Libsyn Directory

Ep 267 Profitable Exit Strategy and Succession Planning with Eric Brotman

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Release Date: 04/29/2025

Ep 295 How to 4X your Revenue in 4 Years with Alexis Sikorsky

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

How to 4X your Revenue in 4 Years with Alexis Sikorsky Most business owners dream about growth, but few know how to scale without chaos. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky Lalvani talks with Alexis Sikorsky, a strategic advisor who helps founders scale fast and exit strong. Alexis doesn’t speak from theory—he built and sold his own Switzerland-based software company, New Access, in a $100M+ private equity deal. He learned firsthand what it takes to go from exhaustion to exponential growth—and how the right strategy, mindset, and systems can help you 4X your revenue...

Ep 294 Scale Smarter: Use EOS to Add Another Zero with Rick Benton

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Scale Smarter: Use EOS to Add Another Zero with Rick Benton When business growth starts to feel like chaos, it’s time to add structure. EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System) gives you a clear roadmap to align people, processes, and profit — but when you combine it with the right financial systems, that’s when the real transformation happens. In this episode, Rick Benton, EOS Implementer and former multi-state business owner, joins Rocky Lalvani to unpack how EOS helps entrepreneurs simplify, scale, and create freedom. Together, they explore how visionaries can step...

Ep 293 From Bankruptcy to 60 Million: The Systems Behind a Successful Exit with Jason Sisneros

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

From Bankruptcy to 60 Million: The Systems Behind a Successful Exit with Jason Sisneros Most business owners think success means more sales and more hustle. But Jason Sisneros discovered the opposite — freedom comes from systems, not speed. After crashing three businesses and digging himself millions into debt, Jason rebuilt from scratch. Over time, he created, scaled, and sold 26 companies with 6,800 employees for more than $60 million — all without investors or partners. Today, through his company Built to Exit, he helps business owners do what he finally mastered: design a...

Ep 292 Maximizing Business Value: Lessons from 800+ Deals with Matt Uhler

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Maximizing Business Value: Lessons from 800+ Deals with Matt Uhler The Cash Discipline That Saves—or Sells—Your Business Most companies don’t go under because they lack revenue. They go under because they run out of cash. And the worst part? It doesn’t happen overnight. It happens slowly… then suddenly. One month, you’re profitable. The next, you’re panicking over payroll and wondering what went wrong. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Uhler—a business broker and owner who’s evaluated over 2,500 companies, completed 800+ transactions,...

Ep 291 Build a Business That Serves Your Life (Not the Other Way Around) with John Nieuwenburg

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Build a Business That Serves Your Life (Not the Other Way Around) with John Nieuwenburg Small business owners are great technicians—but often underpowered CEOs. Coach John Nieuwenburg breaks down why most owners feel squeezed by time, team, and money—and how to fix it. We cover building a simple, real-time dashboard (so you stop driving by the rear-view mirror), the “three-legged stool” of systems-people-leadership, recruiting a bench before you’re desperate, plus hiring for culture over skills. The goal: a business that funds—and fits—your life. In This Episode,...

Ep 290 The Next Level Revenue Formula with Kyle Mealy

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

The Next Level Revenue Formula with Kyle Mealy Business growth doesn’t have to be complicated. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, I welcome back Kyle Mealy, Fractional Chief Revenue Officer and author of The Next Level Revenue Formula. Kyle has helped small businesses double their top line and, in many cases, 10x their profit by applying simple math to sales and marketing. We dive into the new world of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), niching through the “Snow Globe Economy,” and the power of his Revenue Cascade framework. This isn’t abstract theory—it’s...

Ep 289 Scorecards, Not Gut Calls: How to Run Profitable Weeks with Austin McMillan

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Scorecards, Not Gut Calls: How to Run Profitable Weeks with Austin McMillan Build a Profitable Business Buyers Can’t Resist Most business owners dream of selling one day—but the reality of what buyers actually pay can be sobering. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, Rocky sits down with Austin McMillan, founder of Flywheel Financial, to break down how investors truly evaluate businesses, why contractual revenue beats hype, and how Profit First and a handful of simple ratios can transform your company into a business worth buying. Key Lessons from the...

Ep 287 How Small Businesses Beat Big: Profit Lessons from McKinsey to Main Street with Sri Kaza

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

How Small Businesses Beat Big: Profit Lessons from McKinsey to Main Street with Sri Kaza Most small business owners feel like underdogs—limited resources, endless responsibilities, and constant pressure just to keep up. But what if those very constraints were the secret to outpacing billion-dollar corporations? That’s exactly what Sri Kaza, former McKinsey consultant and now small business advocate, reveals in his book Unconventional and in our latest conversation on the Profit Answer Man podcast. After years advising Fortune 500s and later scaling and selling...

Ep 288 Your P&L Is Lying—Here’s What to Track with Laresa McIntyre

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

Your P&L Is Lying—Here’s What to Track with Laresa McIntyre Stop Chasing Revenue: How Fractional CFOs Clear the Financial Fog Most business owners measure success by one thing: revenue growth. The problem? Revenue isn’t cash—and it doesn’t always translate into profit. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, I sat down with Laresa McIntyre, founder of Rockbridge CFO, to uncover the blind spots that keep owners stuck in financial fog. Laresa brings over 15 years of CFO experience and now helps service-based businesses scale smarter with fractional CFO...

Ep 286 The Profit Pitfalls Most Business Owners Miss with Lisa Hennigar

Profit Answer Man: Scaling with Profit First & Beyond

The Profit Pitfalls Most Business Owners Miss with Lisa Hennigar Most business owners don’t lose profit because of one big mistake — it’s usually a thousand tiny leaks. From not knowing your why, to ignoring customer service, to failing to track the right numbers, the truth is this: profit slips away quietly while you’re busy working hard. In this episode of Profit Answer Man, I sit down with Lisa Hennigar, Vice President of Franchise Development at ERA Group and a nationally recognized franchise strategist with over 22 years in the industry. Lisa has worked with everyone...

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Profitable Exit Strategy and Succession Planning with Eric Brotman

Are you building a business you can actually walk away from?

What if the problem isn’t how to exit—but how you think about it? This week on The Profit Answer Man, we sat down with the legendary Eric Brotman, CEO of BFG Financial Advisors, who’s flipping the script on succession planning. For him, retirement isn't the end—it's a graduation into a new, exciting chapter.

In this episode, we’re not just talking theory—we’re breaking down the actual moves Eric made over 15 years to build a business that thrives without him. If you’re serious about maximizing the value of your business and exiting on your terms (without private equity hijacking your legacy), this is the playbook you need.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

Why Eric hates the word retirement—and what mindset shift could unlock your next level.
How to start building your exit strategy a decade before you plan to leave.
The difference between building a sellable company… and just owning your job.
Real-world examples of internal succession done right—without sacrificing culture or control.
The one metric you’re probably not watching that could destroy your transition plan.

Key Takeaways:

Start Your Exit Long Before You Need It. Eric started building his succession plan at 38. Today, he’s gradually transferring ownership to internal partners—protecting culture, profitability, and legacy.
“Graduation” Beats “Retirement”. Instead of stepping away into boredom, Eric talks about moving into a chairman/advisory role, staying engaged with strategic vision without day-to-day stress.
Internal Buyouts Aren’t Always Lucrative—But They’re Often More Fulfilling. He could’ve taken a big check from PE. Instead, he chose continuity, values, and staying true to the mission.
Team Building Is Strategic Planning. This wasn’t just about creating a leadership team. It was about building equity, commitment, and a business that thrives without dependency on one person.
Succession = Culture + Cash Flow + Control. Get these right, and you’ve got options. Ignore them, and you’re the bottleneck holding the whole thing back.

About Eric Brotman:

Eric D. Brotman, CFP®, is the CEO of BFG Financial Advisors, founder of Brotman Media Group, and author of Don’t Retire…Graduate! With 30+ years in the financial planning world and over $700 million AUM, Eric is a true architect of long-term business and financial legacies. His firm’s unique internal succession model offers a rare roadmap for owners who want to graduate instead of retire.

Conclusion:

Will Your Business Outlive You?

Too many founders build a business that dies when they leave. Eric Brotman is living proof that with vision, systems, and intentional planning—you can build a company that survives and thrives without you.

If you're not exit-ready, you're not growth-ready. It's time to change that.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/BFGFinancialAdvisors/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/bfgfa/

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

https://www.instagram.com/bfgfinancialadvisors/

brotmanmedia.com

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profitanswerman

Profit First Toolkit: https://lp.profitcomesfirst.com/landing-page-page

Relay Bank (affiliate link): https://relayfi.com/?referralcode=profitcomesfirst

Profit Answer Man Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitanswerman/

My podcast about living a richer more meaningful life: http://richersoul.com/