IAM1452 – Acquisitions Master Helps in Fixing and Growing Businesses

Michelle Seiler Tucker is the Founder and CEO of Seiler Tucker Incorporated. She holds the M&AMI (Mergers & Acquisitions Master Intermediary) title, as well as the Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Professional (CM&AP) and Certified Senior Business Analyst (CSBA). Michelle also owns many other businesses in several different industries. As a 20-year veteran in the M&A industry, she is regarded as the leading authority on buying, selling, fixing, and growing businesses. She and her firm have sold over a thousand businesses in almost every vertical and have a remarkable track record of success.

• CEO Story: Michelle knew from the beginning that she would become an entrepreneur. Involved with many businesses, including franchising. And then so many people asked her if she had a business to sell. That is where she started small with buying and selling businesses, fixing them, and growing them. Eventually, it grew to bigger industries and kept her focus on developing the business.
• Business Service: Buy and sell businesses. Find out what needs to be fixed and help them grow. Helping clients achieve their objectives and goals.
• Secret Sauce: Knows the client’s best interest and hard decisions to make, because she owns multiple businesses.
• CEO Hack: Preparing and educating business owners. Plan their exit.
• CEO Nugget: Know the 6 P’s of the business – people, product, process, proprietary, patrons, and profit.
• CEO Defined: A great leader and a great follower. Grow yourself, empathetic.

Website: www.seilertucker.com

www.exitrichbook.com (for book website)

Facebook: @michele.seilertucker, michelletuckerinternational

Instagram: michelleseilertucker

Twitter: MSeilerTucker

Linkedin: michelleseiler

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Transcription

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00:27 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkness values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:55 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest back on this show. I have Michelle Seiler Tucker of Siler Tucker Incorporated. Michelle, super excited to have you on the show.

01:04 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

Thank you for having me back. It's been a while.

01:07 – Gresham Harkless

It has been a while. Michelle was an episode on, was a guest on episode number 1086 of our IMCO podcast. So super excited to hear all the awesome things that you've been working on since then and all the awesome things that you have that you can provide of value. So of course, before we do that, I want to jump into the interview to tell you a little bit more about Michelle so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's working on. Michelle is the Founder and CEO of Siler Tucker Incorporated.

She holds the MNAMI title as well as a Certified Managers, Certified Mergers and Acquisition Professionals, and the Certified Senior Business Analyst. Michelle also owns many other businesses in several different industries and as a 20-year veteran in the M and A industry, she's regarded as the leading authority on buying, selling, fixing, and growing businesses. She and her firm have sold over a thousand businesses in almost every vertical and have a remarkable track record of success. Michelle, excited to have you back on. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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02:05 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

Of course. You told me I was on 1080. What number are you on now?

02:09 – Gresham Harkless

Past that a little bit. About 1400 or so. So it's been about a year or so. It seems like we've been talking.

02:15 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

You've done about 1400 more episodes than I have.

02:18 – Gresham Harkless

There we go. But I feel like you've Been on the guest of 1400. So you are probably just more experienced if not more experienced than I am. So I wanted to hear more about like what you've been working on, hear a little bit more about your story and everything. But what have you been working on for the past year?

02:34 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

Well, you know, we have still been working on Exit Rich. I think you had me on right before the Exit Rich launch, which was back in, I think it was July 2021. And so we did launch the new Exit Rich audio version. And so if people are done reading or they don't want to read, they can go now and get the audio version wherever they buy your favorite audiobook. So you can go to Amazon, Audible, Apple, etc. It gets still between $2 to $4 because we're still running a promotion on it. So get it why it's inexpensive. So we're working on that. We've also launched a program called Exit the Road to Exit Rich.

The road to Exit Rich is really getting business owners ready and getting them in a good position to sell their company, whether it's a year down, two years, three years, five years, or even 10 years. One of the things that Steve Forbes talks about and Steve Forbes endorsed Exit Rich, he says 80% of businesses on the market will never sell. M and A source says 90% will never sell. So think about that, really let that sink in because that means you have less than a 10 to 20% chance of success when you go to sell your business. And the ones that are selling their business aren't maximizing the value of their company and not exiting, which many of them are exiting for selling for pennies on dollar closer to business rates following bankruptcy.

So we're working on it. Well, I say working on it. We're not working on it really anymore because we've already launched it. But this is a Road to Exit Rich program where clients and prospective clients come in, we really work with them to figure out what are your objectives, what are your goals, and what are you trying to accomplish. We take them through the GPS exit model that I think is in chapter one or chapter two of Exit Rich. This really walks them through to determine what is your destination, what their selling price and then where are starting from. What is your business for today? What is your time frame? Who will your buyers be? What are you? Where do your numbers need to land to get your desired sales price?

If you want to sell your business for 10 million worth a million, you want to do it in, let's say three years. Who are your buyers going to be there are five different types of buyers and then we also walk them through. You know, what does that look like, from a number standpoint? What are your numbers need to be to accomplish this price tag? And then what infrastructure do you need to build on the 6PS? And what proprietary assets do you need to focus on? Because buyers buy EBITDA earnings for interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. But even more than that, they buy synergies that will help catapult them to the next level. So we really take them through this GPS exit model, what we call a seller sanity check.

How many people do you need, and how much do you need per year to live on? What's the most important thing to you when you go to sell your business? Is it the money? Is it what you walk away with? Because it's not always the money, believe it or not. You know, a lot of business owners, like I just, I want my employees to be taken care of or all my clients to be taken care of. So we really take them through the seller sanity check. Then we identify what are the bottlenecks and then we go through a 6P assessment. And this is a year-long program and at the end of it, you know, we also have resources like if they have a big marketing problem, but we need to blow them up, we'll bring in a marketing partner.

If their processes are affordable and nonexistent, they want to bring in our process partner. And at the end of the 12 months we'll see, we'll do another evaluation to see how much we bridge that gap, what their business is worth now. This is a great program because most business owners just don't really realize what buyers are looking for. They don't know what they have to do in their business in order to maximize value or work on that. And then we're working on other stuff I can't tell you about and I'll have to kill you.

06:49 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, we'll have to have you back on so you don't have to kill me or anything. So I appreciate you kind of breaking that down, but I love that seller sanity check that you kind of talked about. And you know what was kind of coming to my mind is the seven habits of highly effective people beginning with the end in mind. And I feel like so many CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners, a lot of times don't do those exercises to understand where they even want to end up. And I imagine that's probably what leads to that 80, 90% that you cited that you've seen where most people when they get to the end of, I guess, where they are able to probably work more than anything else. They're not really set up for success.

07:26 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

Yeah, they're not set up for success. And the most important thing is they haven't built a business that buyers want to buy. Most entrepreneurs have built themselves a glorified job that they go to work at every day and call themselves a business owner or an entrepreneur versus really building a business that buyers will step all over and pay more money for and buy those synergies. So it's really important to also build those six P's which are people, products, processes, proprietary patrons, and profits. If you don't have a business that runs on R6, you really don't have a business that's going to be valued by buyers. Will they pay top dollar for me? Probably don't have a sellable business.

08:14 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And so I wanted to hear I guess a little bit more about any programs. The book, especially the audiobook, which I've always been a fan of. I'm a big Audible person. So excited that you have that launched as well too. But what do you feel kind of even maybe sets you apart and makes you unique? You are the business and the programs that you're doing. Do you feel like there's something that's a part of your secret sauce?

08:36 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

Yes, I think that's part of my secret sauce for many things. First and foremost, I have a lot of. I have very different characteristics than what most M and A advisors, and business brokers have. First and foremost, I've been a business owner. I am a business owner. I've owned multiple companies. I own multiple companies today and I do what's in the client's best interest. I've sat on the other side of the desk. I know how it is to make those hard decisions. I know how difficult it can be to make payroll. I know how, you know, sometimes you can't take a check for a year. I get all that. I've sat on the other side of the desk, but I do what's right for my clients.

And the reason why I said that makes me different is because many business owners, business brokers, M and A advisors, have never ever owned a business before. So how can they possibly be able to relate to the seller, you know? And like I said, I've owned businesses in very different industries. The other thing that makes us very unique is we sell businesses in practically almost every industry you can imagine because we're not industry-specific, we're not industry-focused, we're industry agnostic, and a lot of M and A advisors and brokers, focus in electrical, focus in IT, focus on staffing, or focus in SaaS.

We don't do that. And because of that we have even more buyers because we are so industry agnostic, we have more buyers than I would say most advisors. We have 50, 60, 70,000 buyers. It grows every single day. And then like I said before, because I've owned other businesses, I know what the seller goes through. I really lean towards engaging and committed to doing what's best for the seller, not what's best for my bank account.

10:32 – Gresham Harkless

I absolutely appreciate that. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or something from your book, but what's something that you feel makes you more effective and efficient?

10:45 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

So I believe you know, our biggest, my biggest hack is preparing business owners, educating business owners, getting them to plan their exit. Now because even if you don't sell, guess what you're going to have?

10:59 – Gresham Harkless

Woo hoo.

11:00 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

What did he win? He won a better business, right? You gotta have a business that's sustainable, scalable, and sellable. Woo. You know, and so not only that, but I think our big hack too is getting these businesses to operate on the 6B's because people don't think about this, but there are 30.2 million businesses in the United States employing over half the US workforce. If we lose small businesses, we lose jobs. What happens when we lose jobs? A mommy or daddy can't work, A mommy loses his job, daddy loses his job.

Guess what? We can't go to restaurants, we can't shop like we used to, we don't have as much disposable income, we might have to pull our kid out of daycare, you know, it's a trickle-down effect. So even more businesses start going out of business because of all the businesses that are losing jobs. So small business is the backbone of our economy. So I think our biggest hack is the road to exit rich. But we're getting these business owners to create an actual business that works for them rather than working for it.

11:59 – Gresham Harkless

That's absolutely huge. I was going to ask you for a CEO nugget and I don't know if the six Bs might be that CEO nugget because I usually phrase it as something that might be a word of wisdom, a piece of advice, something you might tell yourself if you were to hop into a time machine. But do you think those six P's as you kind of talked about before, kind of like I see them as legs on the stool? Is that something that is really, I guess, you would give as advice for those CEOs, and entrepreneurs?

12:23 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

I think, you know, I have 325 pages of words of wisdom, but I would say the GPS XML words of wisdom in the 60s, 1000% reservist, because there's so much value packed into those six Ps that most people don't know or forgot about, are just too busy to implement. And if you could just keep your business running on those six cylinders, you're golden. You have a business that can run without you. You have a business that you can scale. You have a business that's highly, highly profitable, and a business that's sellable one day through the desired price tag. So I would say that probably one of the biggest hacks is the GPS exit model and the 6PS. Because if you don't find a GPS exit, the 6PS might not work. You know, you need both of them.

They go hand in hand with each other. Because in the 6ps, you're figuring out what the buyers want. So you're like, oh, these are my buyers. These are my three types of buyers. Oh, they want a large database with data, with content. Oh, they want transferable contracts. Oh, they want some celebrity endorsement. We've got a client that's Oprah's favorite thing. You know, how much money, strategically, to be in front of Oprah? Less than I would pay. But. And so it really, when you really get into the GPS exit model, it helps you build your 6P infrastructure, because now you know what buyers are looking for when they go to buy your company.

14:03 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. So what would you consider to be the answer to my absolutely favorite question? The definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote, unquote CEOs on this show. So, Michelle, what does being a CEO mean to you?

14:16 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

To me, a CEO is a great leader. Has to be a great leader. In order to be a great leader, you have to be a great follower. You can't lead without following. So a great CEO has to be a great leader and a great follower. In my opinion, a great CEO is also working on themselves because you can't grow your team beyond what you grow yourself. And a great leader is empathetic. They're empathetic.

And they lead. They are led by policies and procedures and SOPs. They lead by what's already in the employee handbook. They leave what's in the policy and procedure manual. They leave what's already been discussed, trained upon, and in the book. Because when you leave by what's already the written Bible in your company, then you're not making your employees wrong. You're holding them accountable.

15:04 – Gresham Harkless

Michelle truly appreciates that definition. Of course, I appreciate your time even more. So what I want to do now is pass you the mic again so you can tell us, let us know if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know. And of course how best people can get a hold of you. Get a copy of the book, get a copy of now the audiobook, and all the awesome things you're working on.

15:23 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

Sure. So everyone can find me at STI. That's how Tucker Incorporated STI@360.com my main website Saladoker is there plus all my other websites. If you want to take the 60-quiz, you do it there. If you want to do the quick calculator to see what your business is worth right now, you can do it there. Also, my podcast is there. You can follow my podcast Exit Rich and it shows you where you can buy the book Exit Rich. You can also look at Exit Rich is in 99 different locations at Hudson Bookstore. It's in all the Hudson's. It's in Washington D.C., send me a picture next time you're at an airport. And again, you can connect with me on social media or go to sti360.com Absolutely, absolutely.

16:12 – Gresham Harkless

And to make it even easier, we'll have the links and information in the show notes as well too so that everybody can follow up with you. But truly appreciate you being attainable. Thank you so much again Michelle and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:22 – Michelle Seiler Tucker

Thank you for having me on. Thank you.

16:24 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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