Save to Zero

Episode 39: Business Exit Readiness with Rachel SchollerWhat happens when selling the business you spent years building does not feel like the victory you expected? Rachel Scholler shares how she grew a Wisconsin medical transportation company from two vans to more than 100 patient trips per day, sold it in 2025, and learned that exit readiness is both financial and personal.Mike and Zach talk with Rachel about starting the company after her grandfather struggled to find reliable transportation for dialysis. With little capital and no formal plan, she built the business through grassroots marketing, recurring routes, compassionate service, and a commitment to showing up when patients needed care.Rachel explains how founder dependency limited the company’s value even though it had strong recurring revenue and an exceptional on-time record. The right broker and professional guidance helped her understand add-backs, buyer expectations, and the systems and leadership a transferable business needs.The conversation also examines the emotional side of an exit. After selling, Rachel faced grief, guilt, lost identity, and the challenge of finding a new purpose. Those lessons inspired her upcoming book, Both Sides of the Wire, and the Clear to Exit Method for helping owners prepare the business and themselves.Rachel also discusses Direct Appt, her effort to reduce fraud and administrative cost in non-emergency medical transportation. She closes with lessons on leadership, resilience, service, hobbies, health, and doing the personal work required to build a meaningful next chapter.You’ll Learn in This Episode:How a personal healthcare challenge inspired Rachel’s first businessWhy recurring revenue strengthened the transportation companyHow founder dependency can reduce a business’s valueWhy buyers focus on profit, add-backs, systems, and transferabilityHow the right broker helped Rachel improve her sale outcomeWhy professional legal and financial guidance matters in a dealWhat entrepreneurs often misunderstand about life after an exitHow identity, grief, and guilt can surface after sellingWhy leadership requires empowerment instead of perfectionHow the Clear to Exit framework prepares both owner and businessQuotes“I had everybody trained to come to me, so it was the source of frustration—but I’m the one reinforcing it.”“It wasn’t relief. It wasn’t fulfilling. It did not check any of the boxes I anticipated.”“Don’t make work your identity.”“Once I focused on the service side of it, literally everything fell into place more.”About Rachel SchollerRachel Scholler is an entrepreneur, speaker, and founder who spent 17 years building a Wisconsin-based non-emergency medical transportation company from two vans into an operation serving more than 100 patients each day. She successfully sold the business in 2025.Rachel started the company after watching her grandfather struggle to access reliable transportation for dialysis. That experience became a mission to provide dependable, compassionate care while creating a sustainable business with recurring routes, strong service standards, and a loyal team.Her exit experience inspired Both Sides of the Wire and the Clear to Exit Method, a framework that helps entrepreneurs understand current readiness, close operational gaps, and prepare for the identity and purpose questions that can follow a sale.Rachel is also the co-founder of Direct Appt, a healthcare technology company developing tools to simplify medical transportation, reduce fraud, and improve patient access to care. She speaks on entrepreneurship, exits, reinvention, leadership, resilience, and building a meaningful next chapter.Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn, explore Clear to Exit, or email [email protected] REI Capital GuysFor Investors & the Fund – Learn how the Fund works and book a callFor Borrowers & Deals – Get funding and support for your next investmentAdditional ResourceFree Exit Readiness Toolkit – A free 20-minute self-assessment to help business owners evaluate both their business and personal readiness for an exit. 

Episode 38: Restaurant Sites and Scalable Concepts with Will KnoxWhy do some restaurant ideas grow while others struggle despite good food, strong financing, or a recognizable name? Will Knox, known as The Restaurant Guy, explains how location, concept, execution, infrastructure, and hospitality work together to create a restaurant business that can last and scale.Mike and Zach talk with Will about his unconventional path from acting and residential real estate into restaurant development. Finding the first Spago location for Wolfgang Puck led to early Hard Rock Cafe expansion work and a career helping operators select sites, negotiate deals, shape concepts, and build brands.Will explains why a promising building is not automatically the right site. Operators must evaluate demographics, traffic patterns, parking, visibility, customer behavior, competition, and whether the concept is convenient or compelling enough to become a destination.The conversation also explores what makes a concept scalable. Will recommends proving the model locally, opening additional locations within a manageable radius, developing leaders and systems, and building infrastructure before pursuing distant markets or rapid expansion.Will also shares lessons from building his own multi-unit brand, World Links. His experience shows why passion and money are not enough without disciplined execution, experienced partners, profitable units, clear operations, and a concept that consistently delivers for customers.You’ll Learn in This Episode:How Will Knox entered restaurant real estate and concept developmentWhy the right building can still be the wrong restaurant siteHow demographics, traffic, parking, and customer behavior affect a locationWhy restaurant success depends on execution and passionHow operating experience changes real estate decisionsWhy a second and third unit help prove a scalable conceptHow regional growth can reduce operational riskWhy infrastructure and experienced people must precede expansionHow strategic partners and outside capital can support growthWhat makes a restaurant business more attractive to buyersQuotes“Let’s look at it from the moon and let’s look at it like it’s Google Earth.”“At the end of the day, we’re all just customers.”“The execution coupled with the passion to execute—I think those are the two elements that really make a difference.”“You need to play tennis with people that are better than you are.”About Will KnoxWill Knox is a restaurant real estate and concept development consultant based in Ojai, California. Known as The Restaurant Guy, he advises forward-thinking operators on concept development, site selection, contract negotiation, strategic planning, branding, sales, and leasing.Will entered the restaurant industry after locating and negotiating the first Spago restaurant for Wolfgang Puck. He later supported early Hard Rock Cafe development west of the Mississippi and worked with operators including Nancy Silverton, Suzanne Goin, Caroline Styne, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken, and Peter Morton.Will also developed World Links, a gourmet hot dog and sausage concept that grew to 11 units through airports, franchising, special events, and strategic operating partnerships. That experience gives him an operator’s perspective on the financial, staffing, systems, and execution challenges behind expansion.Through The Knox Company, Will combines commercial real estate services with concept consulting and a network of architects, branding professionals, marketers, and chefs. He also hosts the Mr. Restaurant podcast and continues helping restaurant owners refine concepts, choose sites, and build scalable businesses.Learn more at TheKnoxCompany.com or email [email protected] REI Capital GuysFor Investors & the Fund – Learn how the Fund works and book a callFor Borrowers & Deals – Get funding and support for your next investment 

Episode 37: Building Blue Collar Wealth with Chris GarrisonWhat does it take to turn a hands-on service business into an asset that creates opportunity beyond the owner’s daily labor? Chris Garrison, serial entrepreneur, real estate investor, and co-founder of Blue Collar Millionaire, shares lessons from building businesses, investing, and developing leaders.Mike and Zach talk with Chris about growing Absolute Cleaning and Restoration, acquiring companies, investing in real estate, and building an online community with more than 350,000 members. He explains why technical skill alone rarely produces growth without strong marketing and sales.Chris presents financial literacy as a series of deposits: knowledge, relationships, visibility, productive debt, and responsible execution. He explains why investing in yourself comes first and how a proven operator can move from trading time for money to owning assets.The conversation also explores how owners can step back by recruiting capable people, developing leaders, and building predictable systems. Clear communication, realistic expectations, and extreme ownership help protect the two bosses of every business: employees and customers.Chris closes with a long-term view: stay close to what you know, diversify through trusted operators, track the activities behind your results, shape an environment that supports better habits, and enjoy the journey while building something that can operate without you.You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why technical excellence alone does not guarantee business growthHow marketing, sales, and personal visibility create opportunityWhy knowledge, relationships, and people are valuable assetsHow productive debt can help build equity and cash flowWhy investing in yourself should come before other investmentsHow to move from trading time for money to owning assetsWhat owners must do to work on the business instead of in itHow communication and expectations protect employees and customersWhy proven operators matter when diversifying investmentsHow environment, activity tracking, and patience shape long-term resultsQuotes“You are your biggest asset.”“I don’t think there’s a shortage in capital. I think there’s a shortage in talent.”“You’re living in the results from yesterday’s decisions.”“It’s not the goal and the destination, because that constantly moves. It’s the journey.”About Chris GarrisonChris Garrison is a serial entrepreneur, real estate investor, business coach, and mentor. He owns multiple service-based businesses and a mix of residential and commercial real estate, and he co-founded Blue Collar Millionaire, an online community with more than 350,000 members.After a series of difficult business and personal experiences in his twenties, Chris committed to self-development and rebuilt his career around the skills he had developed in car sales, maintenance management, and cleaning. He grew Absolute Cleaning and Restoration into a brand centered on quality and integrity before expanding into restoration and roofing.Chris later invested in rental properties, acquired additional service businesses, and helped grow a national windshield company and a manufacturing coating business. Across these ventures, he focuses on assembling strong teams, creating predictable systems, and developing companies that can operate without depending entirely on their owner.Through Blue Collar Millionaire, Chris shares practical frameworks, community, events, and coaching for ambitious service-business owners. His mission is to help create as many blue-collar millionaires as possible by teaching repeatable systems for leadership, investing, business growth, and long-term wealth creation.Connect with Chris Garrison on Facebook, join the Blue Collar Millionaire Facebook group, or email [email protected] REI Capital GuysFor Investors & the Fund – Learn how the Fund works and book a callFor Borrowers & Deals – Get funding and support for your next investment 

Episode 36: Accelerating Depreciation and Building Wealth with Jeff HiattWhat if a real estate deduction could help you build wealth today instead of arriving decades from now? Jeff Hiatt, known as the Depreciation Doctor, explains how cost segregation can accelerate allowable depreciation, reduce current taxable income, and free capital for an investor’s next opportunity.In this episode, Mike and Zach talk with Jeff about the strategy he has worked with since 1999. He explains why many eligible property owners never use cost segregation, how a study separates structural components from shorter-life assets, and why deductions may still be available even when a building has been owned for years.Jeff walks through the details investors need to understand, including residential versus commercial depreciation periods, recapture, 1031 exchanges, step-up in basis, and the circumstances that can make a study worthwhile. For his firm, properties above roughly $300,000 often begin producing a compelling benefit-to-cost ratio.The conversation also covers why specialized knowledge and a qualified physical site visit matter. Parking lots, drainage, landscaping, specialty wiring, HVAC, and other improvements contain layers of value that can be missed by a quick estimate, while unsupported virtual approaches may create serious audit risk.Jeff also shares his work with Swim With A Mission, a New Hampshire nonprofit that raises money for veterans and their families. Through events involving Navy SEALs, team building, and mental toughness, participants gain perspective on adversity while supporting those who served.You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why many eligible property owners never use cost segregationHow cost segregation accelerates deductions without changing total depreciationWhich building components may qualify for shorter recovery periodsHow prior-year deductions may be captured without amending returnsWhat happens to accelerated depreciation when a property is soldHow 1031 exchanges can defer gain and depreciation recaptureWhy a property value near $300,000 can be a practical starting pointWhen cost segregation may not make sense for an investorWhy qualified professionals and physical site visits matterHow Swim With A Mission supports veterans and their familiesQuotes“Would you rather have a deduction today, or would you rather wait 39 years to take that deduction?”“Seventy percent of the people that could use cost seg don’t.”“That’s like an interest-free loan for X number of years.”“If we lose a contract or lose a client, it’s not a great day—but we didn’t lose a leg.”About Jeff HiattJeff Hiatt is known as the Depreciation Doctor and has worked with cost segregation since 1999. His firm helps real estate owners identify faster depreciation opportunities that may reduce current taxable income and improve the capital available for future investments.Jeff entered the field after working with national franchise groups and learning how cost segregation could benefit clients who owned real estate. An early seminar for the Massachusetts Society of CPAs helped expand the practice from a handful of annual projects to hundreds.Today, Jeff’s team completes approximately 1,500 to 1,600 studies per year and has worked on nearly 28,000 properties. The firm conducts physical site visits, prepares fixed-fee studies, and helps clients and their CPAs understand how to implement the results in their tax software.Jeff also serves on the board of Swim With A Mission, which raises money for veterans and their families. Since its founding in 2017, the organization has raised approximately $18 million through events designed to build connection, perspective, teamwork, and resilience.Learn more at DepreciationDoctor.com, email [email protected], or support veterans through Swim With A Mission.Find REI Capital GuysFor Investors & the Fund – Learn how the Fund works and book a callFor Borrowers & Deals – Get funding and support for your next investment 

Episode 35: Sales Psychology and Intentional Networking with Kiva GeigerWhat separates a helpful sales conversation from a pushy pitch? For Kiva Geiger, it begins with removing ego, releasing attachment to the outcome, and asking questions that help the buyer reach the right conclusion for themselves.In this episode, Mike and Zach sit down with Kiva, a sales coach, consultant, speaker, and former professional soccer player. He shares how discipline took him from a late start in soccer to playing in Kenya—and how that competitive foundation carried into an unlikely first sales role, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship.Kiva explains how he accelerated his career at Verizon by pursuing training, building relationships with senior leaders, and repeatedly returning to the fundamentals. After learning that personal sales success does not automatically translate into leading a team, he developed the coaching and accountability skills that helped him move into larger leadership roles.The conversation explores the psychology behind effective selling: knowing the product, identifying pain or aspiration, listening for buying signals, and understanding the beliefs that can make a salesperson uncomfortable with price, rejection, or asking for the business. Kiva also shares the mindset practices he uses to quiet self-doubt and show up fully.You’ll also hear a practical approach to networking with intention. Instead of collecting the most business cards or chasing the biggest name in the room, Kiva recommends being genuinely curious, staying present with the person in front of you, building relationship capital, and knowing how to close a conversation graciously.You’ll Learn in This Episode:How professional soccer taught Kiva discipline, resilience, and daily improvementWhy corporate training rooms became a powerful networking advantageHow top individual performance differs from successfully leading a sales teamWhy effective sales conversations begin with the right questionsHow selling from ego or attachment creates resistanceWhy pain and aspiration are the two core drivers behind buying decisionsHow personal beliefs about money can interfere with high-ticket salesWhy reviewing recorded calls reveals missed buying signalsHow to make networking relational instead of transactionalWhen and how to exit a conversation without damaging the relationshipQuotes“Your attachment to the sale—your attachment to wanting something—can be felt or seen on the other side.”“There’s no failure. There’s no success. There’s only showing up.”“It’s always about the people that are in front of you that you need to pay attention to.”“Not everybody’s gonna like you, and if you’re too busy chasing being liked, then you’re in the wrong room.”About Kiva GeigerKiva Geiger is a sales coach, consultant, and speaker who helps entrepreneurs and business owners sell more effectively, lead with confidence, and grow from the inside out.Before building his sales career, Kiva played professional soccer in Kenya. He later spent nearly seven years at Verizon, where he became a top-performing sales professional and advanced into leadership, and also gained experience at Amazon.Since leaving corporate America to pursue entrepreneurship, Kiva has coached and trained hundreds of sales professionals and business owners. His experience includes helping sales representatives on Alex Hormozi’s teams become more effective at selling high-end offers.Kiva’s work combines sales psychology, mindset, networking, and practical communication. At its heart is a commitment to helping people break through what is holding them back, become exceptional at what they do, and build businesses and lives they are proud of.Follow Kiva Geiger on Instagram, X, or Facebook; connect on LinkedIn; or email [email protected] REI Capital GuysFor Investors & the Fund – Learn how the Fund works and book a callFor Borrowers & Deals – Get funding and support for your next investment