Martinka Consulting's Getting the Deal Done Podcast

Hosted by John & Jessica Martinka

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Episodes

232

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Informative insights and conversations with owners, CEOs, M&A dealmakers, and other professionals on lessons learned, tips, current business conditions, and more.

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60 recent

October 19, 202626 min

The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Third Generation Owner with Daniella Devine

Daniella Devine shares how she became the third-generation owner of Peacock Floors, a San Francisco commercial flooring business. After working in city government and returning to her family’s company, she bought the business from her father and hired a general manager before closing to support the transition. She discusses the realities of taking over, including unexpected operational problems, customer challenges, and the need for more working capital than she initially expected. Daniella also describes buying a self-serve car wash near Phoenix and the financing difficulties that left her with costly 24% interest-only payments. Her advice for prospective buyers is to carefully analyze cash flow and accounts receivable, secure financing before setting a closing date, and prepare for long customer payment cycles. Takeaways: Plan for more working capital than you expect. Analyze cash flow, accounts receivable, and customer payment terms not just the business’s stated earnings. Don’t rush financing or set an artificial closing date. Make closing contingent on securing suitable funding, and compare loan options carefully. Prepare for the realities of ownership. Plan for post-close operational problems, customer transitions, and the people needed to keep the business running and growing. You can reach Daniella via https://thedanielladevine.com/ John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

October 12, 202640 min

What Has the SBA Done Now? With Special Guest Lisa Forrest

Lisa Forrest of Northwest Bank breaks down why the SBA is tightening lending standards amid rising defaults and considering higher loan limits. She explains the new Quality of Earnings requirement for business acquisitions priced at $3 million or more, including how these reports can assess add-backs and working capital. The conversation covers updated rules for seller transitions, seller-note refinancing, debt-service coverage, and the borrower’s minimum personal contribution toward the down payment. Lisa also shares practical challenges in acquiring landscaping, e-commerce, and trade-services businesses, emphasizing the importance of understanding labor, seasonality, and company culture. The discussion closes with guidance on investor participation and trusts, and a reminder that careful preparation can help buyers build a stronger path to business ownership. Takeaways : Expect more rigorous underwriting: Acquisitions priced at $3 million or more require a Quality of Earnings report, and first-time buyers’ debt-service coverage must include seller-note payments and be based on historical performance—not projections. Plan the equity carefully: The 10% minimum down payment remains, but at least 5% must come from the borrower or guarantor’s personal resources. Investor distributions and trust guarantees are also subject to limits. Look beyond the numbers when assessing a deal: Seller involvement can help or hinder a transition, while labor, seasonality, revenue patterns, and cultural fit can pose significant challenges in industries such as landscaping and trade services. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

October 8, 202610 min

Myths of Business Valuation

John Martinka unpacks common myths around small business valuation with clear examples and practical warnings. He explains how overpaying and undercapitalization can turn acquisitions into “zombie” operations struggling with debt and stagnant growth. The AAA lens addbacks, assumptions, and adjustments helps reveal where rosy projections and unproven efficiencies can mislead buyers and sellers. Listeners learn why rules of thumb like “twice sales” fail, why small firms can’t command big-company multiples, and how profits not potential ultimately set prices. Real-world anecdotes drive home that valuation is part art, part science, and grounded in demonstrated performance. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

October 5, 202632 min

Jake the Wizard Tlapek on Why Too Many Brands Make the Business Invisible

Jake the Wizard went from Air Force IT to creative director to agency owner, and along the way he figured out that most businesses stop at colors, logos, and fonts instead of giving their brand an actual personality. He argues the analytics era is winding down as privacy rules tighten and social platforms turn into television, which means the brands that win now are the ones that connect emotionally rather than optimize a dashboard. On AI, his position is blunt: it's a tool, not an employee, and the moment you hand over the vision and the goals, you've lost control of your brand use it like an extremely skilled but emotionally inept intern. His book, Eight Dominoes , distills ten years of client work into an eight-step messaging framework built on the idea that nobody actually wants your product, they want what sits on the other side of it. He closes with the story behind his seven-figure turnaround: a post-COVID low point, a choice between payroll and his mortgage, and a mandate from his wife to stop looking for a job and start taking real risks. Quotes from the Wizard: ● "I have one rule when it comes to marketing: tell the truth, or at least don't lie." ● "Social media isn't social media anymore... It's our new TV." ● "Joy begets joy, and so fun businesses get fun clients and they grow." You can reach Jake via; Company Website: thewizard.marketing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-tlapek John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

October 1, 20267 min

10 Things NOT to do if You Want to Increase Company Value

A short educational episode for owners, advisors, and even business buyers. Simply, do these things and wonder why others don't see the same value you do in your business. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

September 28, 202625 min

Exit With Style, Grace, and More Money - Chapter 7 - It's Not a Deal Until the Lawyers are Done

Chapter Seven covers: Your Entity Makes a Difference It’s a Complicated Contract You Promise to Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth The Buyer Also Promises to Tell the Truth Included is a paragraph by paragraph overview of a purchase and sale agreement with my (layman's) explanation of what is being done. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

September 28, 202631 min

Talent is More Important than Capital in Deals with Ian Reynolds

Ian discusses his background in startups and transaction finance before founding Thesis Capital in 2017, where they partner with exceptional talent and capital to acquire U.S. lower middle market businesses. He explains that talent is more scarce than capital in their acquisitions, and they focus on bringing in management-level talent to help transitioning business owners. Ian notes that their approach differentiates them from search funds by running industry-specific theses with experienced individuals rather than just finding capable people. He discusses key lessons learned from business acquisitions, emphasizing the importance of purchasing scalable businesses and evaluating management talent carefully, as many lower middle-market businesses in the US depend heavily on individual management skills. He shares that hiring mistakes were a common pitfall, advising to hire based on specific strengths rather than absence of weaknesses. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

September 23, 202628 min

Special Guest Stuart Faught on Starting and Flipping SaaS Businesses

Stuart Faught has started and sold numerous SaaS businesses to entrepreneurs who don't have that creative spark but want their own small and scalable company. We discuss opportunities for business ownership, focusing on how different skill sets and financial capabilities can enable entrepreneurship. Stuart emphasizes that his business model offers a good alternative for people who want to be entrepreneurs but lack the capital needed to buy fully operating companies. Stuart invited potential buyers to reach out to him on LinkedIn or visit www.minihorse.ai to schedule a strategy call. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

September 17, 202643 min

John and Nick Anderson on Business Selling, AI to Increase Value and More

Nick and my regular discussion, this time covering: What owner's should expect after they get their value to where they want it to be (it's about what you keep not what you get). How OneAccord is breaking barriers to get lower middle market businesses to AI to streamline operations. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903

September 14, 202632 min

The Entrepreneur Journey to an AI Firm with Andrew Brooks

Andrew shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting with working at a company that was later acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2005. He then launched a small business marketing firm which was sold to Reach Local, and later worked on SmartThings, which was acquired by Samsung in 2014. Currently, Andrew is the CEO of Contextual.io, a managed AI solutions provider that was recently sold to a private equity firm. Andrew and John discussed the differences between being owned by private equity firms versus large international or US companies, using Samsung's acquisition of a smart home platform as an example. Andrew explained that Samsung was interested in the platform not just for its current business but for its potential to connect Samsung's distributed devices. They explore how private equity firms prioritize returns for shareholders over cultural or human elements, which can lead to significant changes in the acquired business, including growth through organic or acquisitive means. John shares a story about a friend who sold his family business to private equity, who later regretted the decision due to how the people were treated during tough times. Andrew agreed and emphasized the importance of founders doing their own due diligence on the PE firm, including speaking with other sellers and understanding long-term expectations, as the financial excitement may fade over time. Both discussed the need for proper buyer due diligence, with Andrew expressing satisfaction with his current PE sponsor, Southfield Capital. Andrew shared his experience building businesses with a core team of co-founders, emphasizing the importance of trust and clear role definitions. He noted that while only a handful of employees have become entrepreneurs themselves, many team members remain willing to join new ventures due to their trust in the leadership team. He acknowledged that the quick success of early companies like SmartThings sometimes gave employees a misleading impression of entrepreneurship being easy. John Martinka Jessica Martinka Contact us via either website or give us a call and be sure to check out our blog pages with new posts weekly. https://nokomisadvisory.com/ https://www.martinkaconsulting.com/ https://www.gddpodcast.buzzsprout.com https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnAMartinka/videos 425-515-4903