The Realities of Leading and Scaling Multiple Businesses - Palmer Higgins - Partner at Chenmark
The Intentional Owner
Palmer Higgins joins co-hosts Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati to discuss building Chenmark, lessons from operating small businesses, and maintaining a long-term approach to leadership. Palmer shares his early career in finance and a startup, the path to acquiring multiple companies with family members, and the importance of agency in shaping his career decisions. He reflects on the challenges of hiring operators, stepping into a CEO role without prior management experience, and the operational intensity of turnaround situations. The discussion also covers Chenmark’s philosophy on growth, capital...
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The Pursuit of Unhinged Demand - The Intentional Owner #18
The Intentional Owner
Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati return for a wide-ranging episode that blends personal updates with deeper reflections on business building and investment philosophy. They begin by recapping Sam’s family trip to Hawaii and updating their ongoing fitness tracker challenge, before diving into a detailed reflection on their recent interview with Chase Murdock. The conversation explores Chase’s unique approach to building a HoldCo in Salt Lake City, emphasizing leadership, locality, and a low-leverage, high-growth strategy. From there, the hosts discuss the appeal and drawbacks of various HoldCo...
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Rejecting the Arrival Fallacy - Chase Murdock: CEO of Decada Group
The Intentional Owner
In this episode of The Intentional Owner, co-hosts Sam Rosati and Kaustubh Deo welcome their first guest, Chase Murdock, CEO of the Decada Group. Chase reflects on his transition from high-growth, venture-backed startups to building a durable, decentralized holding company rooted in Salt Lake City. He shares how his early career in venture capital led to burnout and the realization that long-term fulfillment comes from building intentionally, not chasing exits. The conversation dives into the formation of Decada, the value of partnerships, and how Chase and his partner, Adam, have shaped their...
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Evaluating Industries & Revenue Quality in SMB Acquisition - The Intentional Owner #16
The Intentional Owner
In this episode of The Intentional Owner, Sam Rosati and Kaustubh Deo dive deep into two interconnected topics: the real tradeoffs of self-funded search versus traditional high-income careers, and tactical frameworks for evaluating industries and revenue quality in SMB acquisition. They open with a candid conversation about what draws people into ETA, weighing lifestyle freedom and long-term upside against the more predictable, but often relentless, trajectory of big law, PE, and IB. Then, they shift gears into practical diligence frameworks, sharing how they’ve each evaluated revenue...
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How to Navigate the First 90 Days Post-Acquisition - The Intentional Owner #15
The Intentional Owner
In this episode of The Intentional Owner, Sam Rosati and Kaustubh Deo dive deep into the critical first 90 days following a business acquisition. Drawing from their own operating experience, they discuss tactical items like transition checklists and asset conversion, while also exploring the softer—but equally important—aspects of communication with employees and customers. They examine the nuances of announcing a deal, managing early team dynamics, and the risk of misaligned retention strategies. Along the way, they share candid reflections on the evolving identity of a business owner and...
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Managing Relationships between Investors, Operators, and Searchers - The Intentional Owner #14
The Intentional Owner
In this episode of The Intentional Owner, Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati dive deep into the often-overlooked art of managing investors in self-funded search deals. From communication best practices to governance structures, Kaustubh and Sam explore the nuances that define healthy investor relationships. They share personal experiences, trade perspectives as both operators and investors, and offer candid commentary on what it really takes to build trust and discipline in capital partnerships. The conversation also touches on capital structuring, ownership dynamics, and how to thoughtfully balance...
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Podcast Announcement! - The Intentional Owner
The Intentional Owner
Quick Update for the listeners! We're excited to announce that we will soon be bringing guests onto the show, as well as moving to a release cadence of every other week. See you next Thursday!
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How Operators can Balance Ambition with a Sustainable Life - The Intentional Owner #13
The Intentional Owner
In this episode of The Intentional Owner, co-hosts Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati unpack what it looks like to build a fulfilling life around small business ownership without sacrificing long-term goals. Framed around personal goal setting, competing priorities, and everyday tradeoffs, the episode offers a candid look at how both hosts are trying to design lives that support sustainability—not just scale. They share stories of recent chaos, from moving mishaps and work-life boundaries to surprise break-ins and activity trackers, all while reflecting on how much structure is enough to keep life...
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The Eisenhower Matrix for Small Business Operators - The Intentional Owner #12
The Intentional Owner
In this episode of The Intentional Owner, co-hosts Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati explore the concept of time prioritization and how small business owners can focus on non-urgent but important tasks to drive long-term success. They frame the conversation around the Eisenhower Matrix, examining how founders often get stuck in reactive decision-making and struggle to create space for deeper work. Kaustubh shares specific examples from running Blooma Tree Experts, including how written scopes of work, real estate planning, and lead attribution have impacted operations. Sam and Kaustubh also dive...
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Designing a Sustainable Life as a Small Business Owner - The Intentional Owner #11
The Intentional Owner
In this episode of The Intentional Owner, co-hosts Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati unpack the concept of personal non-negotiables and what it takes to make business ownership sustainable over the long haul. What begins as a reflection on physical health quickly evolves into a broader conversation about habit formation, time prioritization, and the limits of willpower. Kaustubh shares his recent experience becoming a certified arborist while leading Blooma Tree Experts. The two reflect on the difference between project-based discipline and long-term personal routines. Together, they explore a...
info_outlineIn this special live episode of The Intentional Owner, co-hosts Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati take the stage at SMBash in Dallas for a wide-ranging, honest, and often humorous conversation with two operators who’ve taken very different paths into small business ownership.
First up is Chris Williams, owner of System Six, who shares how he transitioned from investment banking and private equity to running a remote bookkeeping and finance operations firm. Chris opens up about the real motivations that led him to entrepreneurship, the challenges of stepping into the CEO role, and how becoming a new father has shaped his perspective on work-life balance, time management, and the long game of ownership.
Later in the episode, they’re joined by Jeff Driskel, a current NFL quarterback and co-founder of Four Pillars Group, an independent sponsor platform. Jeff talks about balancing pro football with building a portfolio of small businesses, the surprising overlap between athletics and entrepreneurship, and what it’s been like running a company alongside his brother. He also shares lessons on discipline, learning new systems, and how he's using the trust he’s built in the locker room to raise capital and source operators.
This episode covers:
- Why people choose the small business path—and how that motivation evolves
- The highs and lows of parenting while owning and growing a business
- Building companies with family and managing partnership dynamics
- Operator-first investing and how to find the right fit between people and businesses
- The importance of long-term thinking, pattern recognition, and staying power in ETA
Recorded live, this conversation blends real stories, practical advice, and a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly means to build a life—and a business—with intention.
Links:
Kaustubh on Substack - https://bigdealsmallbusiness.substack.com/p/read-me-first
Sam on X - https://x.com/Sam_Rosati
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:23) - Chris Williams' journey and motivations
(00:05:15) - Balancing business and personal life
(00:17:28) - Jeff Driscoll's background and transition to ETA
(00:21:49) - The secret sauce to success
(00:21:58) - Transitioning from football to business
(00:24:24) - Working with family
(00:25:19) - Choosing the right business
(00:27:46) - Finding the right people
(00:31:05) - Leveraging football for business success
(00:34:44) - Lessons from football
(00:40:46) - Adapting to new teams and systems