ဤအပိုင်းအကြောင်း
When Barry Fisher asked business owners what their company was worth, the answer was almost always the same: “We have no idea.” That one question turned a 50-year insurance veteran into one of BizEquity’s most dedicated power users.
Barry Fisher, owner of Blaze ‘n Bear Insurance Services and host of the Protecting What Matters radio show on California’s Central Coast, began in life and health insurance in the Bicentennial year and became a pioneer in long-term care insurance. In this conversation with BizEquity’s Kevin Saad, he shares how he reinvented himself as a retail agent for business owners and how a valuation became his way into buy-sell, succession, and exit planning conversations.
In this episode:
- Why Barry started charging for valuations. His fee went from $1,500 to $2,500, and it took the insurance sales pressure out of the conversation.
- How a local radio show became a referral engine. Protecting What Matters helped him build relationships with attorneys, CPAs, and other centers of influence.
- What tax returns reveal. He explains why sole proprietors are so much harder to value, and why many owners have no grip on their financials.
- The Thanksgiving conversation. A family business owner sat down with his kids to talk about succession, and it showed Barry what this work is really about.
- Why business owners are ideal long-term care prospects. Premiums are partially deductible and benefits pass tax free, which makes their fifties the best time to buy.
- Why liquidity completes the plan. An exit plan isn’t complete until the liquidity is there, and Barry has seen what happens to families when it isn’t.
Who should listen: Insurance professionals, financial advisors, CPAs, and attorneys who work with business owners and want to start more valuation, succession, and exit planning conversations. Owners who want to know what their business is worth will also get a lot from it.
Barry’s advice is simple: ask the question, run the valuation, and let it start the conversation your clients have been putting off.
Guest: Barry Fisher, Blaze ‘n Bear Insurance Services
Host: Kevin Saad, BizEquity
Chapters
- 00:00 Welcome and meet Barry Fisher
- 01:46 From life and health agent to long-term care pioneer
- 03:46 Selling the agency, consulting, and launching Blaze ‘n Bear
- 06:04 Discovering BizEquity through the buy-sell question
- 08:28 Learning to charge for valuations
- 10:21 Building a local exit planning group
- 13:19 The BizEquity platform as a competitive advantage over Zoom
- 14:18 Centers of influence and the Protecting What Matters radio show
- 21:08 Why exit planning and succession matter more than ever
- 23:02 Tax efficiency, sole proprietors, and getting a grip on the financials
- 25:27 The family business conversation that changed everything
- 28:34 The new exit readiness reports and why liquidity matters
- 31:09 Closing thoughts: long-term care, risk, and what BizEquity means to Barry
- 35:02 Wrap-up and a semi-quincentennial send-off
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