What to Watch Out for When Getting Outside Advice
When you bring in an outside advisor — whether it’s an accountant, attorney, consultant, or broker — you’re doing the right thing. You’re acknowledging there’s something you don’t know and going to find someone who does. That’s smart ownership. But there’s a trap hidden in that process that most business owners never see coming. Every Expert Has a Favorite Tool There’s an old saying: to a hammer, everything is a nail. Think about it this way. You go to your doctor and say, “My shoulder has been killing me — I need help.” The doctor genuinely wants to help you. But whether you walk out with a prescription, a surgery date, a chiropractic adjustment, or a set of acupuncture needles depends less on what’s actually best for your shoulder — and more on which type of doctor you happened to walk in to see. The internist reaches for anti-inflammatories. The orthopedic surgeon schedules an operation. Each one treats your pain. Each one probably helps. But you’ll likely never realize that your treatment was shaped by who you chose to see, not by some universal best practice for shoulder injuries. The same thing happens when business owners seek outside help. The Advisor You Hire Shapes the Advice You Get When it comes to something as significant as planning your exit from a business, the type of advisor you engage will heavily influence the direction you’re pointed — often without you realizing it. Bring in an accountant and the plan will likely center on minimizing your tax burden. Hire an attorney and you’ll probably end up focused on asset protection or employment contracts. Work with a business consultant and the conversation will revolve around improving operations and boosting profitability. None of that advice is wrong. But it may not be complete — and it may not actually align with what you’re trying to accomplish in your life. A few years ago, a business broker added “Exit Planner” to his business card. When asked how he approached exit planning, his answer was straightforward: if an owner would agree to accept 100% seller financing, he’d help them sell. That was his tool, and he applied it to every situation. To a hammer, everything is a nail. What This Means for You Before you take any advisor’s recommendation and run with it, it’s worth asking yourself: Is this the best solution for my situation — or is it the best solution this particular advisor knows how to deliver? That’s not cynicism. Most advisors genuinely want to help. But their training, their experience, and frankly their business model all point them toward certain kinds of answers. The best advisors — the ones worth your time and money — will ask a lot of questions before they start offering solutions. They’ll slow down, make sure they understand your real objectives, and resist the urge to jump straight to their preferred tool. If an advisor walks into your first meeting already knowing what you need, that’s worth paying attention to. The clarity that comes from being genuinely heard saves time, prevents costly missteps, and leads to a plan you’ll actually follow through on. The right advice starts with the right questions — not the other way around. John F. Dini, CExP, CEPA is an exit planning coach and the President of MPN Incorporated in San Antonio, Texas. He is the publisher of the Awake at 2 o’clock blog and has authored three books on business ownership. The single largest transaction and transition of your life deserves special attention. Are you planning to exit and sell your business? Exit planning is quickly becoming a buzzword in the legal and financial communities. Your professional advisors position themselves to provide tax, risk management, wealth management, and contract preparation services. The BEST-PivotPoint Exit Plan Advisor has been trained to manage your team of tax, legal, business, and financial planners to navigate your exit strategy. Click here for more details on how to get started. If you want to see how prepared you are for transition, take the 15-minute Assessment at no charge: There is one indisputable fact – 100% of owners will eventually exit their business. The Assessment is a multiple-choice questionnaire that does not ask for confidential or financial information. Nevertheless, it is a critical first step in starting the discussion and planning process. Click here for more information concerning our free, no-obligation exit planning assessment.
Thanks For Joining Us at GAMA Expo 2026 to Level Up Your Game!
Are you ready to LEVEL UP YOUR GAME? BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group was at at the GAMA Expo March 1-6, 2026, in Louisville, KY. During the tradeshow (open to GAMA Tabletop Games Association members only), Chris Cimaglio, Managing Partner, and Michael Maggiotto Jr., Director of Human Resource Solutions, presented 5 educational sessions designed to help Tabletop Games business leaders across all membership categories improve their businesses. Do you have the right people in the right places in your business? Are you concerned with building and keeping your bench for today and tomorrow? Has the current business environment left you struggling to build value and leverage it to grow your business? Do you know just how costly people risks are to your business? Are you concerned about exiting your business to either launch another venture or transition into retirement? Today’s business environment has been especially challenging for the Tabletop Games industry sector. Identifying ways to build value in your business, preparing for succession or exit, retaining your hard-earned revenue, and attracting and retaining top talent are just a few of the topics covered during BEST’s presentations: Value Acceleration: Maximizing Your Business Value Sunday, March 1, 2026 Speaker: Chris Cimaglio, CEPA®, Cert. Value Builder™, AVG, Managing Partner & Co-Founder With most businesses unprepared for succession, only 20% will successfully transfer ownership. We learned how to build value, reduce dependency on owners, and apply key strategies buyers prioritize. Whether you’re planning to exit soon or in the future, this session helps you prepare for a strong, scalable future. Costly People Risks that Most Business Leaders Miss Monday, March 2, 2026 Speaker: Michael Maggiotto Jr, SHRM-SCP, Director of Human Resource Solutions Running a tabletop business comes with hidden people risks – from hiring missteps to compliance issues – that can lead to costly consequences. This session highlighted common industry errors, shared real-world examples, and offered practical guidance to help protect your business and avoid legal or financial pitfalls. Overcoming Compliance Risks to Source and Hire Top Talent Monday, March 2, 2026 Speaker: Michael Maggiotto Jr, SHRM-SCP, Director of Human Resource Solutions Finding the right talent at the right time is tough in a tight labor Market. This session explored how building a diverse workforce can unlock new potential. Learn fresh strategies, discover useful hiring resources, and rethink your approach to recruiting to attract high-quality candidates and build a stronger team. Attract, Retain, and Motivate Top Talent through Compensation Design March 2, 2026 Speaker: Michael Maggiotto Jr, SHRM-SCP, Director of Human Resource Solutions Compensation is evolving fast, and understanding how to design effective pay structures is key to attracting and retaining top talent. This session offered a high-level look at compensation strategy, creative options beyond salary, and practical tips for staying competitive – without overspending. Learn how to hire smart on a lean budget. Succession & Exit Planning: What is Your End Game? March 2, 2026 Speaker: Chris Cimaglio, CEPA®, Cert. Value Builder™, AVG, Managing Partner & Co-Founder Most business owners lack a clear exit plan – yet succession planning is critical. This session explored how to prepare personally, financially, and operationally for a successful transition. Learn valuation basics, continuity strategies, and how to protect your legacy while maximizing value, whether selling or passing the business on. As a Production Category member of GAMA, with a presence on several committees, BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group specializes in the Tabletop Gaming industry through Strategic Human Resources Consulting, Business Advisory, and Executive Search services. We are BEST positioned to help your business attract and retain talent, execute your strategic plans, and drive future growth. While many business leaders are growing their businesses, more are ready to retire but may not have a succession or exit plan in place to care for their people and ensure a smooth transition. Led by Chris Cimaglio, CEPA® and Managing Partner, BEST PivotPoint’s Succession & Exit Planning service may be the right solution for you. According to Chris, “an Exit Planning Institute report found that over 75% of business owners who have sold their business profoundly regret it within a year after the sale. So, leadership succession and exit planning need to consider both the transactional and emotional aspects of leaving your business.” Whether your business is growing, stable, or even distressed, if you have people challenges like all businesses do, you require people strategies to overcome these challenges, or are ready to learn more about Exit Planning, connect with BEST in 2026! If you represent a company that needs executive hiring, restructuring, or succession planning, please schedule a meeting with us. Contact us today, or Download our Best Overview to learn more about the BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group and why there is a better way!
Planning for Life After Business: Achieving Your Freedom Point
Spring marks the peak selling season— and a time to dream about the future. For many horticulture business owners, 80–90% of their net worth is tied up in their business. Yet, according to the 2024 State of Succession and Exit Planning in the Horticulture Industry survey, 54% of owners lack a formal business valuation. To turn your retirement dreams into reality, you need to determine your Freedom Point— the moment when selling your business provides enough resources to sustain your ideal lifestyle. Understanding Your Freedom Point Your Freedom Point is unique to you. It represents the financial threshold at which selling your business generates enough cash to maintain your desired lifestyle. To determine your Freedom Point, consider these three key factors: Current Business Value – What is your business worth today? Financial Needs – How much do you need for a comfortable retirement? Value Gap – The difference between your business’s worth and what’s needed to fund your future. Start by adding up your savings, including investments and retirement funds, and estimate your expected proceeds from selling your business. The net proceeds from the sale will depend on EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization). The EBITDA multiple determines the price a prospective buyer may offer. Next, calculate your anticipated post-retirement expenses, including everyday costs and bucket-list goals, up to age 95 (gulp). Unlike your grandparents, if you live to 75, there’s a good chance you’ll reach 95. Lastly, you will need to pay 5–15% in transaction costs and advisor fees, and expect to pay Uncle Sam his share using your current tax rate. What remains after subtracting your expenses, retiring any remaining debt, transaction costs, and taxes is your Freedom Point! Sounds simple? It’s not. To quickly estimate your Freedom Point, use the complimentary online Freedom Point Calculator: CLICK HERE! It takes less than 10 minutes and provides a full, confidential report. The Importance of Early Planning Many business owners delay exit planning, but starting early provides flexibility and control. Preparing years in advance allows you to increase profitability, strengthen management, and improve operational efficiency. A rushed sale often leads to lower valuations, fewer buyer options, and missed financial opportunities. Think of your exit strategy as an evolving process rather than a last-minute decision. Strategies to Maximize Business Value The pool of potential buyers in the horticulture industry is limited. How can you make your business stand out? Achieving your Freedom Point requires preparing your business for a profitable sale. Focus on these 10 essential steps: Get a Business Valuation – Obtain an independent valuation to understand your business’s current worth. Be prepared to share at least three years of financials and tax returns. Increase Profitability – Optimize sales and cost efficiencies to enhance earnings. A clear sales growth strategy sets your business apart from others on the market. Organize Financial Records – Ensure key financial statements and tax returns are accurate, up to date, and easy to explain. Separate non-recurring expenses, such as bonuses or personal costs, to present true profitability. Improve Cash Flow – Minimize large expenses unless they are mission-critical. Buyers don’t want to make significant investments on day one of ownership. Strengthen Your Management Team – Reduce owner centricity by developing strong internal leadership. A management team capable of running the business without you makes for a smoother transition. Diversify Revenue Streams – Mitigate risk by expanding your customer base and product offerings to reduce dependency on a few large customers or products. Document Standard Operating Procedures – Well-documented processes decrease owner dependency, increase business value, and simplify the transition to a new owner. Enhance Customer Loyalty – Loyal customers are valuable assets to potential buyers. Know your Net Promoter Score (NPS)—if it’s below 9.0, fix it. Strong customer relationships add significant value. Develop a Clear Exit Strategy – Exit planning is a team effort. Involve professional advisors, your management, employees, and family to plan your transition well in advance. Address Legal and Compliance Issues – Anticipate issues surfacing during due diligence. Resolve outstanding contracts, licenses, and legal matters to avoid roadblocks during a sale. When done properly and in a timely manner, these steps help bridge the gap between your business’s current value and the amount needed to fund your future lifestyle, ensuring you achieve your Freedom Point. Your business is your legacy. Plan ahead, maximize its value, and secure the future you’ve worked so hard to build. Are You Ready? Take Our Complimentary Assessments Let’s find out— They take about 15 minutes or less, but are incredibly insightful as you begin your succession and exit planning journey. Take the assessments today, and let’s have a confidential discussion about the future. Personal Readiness</> PREScore™ is an 8-minute, online questionnaire that evaluates a business owner’s readiness to exit their company on a personal level. Using an exclusive algorithm, it calculates an owner’s readiness by identifying their status on four drivers of a satisfying exit. PREScore™ determines the at-risk areas and provides personalized recommendations for improvement, helping owners create a personal plan that ensures a happy exit. TAKE THE PRESCORE™ ASSESSMENT Business Readiness</> ExitMap® examines your and your company’s exit preparedness across four key categories: Operations, Planning, Finance, and Revenue/Profit. It consists of 22 multiple-choice questions, typically taking only 15 minutes to complete, and does not require any confidential information. A full-color, 12-page summary report will be emailed to you upon completion, and we will send you a full comprehensive report with your answers. TAKE THE EXITMAP® ASSESSMENT Financial Readiness</> The Freedom Score (Your Freedom Point) is a 10-minute online questionnaire that evaluates your financial readiness to fund the next phase of your life after your business. It calculates your Freedom Point, which is when the sale of your company will generate enough to fund your desired lifestyle for the rest of your life. Discover how to achieve financial independence, reduce financial risks, and live worry-free in the next chapter of your life. TAKE THE FREEDOM SCORE ASSESSMENT Let’s Talk We are happy to
The Benefits of Improving Transparency in Hiring
Like all other aspects of business, hiring and recruitment continue to evolve faster and faster. Implementing AI, such as in the hiring process, will increase the efficiency of the process itself. There are hiring changes that are not technologically based occurring that, when properly applied, are proving to have a positive impact on attracting talent, increasing the retention of new hires, and helping companies become a preferred place for careers. At the top of this evolution in hiring is one simple yet too often ignored approach – transparency! What are the Benefits of a Transparent Recruitment Process? Companies that provide candidates with a fully transparent interview process find that over time, they attract better quality talent, increase offer acceptance rates, get new hires up to productivity faster, improve long-term retention rates, and create a stronger employer brand in their community and industry. All the benefits of transparency and authenticity are intertwined. Top talent candidates who experience transparency in the interview process from the beginning are more likely to stay engaged throughout the entire process. Due to the transparency of compensation and trust developed with candidates, offer acceptance increased. Candidates can make decisions on their compensation offer well ahead of the actual offer letter and are more likely to be flexible on their compensation expectations due to developing a trusting relationship. Once on board and with a thorough training plan, the new hires reach productivity levels faster and often exceed them. Perhaps most importantly, long-term retention rates increase, especially when coupled with a Training & Development program that was shared with them during interviews. Over time, professionals in a company’s community or within the industry hear of the positive culture, strengthening the overall employer brand. How to Implement Hiring Transparency: Transparency Begins Before the Interview Develop job descriptions that accurately reflect the role’s responsibilities and, more importantly, define metrics of success in the role. Job descriptions with a vast number of responsibilities will leave candidates wondering just what the role’s real priorities are, and they may not even bother to apply. Keep responsibilities reasonable and in a prioritized manner. Defining three specific and realistic key performance indicator (KPI) metrics is incredibly helpful to a candidate’s understanding of the role’s mission. It is a core component to increasing productivity once on board. What is a realistic KPI? An effective way to set a realistic KPI is to ask yourself: if the candidate does not achieve the KPI in one year, will I have to fire them? This may sound harsh, but it does result in companies setting KPIs that are realistic, thus influencing positive long-term retention. Help Candidates Prepare to be Their Best Communicate interview timelines, including all the interview steps. Doing so prevents candidates from leaving the process out of frustration. Change is constant, and these timelines can often get derailed due to other business priorities and scheduling conflicts, but communicating any changes immediately develops the candidate’s trust. Provide candidates with company information, an accurate overview of the culture, the names and titles of the interviewers, the type of interview questions the company asks, whether a behavioral assessment tool is utilized, and whether they will be required to present to the hiring committee. Candidates are equally responsible for a successful hiring process. However, providing details does not mean doing the candidate’s job of conducting thorough follow-up research on these details! A Conversation, Not an Inquisition Once candidate conversations begin, transparency is increased by having just that – a conversation. Included in this is realizing that no company is perfect, thus, be prepared to be authentic and share with candidates where the company is challenged and what about the role will not be a bed of roses for any candidate. Be prepared to share the onboarding process and exactly how your company invests in further professional training in their teams. Scripted questions lead to sterile conversation and scripted answers by candidates. We learn so much more about a candidate’s behaviors during a conversation rather than a scripted dialogue, as they are more at ease and able to be themselves as opposed to someone they think you want them to be. Timely & Quality Follow-up Providing quality feedback within 48 hours to a candidate in a timely manner may be the best transparency a company can practice. High-quality candidates will stay engaged with the hiring process to the offer end. Top talent that doesn’t receive thorough, timely feedback will exit the process to focus on other job opportunities. Thorough feedback includes sharing how many candidates are in process. This is a critical transparency step. Please do not tell candidates the age-old HR line that we are interviewing several other candidates and will get back to you, especially if you are not. Be transparent – is it one? Is it 5? Or are there no more candidates? Sharing quality feedback to candidates being turned down will help candidates grow professionally and leave a positive impression of your company with them for the future. This is an important way to build a positive company brand image in the community and industry. Transparency in Compensation and Benefits Gone are the days when compensation decisions were made based on salary history; 22 states plus 23 localities and counting have passed legislation banning employers from asking candidates for this information or basing hiring on the candidate’s current compensation. Hiring managers: please do not ask this question any longer. Transparency of compensation and benefits begins with their inclusion in the job description and extends through the final offer. This requires companies to invest time and resources to identify fair and accurate compensation for the role, industry, and geographic location. When setting the compensation range, be clear on what the absolute max is and what the absolute minimum is. Many great candidates are now passing over job descriptions that do not share this. Discuss the compensation range from the first interview and share benefit details. You are building trust and increasing efficiency by eliminating candidates who are over your
Who Wants to Be a Leader?
Do you have a specific career vision of becoming a company leader in the horticulture industry someday? Are you working on adding professional skill sets to enable you to take on C-level or leadership-level roles? As a company, have you invested in a definitive training and development program aimed at developing your next leaders? There is a leadership void in the horticultural industry that will critically need more leaders now and progressively into the future. The number of retirements occurring in the green industry is staggering. Did you know there are over 100 owners of green industry companies retiring soon who have no clear leader to succeed them? Per the USDA, in 2024, the average age of all agricultural producers is 58.1 years, and those over age 65 constitute 40% of the total. As an industry, we endured a period with historically low numbers of students and professionals interested in pursuing a green industry career. This period has created a talent gap in the upcoming generations, especially Gen X. The small number of professionals in this group are talented and knowledgeable. Still, it is merely a matter of supply and demand. There are not enough leaders to take over, and not enough professionals have been provided leadership training. Throughout every sector, demographic, and role in the green industry, there are fewer individuals who have a specific desire and career focus to lead a company. Compare this to the financial or software sectors, where a high volume of professionals have an early passion and focus on driving their careers to the top leadership roles in their industry. It is surprising how small the number of professionals in our industry is who are adequately prepared or willing to be a leader in their company. A dynamic affecting this is the sheer number of family-held companies where leadership has traditionally been passed to second or third generations. While this is admirable, it has also tempered the career aspirations of those not part of the family. We are now at a tipping point where there are fewer generations to pass leadership roles to, causing new and challenging exit planning options for the current leaders. A Mutual Effort Question: How do we address this predicament? Answer: From the mutual effort of individuals and companies. Encourage students and early career professionals to dream big and envision being a company leader. Leadership is not for everyone, provided all the responsibilities and challenges that come with it. However, we need more professionals who genuinely want to take on significant leadership roles with a company. Ask yourself— Have you allowed yourself to dream about this type of role? To have more leaders, we need more professionals who desire to take on a role of this level. With that desire comes the awareness that one must embrace continual learning with curiosity and accept certain sacrifices required to drive one’s career to a top leadership level. This could include putting in longer hours, the ability to relocate, and volunteering to take on new tasks or help in other departments when they are shorthanded. Professionals open to relocating for roles will indeed advance their careers faster! Academically, technical knowledge of plant science-related academia is essential. Yet infusing business knowledge is equally, if not more, important in developing future leaders. We have many excellent educational institutions producing knowledgeable students. Increasing the focus of these academic programs on developing leadership with curricula geared to business and management will provide a business base and inspire more students to do so. For example, we rightly celebrate our grower interns, but we should also celebrate those doing horticulture industry internships in sales, marketing, accounting, or human resources. Have a Plan If you want to lead a company, division, or department someday, identify within yourself the knowledge and skill sets needed to get there. Proactively take charge of gaining the knowledge and experience you lack rather than relying on others. There is just as much onus on companies to be a part of increased leadership development. This does require an investment in both money and time to be successful. Begin to balance your team’s professional development budget with your automation budget. No matter how automized, it still takes strong professionals leading from the front for a company to realize success. Many assessment tools, such as CliftonStrengths, DISC, and Myers-Briggs, are available to help a company identify individuals with future leadership behaviors. These tools will help craft a career plan to infuse them with the skill sets needed to be strong leaders. Does your company have career development planning that includes rotating top talent through different departments or functions? Companies that rotate talent through various departments produce the strongest leadership pipeline. At the very least, does the company invest in continual education or training programs focused on improving communication, soft skills, sales, marketing, financial, operations, or supply chain knowledge? Encourage and support these professionals to become active within the industry via associations, seminars, or other educational and networking events. Don’t be afraid of losing this talent to industry exposure. Several leadership programs have been developed specifically for our industry, such as Dr. Charlie Hall’s Texas A&M EAGL program and the HRI Leadership Academy. Professionals who know their company invests fully in their employee’s growth are much less likely to leave. Employees feeling stifled in their development will leap at the opportunity for growth elsewhere. Investing in the Future No company has an endless budget, but a company can apply strategies that do not require a monetary investment, such as transparency in your business and delegation of responsibilities. Openness with your employees about all facets of the business directly correlates to increasing their professional growth. For example, companies applying the “Great Game of Business” approach to transparency have more engaged, business savvy, and motivated employees concerning their career progression. Pairing high-potential employees with positive mentors will also benefit the mentors themselves by increasing organizational talent strength. Encourage delegating responsibilities and not micro-managing those who are assigned tasks. This must