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What the Grateful Dead can Teach us about Business with Brian Mohr

Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Release Date: 11/01/2024

The Risk Management Corner: Is Your Coverage Keeping Up? show art The Risk Management Corner: Is Your Coverage Keeping Up?

Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

The moment you open your doors, you take on risk. Most business owners put basic coverage in place when they started the company and haven't given it a real look since. Meanwhile the business has grown, the exposures have changed, and the broker who sold the policy only calls at renewal. In this episode of Your Wealth and Beyond, Andrew Rafal and Brian Hartstein continue the Four Corners of Business Owner Planning series with the Risk Management Corner. They cover property and casualty coverage, cybersecurity, workers' comp, business interruption, and the quiet items like the 401(k) plan bond...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Most business owners have worked with an attorney at some point. Usually it was to set up the business entity. Then it was done. What they do not always realize is how much gets left behind when the legal piece stays event-driven and disconnected from the rest of the plan. Entity structure, liability protection, exit strategy, benefit plan compliance — the legal corner of a business owner's financial picture touches nearly everything. And if nobody is coordinating it with the accounting, the investments, and the overall plan, the gaps quietly compound. In this episode, Andrew Rafal and Brian...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Most business owners leave their planning meetings feeling good about the conversation. But if nobody follows through on what was discussed — and nobody knows who is supposed to — the whole year gets wasted. In this episode, Andrew Rafal and Brian Hartstein pick up where they left off in Episode 123, going deeper into the Tax Corner of the Four Corners of Business Owner Planning. This time it is about the roadmap — the specific planning areas every business owner should be asking their advisory team about, and the real-world examples that show what happens when those questions go...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Most business owners have a CPA, an attorney, and a financial advisor on their team. But if nobody is driving the plan, the best opportunities get missed — not because the team is bad, but because nobody knows who is supposed to be doing what. In this episode, Andrew and Brian dig into the Tax Corner of the Four Corners of Business Owner Planning — starting with the question most business owners never think to ask: Does everyone on your advisory team actually know their role? With decades of experience working with business owners across complex planning scenarios, Brian and Andrew...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Most business owners spend their time focused on growth — revenue, employees, and operations. But the biggest opportunities to build wealth often aren’t in the day-to-day. They’re in how the business is structured, how advisors work together, and how efficiently profits are turned into personal wealth. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Bayntree Wealth’s Director of Corporate Development, Brian Hartstein, to introduce the Four Corners of Business Owner Planning — a framework for identifying where businesses are losing money and where untapped opportunities exist. With over three...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Choosing the right CPA is one of the most important decisions a business owner will ever make, yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood. Many entrepreneurs assume their CPA is proactively looking for opportunities to reduce taxes and improve efficiency throughout the year, only to realize too late that most planning happens in hindsight. Today, I’m joined once again by Bayntree’s Director of Corporate Development, Brian Hartstein, for a deeper conversation about how business owners can evaluate whether their CPA is truly the right fit. We break down the different types of CPA firms,...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Many business owners reach a point where sheer grit and hard work are no longer enough to keep growing. What once fueled success can eventually become a ceiling if structure, systems, and leadership don’t evolve alongside the business. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Brad Levkowitz, co-owner of , to explore his journey of growing a multi-generational family business. Brad shares how early lessons from working alongside his father and grandfather shaped his work ethic, leadership style, and approach to long-term growth. We dive into the realities of building through economic...

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Many entrepreneurs reach a point in their careers where the traditional corporate path no longer aligns with their values, energy, or passions. For today’s guest, that moment came when he realized the culture surrounding him no longer reflected the performance-driven lifestyle that fueled his passions and motivated him.  Today, I’m sitting down with my longtime friend and serial entrepreneur, Blake Uptain, founder of  and . Blake shares how his journey began with a passion for fitness, a talent for building relationships, and an instinct for creating environments where people...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

As another tax year comes to a close, many successful business owners are undoubtedly asking themselves the same question: How do I keep more of what I’ve earned away from Uncle Sam this year?  In this episode, I’m sitting down with Bayntree’s Director of Corporate Development, Brian Hartstein, to break down year-end strategies to help entrepreneurs and high-income earners make the most of their pre-tax dollars and reduce their biggest expense: Taxes. With over 30 years of experience collaborating with business owners, CPAs, and plan administrators, Brian has seen firsthand how many...

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Your Wealth & Beyond: Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

The stress and anxiety of high-pressure careers can take a heavy toll on mental health, relationships, and physical well-being. Many business owners and professionals live with constant overwhelm, numbing themselves through long days instead of finding actual relief. But what if there was a practice that could calm the nervous system, ease stress, and even spark personal transformation without years of training or expensive therapy?​ After decades of working in demanding corporate roles, Cary Ballou experienced burnout, loss, and a sense of disconnection from her authentic self. Her turning...

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Though many simply think of them as a jam band, the Grateful Dead are one of America’s longest-enduring, most unique, and best-performing businesses. Throughout a career that has lasted over five decades, they have created a culture, a highly profitable business, and a mindset out of organized chaos. Furthermore, they have survived as a leaderless organization and cemented their legacy in the decades following the death of founding guitarist and effective bandleader Jerry Garcia in 1995. 

If you want to look at numbers for proof, consider the fact that the band made over $50 million almost exclusively from touring and merchandise sales in 1994. Also consider that Dead & Co., the band’s current incarnation led by John Mayer, grossed over $40 million from ticket sales in 2019 and recently wrapped up a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere that grossed over $130M in gross revenue.

Joining me on today’s podcast is fellow Deadhead Brian Mohr. Brian is on the national Board of Directors of Conscious Capitalism, Inc., and is the co-founder of anthym, where they use music to help culture-driven organizations create and nurture meaningful relationships amongst their people. 

So, even if you’ve never connected with their music, throw your preconceived notions out the door as we dive into a conversation about how to develop prestigious brands, create customers for life, and build small businesses thinking seriously about conscious capitalism into massive, life-changing organizations. 

In this podcast interview, you’ll learn: 

  • Why the Grateful Dead letting fans tape and share recordings of their concerts was an early and extremely effective form of content marketing.
  • How Jerry’s death and the subsequent infighting between band members mirrors when founders exit - and how John Mayer has stepped into Jerry’s role in a leaderless way while breathing new life into the band and its business. 
  • How the Grateful Dead used their mailing list to create an extraordinarily effective marketing machine that fostered a massively inclusive community and treated them right.
  • Why psychological safety and feeling connected is crucial to being vulnerable enough to take risks and achieve the biggest successes in business. 
  • How technology leaves us feeling both more connected and isolated than ever before - and what business leaders and managers can do to address these issues. 

Interview Resources