Blog

You’ve built your business like a master craftsman—now it’s time to plan your handoff. Doescher Group CFO, Kevin Rogner shares how business owners, specifially those in construction and trades, can create a step-by-step exit strategy that protects value, rewards key people, and ensures a smooth transition into the next chapter.

What started in 2023 as an experiment of bringing together business owners in a confidential, no-pressure environment has grown into an annual gathering of business owners and their professional advisers seeking to navigate the terrain of building, scaling, and eventually exiting their companies.

We’re thrilled to announce the 3rd Annual Business Owner Forum, happening Thursday, November 13, 2025, from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the beautiful Orchard Lake Country Club in Southeast Michigan.

If you’re a healthcare professional who owns your own practice, you’ve probably realized that serving patients is only part of the job — the other part is navigating insurance, compliance, and running a business you were never formally trained to manage. Over time, the weight of being both practitioner and owner can wear you down. Yet healthcare remains one of the strongest, most resilient sectors in our economy — which means your practice could hold more transferable value than you think. In this article, we unpack how to prepare for succession, elevate practice value, and exit on your own terms.

From a one-man band to a full team, Doescher Group continues to grow. With Doescher Advisors joining us, we now offer executive coaching alongside our Evolve and Exit services to better serve self-made business owners.

Traveling just behind the leader offers a unique perspective. From systems to team growth, Sandy shares the hidden trail markers she’s seen that help business owners build companies that run without them.

What can a kid-run lemonade stand teach us about running a successful business? From finding customers to building a brand, making smart investments, and scaling wisely, these lighthearted lessons from my daughters’ summer stand might surprise you with their real-world relevance.

The automotive industry’s once-reliable supply chains are facing unprecedented challenges—from semiconductor shortages to rising logistics costs and tariffs. For small to mid-sized suppliers, these disruptions create ripple effects that can choke cash flow and threaten survival. Learn how to protect your business and keep operations moving, even in uncertain times.

Culture isn’t fluff — it’s foundational. From slashing turnover to boosting valuation at sale, the strength of your company culture has real financial consequences. In this post, we unpack how core values drive performance, retention, and reputation — and why culture should be a strategic priority, not a side note.

When buyers evaluate your business, they aren’t just looking at what you’ve earned — they’re focused on what’s next. To sell your company for what it’s truly worth, you need clarity on three essential revenue types: backlog, pipeline, and Go Get revenue. In this post, we break down what each means, how to track them, and why they matter when preparing for a sale.

Politics might not be your favorite topic, but it’s one your business can’t afford to ignore. From shifting subsidies to evolving regulations, political forces can significantly impact your company’s value and stability. In this blog post, we explore how to recognize political vulnerabilities in your business model, avoid overreliance on temporary programs, and ask the right questions to safeguard your future.

Selling your business is one of the most important negotiations of your life—and it’s easy to lose control if you’re not careful. In this post, we unpack the mental traps sellers fall into, the pressure to become passive, and the single mindset shift that can keep you in the driver’s seat. You only get one shot—don’t give the buyer the upper hand.

Is your business growing fast—but your finances feel chaotic? If you’re constantly troubleshooting cash flow, buried in spreadsheets, or planning a major move like a sale or acquisition, it might be time to bring in expert help. Discover 5 key signs it’s time to hire a Fractional CFO—and how the right financial partner can elevate your business without the full-time cost.

International trade might seem like a distant concept, but its effects are closer to home than you think. In the US or North America, there are simply many items that cannot be acquired locally. Our interdependence is here to stay. Even if you yourself don’t import or export something, your suppliers or clients probably do, and this can have a big impact on your bottom line.

Running a small business means juggling endless tasks, but AI can help you work smarter, not harder. AI isn’t about replacing people—it’s about eliminating repetitive, time-consuming tasks so you can focus on growing your business.

Learn how to automate emails, streamline research, and simplify your to-do list with AI—no tech expertise required!

When it’s time to sell your business, choosing the right exit strategy is crucial—not just for you, but for your employees and the legacy you’ve built. An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) offers a unique opportunity to sell your shares while keeping your business intact and rewarding your team. Learn how an ESOP works, its tax benefits, and why it might be the right move for you.

With tax law changes looming in 2025, business owners need to plan ahead. Discover six proactive tax strategies to maximize savings, reduce uncertainty, and keep more cash in your pocket.

Imagine you wake up and realize you’ve outgrown your house. It was great, but now it’s too small, or too big, or requires too much maintenance. You’re ready for broader vistas and new adventures. It’s time! Today is the day! 

Do you call the first realtor whose number you see on a park bench, sign a contract immediately, and hope for the best? 

Of course not! You do your research.

In today's fast-paced world, high-performing teams rely on powerful tools to stay organized and efficient. Discover the secret weapon that can transform your team's workflow: a Work Management System (WMS).

Learn how a WMS can boost communication, streamline projects, and unlock unprecedented levels of productivity. This blog post will explore the key benefits of implementing a WMS and guide you in choosing the right solution for your business needs.

As an entrepreneur, you probably got where you are based on a combination of hard work, passion, and trusting yourself. You had to rely on your gut and your instincts to make brilliant choices. 

But there are two moments in your entrepreneurial journey where those very things can be your downfall, and they both have to do with keeping the right key performers on your team.

Are you a busy entrepreneur drowning in a sea of administrative tasks? You're not alone. One business owner found themselves working late nights and sacrificing precious family time. But by making a strategic decision to delegate, they reclaimed their time and supercharged their business. Learn how they did it and discover 10 ways you can too.

As a successful business owner, you're wearing many hats - perhaps too many. From managing your team to handling finances and marketing, nearly every task seems to demand your attention. What if there was a way to lighten your load without sacrificing quality or productivity? The answer lies in automation.

Naturally, you want to sell your business for as much as possible. Of Course! You’ve put enormous work into your business over the years, it’s only fair to want to get as much as you can out of your exit, but the groundwork for a successful exit needs to be laid along the way. One of the most powerful key factors in maximizing your business’s value often gets overlooked: the importance of solid financial reporting, planning, and accounting processes.

Business partnerships, like any relationship, can evolve and change over time. What started as a promising collaboration may face challenges as circumstances shift and goals diverge.

It's essential to have a clear plan in place for navigating these potential conflicts. A well-crafted buy-sell agreement can provide a framework for addressing disagreements and ensuring a smooth exit if necessary.

If you’re like most business owners we work with, by the time you think about hiring someone to support you, you probably already feel pretty stressed and overloaded. Maybe you wish you’d hired someone six months ago!  It’s tricky because hiring someone to help (who you’ll have to train), is often just one more daunting task to business owners who already feel stretched too thin.

Here’s a glimpse of some simple tasks that you can get off your plate immediately to open up more time in your life and business for the things that matter.

Overall, if your business is growing and sales are coming in, you have a feeling that your sales team is performing well. If you’re getting new inquiries, you probably have a sense that your marketing efforts are working. Without a CRM in place, the owner will be mostly leading their salesperson off of how things feel, rather than based on reality. With a CRM, key metrics will be defined that allow leaders to point their teams in the right direction of the actions that lead to new business.

As a business owner you’re all too familiar with the phrase, “Every penny counts.”

You understand what’s at stake. Your payroll numbers are attached to real people: people who sit across from you in the lunchroom, work beside you on challenging projects and celebrate alongside when the Lions win! 

The weight on your shoulders as a business owner can be heavy. Having spent much of my career working alongside business owners like yourself, I know from first hand experience just how much of that weight can be lifted with simple easy to implement tools like a zero-based budget.