Independence by Design™

January 29, 2026

#478: Q1 2026 Economic & M&A Update

Part 1: The Economic Backdrop (Alan Beaulieu & Kim Clark)Watch on YouTubeAlan, Kim, and I unpack why political pressure on the Federal Reserve isn’t...

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01:52:39

January 22, 2026

#477: William “Bill” Cowan | Buying a Business Is Easy. Living With It Is Hard.

This conversation with Bill Cowan is a full arc—from career operator to business owner to successful exit to peer group chair—and it surfaces the...

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01:14:13

January 15, 2026

#476: Tom Shipley | Why Most Owners Get Stuck at $1–$2M EBITDA (and How to Break Through)

This conversation with Tom Shipley goes far beyond “growth” or “M&A tactics.” It’s about understanding the real game of ownership — how value is...

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00:59:34

January 08, 2026

#475: Matt Paulson | $50M & 20 Employees; Designing a Business You Never Want to Sell

Matt is the founder of MarketBeat, a financial media company he’s built quietly over 19 years into a ~$50M/year business with around 20 employees...

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01:10:01

January 01, 2026

#474: Luke Maupin | How to Flip the Power Dynamic with Your Commercial Bank

Most owner-operators have a complicated relationship with their bank — part dependence, part frustration, and very little transparency. I’ve lived that reality myself, and...

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01:47:21

December 25, 2025

#473: John Bartlett | What Selling a Business Really Looks Like

Most owners don’t wake up wanting to sell their business. They wake up tired, overloaded, and unsure how much longer they can keep doing...

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01:29:11