57 - What Would You Do with a Million Dollars?

Only two things in life are certain: Death and Taxes.  But working with someone like Cindy McGhee from NextGen can help business owners with innovative strategies to take their business to the next level.

Connect with Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn

Connect with Cindy McGhee

• Website: https://nextgenempires.com/
• LinkedIn, personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-mcghee-cpa-b1157714a/
• LinkedIn, company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextgentax/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextgen.tax/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextgentaxservices

About Cindy McGhee

Cindy brings the right mix of education, experience and enthusiasm to the firm. She holds a Master’s of Science degree in Accounting, and has been a practicing CPA for over 18 years. Her career began with Ernst & Young LLP, a “Big 4” accounting firm, which laid the foundation for her professionalism and work ethic throughout her career.

Cindy has been in private practice for nearly 11 years and attracted a clientele that ranges from Fortune 500 CEOs to NFL athletes to owners of local start-ups. Under her leadership the firm is one of the fastest growing in the area serving clients in 14 states and counting.

When not working she spends her time with her husband of 15 years, Dr. Jonathan McGhee and their two kids. She is generous to local charities and faith-based organizations, and can be found enjoying down-time with family and friends and reading a good book.

1974.  That was the year that women were allowed to apply for credit cards in their own name.  Women didn't have that basic right in America before then.  While men had been using credit cards for 30 years prior, starting in 1946. That's an entire generation!  Financial literacy is a learned behavior so it is no wonder that women don't have the same level of comfort - we are still learning!  Kalee Boisvert recognized this and has written books to help women and children learn the fundamentals of finances early. 

Connect with Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn

Connect with Kalee Boisvert

• Website: https://kaleeboisvert.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaleeboisvert/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaleeboisvert/
• Book, Make Money Your Thing: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Money-Your-Thing-Design/dp/1738670287/
• Book, Moneywise Mabel: https://www.amazon.com/MoneyWise-Mabels-Bursting-Bank-Kalee-Boisvert/dp/1684632285/

About Kalee Boisvert

Kalee Boisvert has been in the financial industry for over 15 years, but her love of money started very young. Growing up in a single parent household, she watched her mom struggle with finances and wished there was something she could do to help. Around this time, she realized she needed to find her own way to save and earn if she wasn’t going to allow her circumstances to define her. And so, her own journey to financial literacy began.

Today, as a single mom and financially independent woman, Kalee is called to support women in their financial lives. She felt the pull toward a career that would allow her to pursue this deeply personal goal to advocate for women and their money, which led her on the path to becoming a financial advisor. Being an advisor allows her to work directly with women to empower and support them and help put an end to any money-related stress and doubts.  

To further her efforts supporting financial literacy, Kalee has two books being released in 2023 – a children’s picture book called MoneyWise Mabel’s Bursting Bank, and a non-fiction book called Make Money Your Thing! Which aims to build confidence and empower people in their financial lives.  

Location, Location, Location!  We all know this phrase in terms of real estate and one aspect of that is considering the environmental implications of a piece of property.  No one wants to fall in love with a location only to learn that building will be delayed due to a wetland area or endangered bug.  This is where Robin Laine and her company Transect come into play.  She pooled the comprehensive knowledge from a team of environmental specialists, data analysts, industry experts, and engineers to create the nation’s most comprehensive, all-in-one, environmental due diligence solution.

About Robin Laine

Robin Laine is the CEO and Co-founder of Transect.com. She has spent over 15 years managing natural resources compliance and permitting projects across the U.S. Along with navigating federal, state, and local permits for her clients, Robin established in-house natural resource compliance processes for oil and gas companies and gave presentations across the U.S. educating various industries on how to best manage federal and state environmental regulations. After serving as field biologist, then project manager, division director, and finally national program manager for local, regional, and national firms, Robin is now directing her passion towards Transect, an online platform on a mission to balance conservation of the natural world with the needs of the built world by making environmental due diligence easy for those in the energy, infrastructure, and real estate industries.

Connect with Robin Laine

• Website: https://www.transect.com/
• LinkedIn, personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-laine-transect/
• LinkedIn, company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/transect/

Connect with Catryn Becker 

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn

A business model that markets to customers is very different from a business that sells to other businesses.  Switching from one to the other is a big choice with complexity and risk.  Founder of Fuse, an next-gen loan origination system, Andres Klaric was flexible enough to see where the business was heading and was able to make the changes necessary to respond to the market.  In addition to discussing the why behind creating Fuse, Andres also shares his journey as a pseudo immigrant to the US.

About Andres Klaric

Andres Klaric is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Fuse, a next-gen loan origination system (LOS) that simplifies lending for financial institutions through self-serve customization, a low-code API builder, and a personalized agent portal.

Over the last decade, Andres worked on Wall Street, investing in tech and business services. This gave him an acute awareness of the issues slowing down lenders from achieving their highest potential, ultimately leading to starting Fuse with his cofounder, Marc Escapa.

Connect with Andres Klaric

• Website: https://www.fusefinance.com/
• LinkedIn, personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/klaric/
• LinkedIn, company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fusefinance/

Connect with Catryn Becker 

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn

You've spent years of your life building your business but the day has come and you are ready to sell.  Now what?  Just because you have in business for awhile doesn't mean you have the skills and experience necessary to effectively sell the business because you don't know what you don't know.  Guest David Jacobs has learned how to do this and shares some insider tips to help you.

Connect with Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@catrynbecker

About David Jacobs

David spent over 15 years in various corporate development roles in Silicon Valley early in my career. He held numerous positions in large software companies like Oracle, Siebel Systems, and Suse Linux.  In his late-30s, he transitioned to entrepreneurship. David transformed a five-person commercial printing agency into a thirty-five-person industry leader. He did this through an internally developed software application, a great staff, and contractual relationships with over 40 commercial printers across the USA, Canada, and China.  When it came time to sell his company, it took him almost 24 months to get a deal done. He wasted hundreds of hours pursuing unqualified buyers and not being adequately prepared. He now uses his experience to guide his clients through this complex process to get deals closed at strategic valuations.  His typical clients are business owners with $3m-$20m in revenue and 15-50 employees in the USA.

Connect with David Jacobs 

• Website: https://davidjacobsbusinessbroker.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesjacobs/

Contact Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@catrynbecker

Contact Chuck Ridgeway

• Website - Automation: https://hornerautomation.com/
• Website – Solution: https://hornersolution.com/
• LinkedIn – Horner APG: https://www.linkedin.com/company/horner-apg/
• LinkedIn – Chuck Ridgeway: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-ridgeway-79993210/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HornerAPG

About Chuck Ridgeway

I have served a variety of roles in my 30+ years at Horner - but have always been an Applications Engineer at heart. I graduated (a looooong time ago!) from what is now Kettering University in Flint, MI with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Prior to joining Horner, I worked in the Automotive industry as a Field Applications Engineer for several years in my home state of Michigan.

What's the longest that you have stayed at one company?  Years ago you wouldn't bat an eye for someone to have spent their whole career at one company yet today it isn't nearly as common. Guest Ashley Snyder talks about her career with SalesForce and how she's navigated life and tech.  Definitely check out this inspirational episode.

Connect with Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn

Connect with Ashley Snyder

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleybsnyder/

Connect with Bonnie Laslo

• Website: http://hobbymillionaire.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hobbymillionaire/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hobbymillionaire
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-laslo-2844362/
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bonnielaslo

Connect with Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@catrynbecker

About Allyssa Hamel (nee Guerin)

Allyssa Hamel (nee Guerin) is a seasoned real estate agent and investor with a deep passion for empowering homebuyers to build wealth through homeownership. She possesses a genuine empathy for those who may feel daunted by the current real estate landscape. Allyssa believes in employing innovative strategies to help individuals find tailored solutions that suit their needs.

Moreover, Allyssa is a proud mother of twins and embodies the transformative power of perseverance. Starting from humble beginnings and foregoing college, she has come to exemplify the rewards of hard work. Recently, she achieved financial stability by investing in a multifamily property, affording her significant financial flexibility. Allyssa remains committed to personal growth, cultivating a positive mindset that contributes to her remarkable success in the field.

Connect with Allyssa Hamel (nee Guerin)

• Website: https://www.mkghomesolutions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homebuyer_edu
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allyssaguerinrealtor
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allyssaguerin/

Connect with Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@catrynbecker

Connect with Catryn Becker

• Website: www.optimizewe.com
• Email: Catryn@OptimizeWe.com
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catrynbecker/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheGoodBadAndUglyOfBusiness?si=2KYT_qpi6eOwEOQT
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/relax_with_catryn

Connect with Anthony Diaz

• Website: www.AnthonyDiazLaw.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the1peacemaker/
• Email: Info@AnthonyDiazLaw.com