How exceptional service creates loyal clients and valuable referrals
What Jack learned from building and eventually selling his firm
Why gratitude matters when transitioning into the next chapter of life

Featured Quote

“You only get respect by giving respect.”

— Jack Oujo

About Jack Oujo

Jack Oujo is the founder of Oujo Wealth Strategies, one of the nation’s largest tax-focused wealth management firms, and the bestselling author of Too Smart to Be an Umpire. Before becoming one of the country’s top financial advisors, Jack spent eight years pursuing his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball umpire, advancing to Triple-A before an unexpected setback changed his life.

His journey from career disappointment to extraordinary business success offers a powerful lesson in resilience, reinvention, leadership, and building a meaningful legacy.

Learn more about Jack and purchase Too Smart to Be an Umpire:

https://toosmarttobeanumpire.com/

Listen, follow, and subscribe to Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grow-your-business-and-grow-your-wealth/id1521874291

This episode is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. Please consult an appropriately qualified professional regarding your individual circumstances.

Bonus: Why Business Owners Need One Financial Team Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Growing revenue does not necessarily mean you are building wealth. A business can appear successful while its owner’s assets, financial security, and long-term options remain stagnant.

In this episode of Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth, guest host Sandy of Sandy Financial Solutions speaks with Paul Etzler, CPA, CGMA, GACP, founder and president of BobBear Services LLC. Paul brings more than 30 years of experience in accounting, tax strategy, financial consulting, due diligence, compliance, forecasting, and entrepreneurship.

Paul explains why business owners must look beyond income and consider the complete financial picture, including business assets, personal assets, liabilities, taxes, succession, and family goals. He also shares an important distinction: business and personal finances should remain separate for accounting and tax purposes, but they must be considered together when developing a long-term wealth strategy.

The conversation explores why tax planning should happen throughout the year, how CPAs and financial advisors can work together, and why succession planning should begin long before an owner intends to leave or sell the business.

In this episode, you will learn:

Why increasing revenue does not always increase wealth.
How to balance saving, investing, business growth, and enjoying life.
Why tax planning should happen throughout the entire year.
How business and personal assets fit into one larger financial picture.
Why your CPA, financial advisor, attorney, banker, and insurance professional should communicate.
When business owners should begin succession and exit planning.
The three questions that can reveal weaknesses in your current financial plan.
Why professional guidance still matters in an AI-driven world.

Paul also challenges business owners to remain flexible, listen to informed outside perspectives, and accept that a plan may need to change. A business may be the owner’s baby, but sometimes that baby needs an honest checkup.

About Paul Etzler

Paul Etzler, CPA, CGMA, GACP, is the founder and president of BobBear Services LLC. He has more than 30 years of experience in financial consulting, accounting, tax, due diligence, compliance, forecasting, and business advisory services. Paul is also involved in entrepreneurial ventures spanning healthcare, real estate, sustainability, financial wellness, art, and entertainment.

Connect with Paul:

https://bobbearllc.com

Disclaimer: This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, investment, or financial advice. Consult qualified professionals regarding your individual circumstances.

Episode 338: Franchise Opportunities Beyond Burgers and Fries Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

When most people hear the word franchise, they picture fast food. But some of today’s most compelling franchise opportunities are found in less glamorous industries such as home services, senior care, pet care, youth programs, property services, and business-to-business solutions.

In this episode, Gary Heldt speaks with Jon Ostenson, CEO of FranBridge Consulting, about why entrepreneurs and investors are increasingly exploring non-food franchises. Jon explains how franchise buyers can evaluate opportunities based on their finances, experience, desired level of involvement, local market, and long-term goals.

Jon also challenges the idea that a franchise can be completely passive. He explains why “semi-involved” is more realistic, what separates successful franchisees from struggling owners, and why following the franchisor’s proven system matters.

Gary and Jon also discuss franchise funding, support systems, due diligence, franchise stacking, and how essential service businesses may be better positioned to withstand economic uncertainty and technological disruption.

What You’ll Learn

Why non-food franchises are attracting entrepreneurs and investors
Which service-based franchise categories are growing
How to determine whether a franchise fits your skills and lifestyle
Why a franchise should never be considered completely passive
What successful franchisees do differently
How franchise owners learn from one another without directly competing
The difference between a franchise consultant and a business broker
How SBA loans and retirement rollovers may be used for franchise funding
Why reviewing the Franchise Disclosure Document is only one part of due diligence
How franchise stacking can help owners expand and diversify

Guest Bio

Jon Ostenson is the CEO of FranBridge Consulting, a top 1% franchise broker, investor, author, and Forbes contributor. After serving as President of a national Inc. 500 franchise system with more than 200 locations, Jon has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and investors explore franchise ownership. He specializes in non-food franchising, helping people identify scalable business opportunities that fit their goals, finances, experience, and lifestyle.

Heldt

Connect With Jon Ostenson

Website: FranBridgeConsulting.com
LinkedIn: Jon Ostenson
Email: jon@franbridgeconsulting.com
Free book: Visit FranBridge Consulting to request a complimentary copy of Jon’s book, Non-Food Franchising.

Looking to learn more about Gary Heldt? Visit Small Business Advisors for more information.

Home | Small Business Advisors

Episode 337: Your Retirement Plan Needs a Backup Plan Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

What happens when your retirement plan looks solid on paper, but life does not follow the plan?

In this episode of Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth, Gary Heldt speaks with Alan Lee Porter, a nationally certified financial fiduciary, founder of Strategic Wealth Strategies, and former U.S. Army Black Hawk instructor pilot.

Alan shares how serious medical crises within his own family changed the direction of his career and taught him that financial planning must account for more than investment returns. Illness, disability, long-term care, taxes, market downturns, and outdated beneficiary forms can quickly expose gaps in even a well-funded retirement plan.

Gary and Alan discuss why retirement planning should focus on the distribution of assets, tax-efficient income, healthcare expenses, long-term-care risks, and protecting a family’s financial legacy. Alan also explains why individuals and business owners benefit from having CPAs, attorneys, financial advisors, insurance professionals, and other specialists working together rather than relying on one person to handle every part of the plan.

The conversation is an important reminder that financial confidence does not come from predicting the future. It comes from preparing for the possibilities before they become emergencies.

What You Will Learn

Why retirement planning changes when you move from saving money to creating income
How taxes and required distributions can affect retirement savings
Why beneficiary designations should be reviewed regularly
How illness, disability, and long-term care can disrupt a financial plan
Why business owners need coordinated exit, tax, estate, and retirement planning
The importance of verifying credentials before using complex financial or tax strategies

About Alan Lee Porter

Alan Lee Porter is a nationally certified financial fiduciary and founder of Strategic Wealth Strategies in Fayetteville, North Carolina. A former U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter instructor pilot, Alan helps individuals, families, and business owners explore tax-efficient retirement strategies, lifetime income planning, asset protection, and financial risk reduction.

Connect With Alan

Website: Strategic Wealth Strategies

LinkedIn: Alan Lee Porter

Email: strategicwealth0@gmail.com

Important Financial Disclaimer

This podcast is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, legal, accounting, or insurance advice. The opinions expressed are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gary Heldt, Small Business Advisors, or Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth.

Financial products and strategies involve risks and may not be appropriate for every individual or business. References to potential tax savings, income, insurance benefits, or financial results are illustrative only and are not guarantees. Insurance and annuity guarantees are subject to the terms of the applicable contract and the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

Listeners should consult qualified and properly licensed financial, tax, legal, and insurance professionals before making decisions based on their individual circumstances.

Episode 336: Build a Business Buyers Want Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Could your business operate for three weeks without anyone calling you?

If the honest answer is no, you may have created a demanding job for yourself rather than a transferable business buyers will want.

In this episode of Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth, Gary Heldt speaks with Daniel Scherotter, business broker, M&A advisor, entrepreneur, and Partner at Filament Business Advisors.

Daniel explains why preparing a company for sale must begin long before an owner contacts a broker. Buyers want more than revenue. They want reliable financial records, predictable profitability, documented systems, a capable management team, transferable customer relationships, and a company that does not depend entirely on its founder.

Gary and Daniel discuss how minimizing reported profits to reduce taxes can damage a company’s valuation, why owner dependence shrinks the pool of potential buyers, and how unrealistic expectations can prevent an otherwise successful business from ever selling.

Daniel also shares how strategic buyers evaluate companies differently, why owners must separate personal attachment from market value, and how building the right team can allow an owner to exit without years of difficult transition.

What You Will Learn

➔ Why waiting until you are ready to sell is one of the biggest exit-planning mistakes

➔ How owner dependence reduces buyer interest and business value

➔ Why weak accounting and unclear financial statements create red flags

➔ How management teams and documented systems make a company more transferable

➔ Why the market determines what a business is worth, regardless of the owner’s emotional investment

➔ How strategic buyers can see greater value than individual owner-operators

➔ Why every entrepreneur should build the company as an asset, not simply as a job

About Daniel Scherotter

Daniel Scherotter is a business broker, M&A advisor, entrepreneur, and Partner at Filament Business Advisors. Having owned and sold businesses himself, Daniel understands the sale process from both the owner’s and the advisor’s perspective.

He helps business owners increase profitability, strengthen company value, improve organizational structure, and prepare for a successful sale before going to market. His work focuses on identifying the factors that attract serious buyers and helping owners avoid the operational, financial, and emotional mistakes that can weaken a transaction.

Connect With Daniel Scherotter

Filament Business Advisors:

https://filamentbusinessadvisors.com/

Daniel’s Profile:

https://filamentbusinessadvisors.com/team/dan-scherotter/

Email:

Dan@filamentbusinessadvisors.com

Phone:

804-728-1553

Connect With Gary Heldt

Visit:

https://www.sbadvisors.cc/

Connect with Gary on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-d-heldt-jr/

Schedule a follow-up conversation with Gary:

https://calendly.com/gheldt21054/podcast-follow-up-conversation

Listen and Subscribe

Follow Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth for practical conversations that help business owners grow smarter, build stronger companies, and create lasting wealth.

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Episode 335: More Clients Won't Fix Your Business Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Most business owners assume stalled growth means they need more leads, more clients, or a new marketing tactic. Dr. Jon Randall argues that this is often exactly the wrong diagnosis. When an owner is buried in delivery, carrying too many non-ideal clients, and measuring the wrong numbers, adding more business can deepen the bottleneck instead of solving it.

Jon joins host Gary Heldt to explain why capacity is one of the most common constraints in growing advisory firms and why the same problem appears across professional-service businesses. Drawing on more than 25 years in the financial-services industry, his experience as a top-producing advisor, and his work with some of the country's fastest-growing RIAs, Jon shows how benchmarking can expose the gap between a busy practice and a healthy, scalable business.

The conversation explores why owners cling to unprofitable clients, how revenue per client and revenue per team member reveal hidden problems, and why delivering exceptional service to a smaller group of ideal clients can generate stronger referrals than chasing the latest marketing tactic. Jon also explains how narrowing a target market makes delivery easier, positioning clearer, and growth more repeatable.

Gary and Jon also dig into the difference between owning a business and owning a demanding job. They discuss what founders must remove from their plates, why delegation should begin with administrative work and delivery, and how profit margin affects both current income and the future value of the company. The goal is not simply a bigger business. It is a business that can grow without consuming the owner.

Key Takeaways

Capacity comes before acquisition. If the owner and team are already overloaded, more clients will magnify the existing weakness.
Not every client is helping the business. A large client roster can hide a bottom half that produces very little revenue while consuming valuable service capacity.
A few numbers expose the real constraint. Revenue per client, revenue per team member, annual growth rate, and team retention show where attention belongs.
Specificity creates stronger referrals. A clear, narrow ideal-client profile helps clients understand exactly whom to introduce and makes service delivery easier to scale.
Profitable growth creates freedom and value. Wider profit margins can fund the next hire, reduce the owner's workload, and make the enterprise more attractive to a future buyer.

Dr. Jon Randall is the Founder and Chief Coach of eXtraordinary Financial Advisors, where he helps overwhelmed financial advisors remove capacity constraints, improve client mix, and scale from $1 million to $10 million and beyond. A former top-producing advisor with more than 25 years of industry experience and a doctorate focused on performance psychology, Jon has worked with Barron's Top 100 advisors and some of the fastest-growing RIAs in the country. His work helps advisors eliminate bottlenecks, build scalable teams, increase profitability, and make the shift from technician to CEO.

Ready to identify the constraint holding your advisory firm back? Visit www.xfa.coach to access free resources, explore upcoming workshops, and learn how Jon and his team help financial advisors scale more profitably.

Learn more about Gary Heldt on his website Home | Small Business Advisors

Episode 334: When Success No Longer Feels Successful Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

What happens when the success you worked so hard to achieve no longer feels like success?

Becca Pearce had built an impressive executive career in healthcare and public service when two major events changed her direction. First, she experienced a highly public professional setback. Then, just 14 months later, she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor that required major surgery and an extensive recovery.

After returning to work, Becca faced a deceptively simple decision: attend an important executive meeting or put her daughter on the school bus. That moment forced her to confront what she truly valued and whether the life she had built still reflected those priorities.

Today, Becca is the President of Extend Coaching & Consulting, an executive coach, growth strategist, and author of You Don’t Have to Achieve to Be Loved. She helps business owners and leaders step out of the weeds, make confident decisions, navigate change, and build businesses that support meaningful lives.

Gary and Becca discuss why vulnerability creates trust, how founders become bottlenecks in their own companies, when to outsource or delegate, why overwhelm must be examined rather than accepted, and how coaching gives business owners an unbiased place to think strategically.

In This Episode, You Will Learn

Why professional achievement does not automatically create personal fulfillment
How vulnerability can make leaders more trustworthy and relatable
Why business owners must promote themselves into the CEO role
How to decide which responsibilities should be delegated or outsourced
Why overwhelm is usually several different emotions competing for attention
How coaching can reduce indecision and save business owners time
Why work-life integration is more realistic than perfect balance
How to align today’s priorities with the legacy you want to leave

Guest Bio

Becca Pearce is the President of Extend Coaching & Consulting, an executive coach, growth strategist, inspirational speaker, and author of You Don’t Have to Achieve to Be Loved.

A former CEO and healthcare executive, Becca was appointed to lead Maryland’s Health Benefit Exchange during the O’Malley administration. Following a highly public professional setback and a life-changing brain tumor diagnosis, she began reconsidering everything she believed about success, leadership, and happiness.

Today, Becca helps business owners, executives, and professionals navigate change, strengthen their leadership, make confident decisions, and create businesses and lives that reflect what truly matters to them.

Guest Links

Learn more about Becca’s personal executive coaching, speaking, and book:

Listen to Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth:

Connect with Gary on LinkedIn: Gary D. Heldt, Jr., CPA | LinkedIn

Apple Podcasts

Bonus: Your Investment Property Is a Business Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

A property may look like the perfect investment, but unexpected repairs, poor tenants, weak planning, or the wrong financing can quickly turn an opportunity into an expensive lesson.

In this episode of Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth, guest host Sandra Bempah of Sandy Financial Solutions speaks with Jeremy Rodriguez, Broker and Owner of D.A.R.E. Realty. Jeremy explains why investors must stop looking at property as an emotional purchase and start managing it as a business.

They discuss deal evaluation, financing options, cash-flow planning, collaboration, mentorship, legacy planning, and why a good real estate professional should sometimes tell an investor no.

In This Episode

Why every investment property should be treated like a business
How emotion can interfere with sound real estate decisions
Why there is no such thing as the perfect real estate deal
The importance of budgeting for unexpected repairs and expenses
How education, collaboration, and mentorship can help investors avoid costly mistakes

About Jeremy Rodriguez

Jeremy Rodriguez is the Broker and Owner of D.A.R.E. Realty, which stands for Dream Achievers Real Estate. Based in Northeast Ohio, Jeremy works with real estate investors, buyers, and sellers, with a particular focus on investment properties, mentorship, and long-term wealth building.

Jeremy is also President of the Lake Erie Landlord Association, also known as the Lake Erie Real Estate Investors Association, where investors at every experience level come together for education, collaboration, and professional development.

Connect With Jeremy Rodriguez

Website: https://darerealtyneo.com/

Email: jeremysellsdreams@gmail.com

Phone: 216-287-1766

Lake Erie Real Estate Investors Association: https://www.lelaohio.com/

Connect With Guest Host Sandra Bempah

Sandy Financial Solutions

Email: sandyfinancialsolutions@gmail.com

Listen to Grow Your Business & Grow Your Wealth

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grow-your-business-and-grow-your-wealth/id1521874291

If you found value in this episode, follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who wants to make smarter real estate and financial decisions.

Disclaimer: This episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute real estate, legal, tax, lending, or investment advice. Consult qualified professionals before acting on any strategy discussed.