Andrew Rogerson's Blog, page 67

What is your strategy to manage cyber-attacks?

Every day there seems to be another story about stolen credit card numbers, someone spying electronically on someone else, data being hacked, passwords being stolen and so it goes on.

In early June, 2013 the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office as well as a local law enforcement agency gave a presentation in West Sacramento on the steps a small business owner can take to protect their important and sensitive information. Based on the material given at this event, there are an increasing number of cyber-attacks hitting small businesses and the data that’s being stolen is not just credit card information. It includes customer data, financial records, private information, employee personal data, intellectual property and more. If you would like more information, here’s a link to a 6 page report that is a survey conducted of small businesses by Symantec.

Now that we know the problem, what can be done about it?



The answer comes in an 8 page document also put together by Symantec called Small Business Protection Guide. Here are 12 best practices.

Close security gaps. This includes how laptops are handled when travelling and computer networks when working with contractors and visitors.
Integrate defenses including the use of antivirus software, firewalls, using encryption when travelling and more.
Patch software or software updates are regularly released by software vendors. Quickly apply these updates to get the protection the patch is offering.
Update virus definitions. Once again, common sense dictates keeping the security software you use up to date.
Alert employees about opening attachments or clicking links from unknown email senders…and what they should do if they were not alert enough.
Research file sharing services to make sure they don’t install malicious code automatically.
Strengthen passwords. The need to use a password has become outdated due to the number of websites that require them. Until a better solution comes along, create a convention that mix letters and numbers so passwords can be changed often.
Data security and integrity is critical. Create processes and procedures to back up data and automate as much as you can.
The cost to store data has dropped considerably. Not only back up data but back up the complete system including the operating system, applications, configurations and settings.
Doing backups and storing them at the business is good but getting a copy off site is better. This can be done with physical backups or using an online service. This is how you protect yourself from fire, flood, vandalism, sabotage and other disasters. We call them disasters for good reason.
How do you know your backups work? Very simple – test them. Don’t have time or not sure how to do it? It’s your data so there are no excuses.
Overwhelmed with so much to do? Get help. Find a local IT partner who you trust and knows what they are doing. Costs are very reasonable when you consider the importance of what you are doing. If you think insurance is a good idea; so is this.

Not sure taking the time to do the above is worth it for your business? Click this link so you can do your own calculation – Calculating your cyber security risk.

If you would like some more information in a short video, click this link to Symantec Cyber Security.

All this information comes from Business Matchmaking which is a not-for-profit public/private initiative in partnership with the SBA and Hewlett Packard. Click this link for more information about Business Matchmaking.

Business success is more than leadership

Business success is more than leadership. There has to be a purpose to the things we do in life or it’s a waste of time. At the end of the day, time is all we have. Better still, it’s a waste of an opportunity. Life to me is all about opportunities. I guess that’s why I love being an entrepreneur. So much to do yet so little time.

Earlier this year I was given the opportunity to have my own weekly radio show. The reason for the invitation was because a marketing assistant at the radio station did a search on Google and up popped my name and phone number with my website and some of the content I’d put together over the years.

Once I received the invitation there was the question – now what do I do? Is this something I can use to help other business owners? I think being an entrepreneur and owning your own business is great. No question it has its ups and downs, at times can be stressful, at times it can drive you crazy but it provides a purpose for each day, the opportunity to learn and get better and so the benefits go on and on.



One of the primary benefits I see in doing the show is that each week I get to meet and talk with at least two guests that are in business or help people get into business. The importance of this benefit came home to me when I was reading the story of Kari L Granger. Kari Granger studied at the Air Force Academy for four years and has a Master’s Degree in leadership. With her position in the Air Force Academy she found herself serving in Iraq with her responsibility leading her team to repair damaged aircraft.

The overall standard for mission success in repairing damaged aircraft in Iraq within a certain period of time was 65%. Her maintenance unit was operating with a 58% mission success rate.

The success rate of her unit changed when she got a call one morning at 2:30AM to get a team together, fly into a combat area, fix a broken aircraft and bring it back. It was during that trip that she met the men and women whose lives depended on the aircraft she was repairing. They told her, ‘When these don’t fly, we die.’

Her context changed. She repaired that airplane with bullets flying all around her, flew it back to her maintenance unit and the very next day her team began operating with a mission success rate of 100%.”

Kari explains it best when she says “So there I was, first time in Iraq, officer in charge, first time under fire. I had been studying at the Air Force Academy for 4 years. I had a master’s degree in leadership. And I was scared. You know, the first time I heard the BOOMs, the sirens. And I was hunkered down by the sandbags with my flak vest over me, and I won’t say the words that were coming out of my mouth, but knowing that a leader should be courageous did not make me courageous. Knowing that a leader ought to be a certain way did not give me access to being that way. Six years of leadership education didn’t give me what I needed in that moment.”

That is the purpose of my weekly radio show. Its purpose is to talk to business owners and those that are in business. Each guest has a point of view or perspective on successfully owning and operating a business. They come on the show to share and I love to have them as a guest as it gives me a chance to learn from those that our out in the market and doing it. Fighting the war in Iraq like Kari Granger is not the same as running a business as the chances are extremely high we’ll go home at night. However, after Kari’s experience of being under fire the first time, her maintenance operating units 58% mission success rate went to 100% as she understood that anything less than 100% meant lives were being lost.

What can you do to increase the performance and success of your business? Hear more from your employees, your customers and others around you. If you ask them I’m sure they’ll have an opinion. Whether you choose to take action and increase your success rate will come down to your leadership skills and new information available to you.

Please join me each Tuesday at 10.00am on 105.5 FM and Money 2.0 and hear what other business owners are doing. Perhaps one of their suggestions or experiences will increase your success. If you can’t listen in to the show as it goes to air, you can always go to my website and hear each show – this link will take you there – http://www.rogersonbusinessservices.c....

June happenings on 105.5FM and Money 2.0 with Andrew Rogerson

June was another good month for my radio show on 105.5FM and Money 2.0. Each Tuesday at 10.00am I interview a mix of successful Sacramento area experts as well as guests from the spectrum of different franchises to talk about their concepts including how and why they’ve built their franchises and who would be a good franchisee.

My main purposes of the weekly radio show are to encourage those who are thinking of becoming an entrepreneur that it’s right to dream and just as importantly, to understand what others have done or are doing so they can learn and be successful. For those that currently own and operate a business, the recession may be healing and green shoots of growth in the economy are starting to appear but hearing where other businesses are at and how they manage their challenges may at a simple level provide some ideas they had not thought about or perhaps the motivation to get better and stronger. As I like to say, successfully owning a business is not a destination but a journey and like all journeys there are things to learn along the way and changes of directions to consider and take.

So what would you like to know more about in 20 minutes? During June there were a total of 8 guests on my show. If you would like to listen to a show and learn more what I talked with each guest about, simply click this link to a page on my website where you can see a brief overview of the two guests on each show and can click an additional link to hear that actual show.



At the beginning of June, the two guests on my show were Valerie Mamone-Werder who is from the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The Downtown Sacramento Partnership are sponsoring a retail project with prizes up to $135,000 including free rent for 12 months for a new business owner and so they are encouraging new entrepreneurs to start their own retail business. My second guest for that show was Dell Richards from Dell Richards Publicity and she spoke about how PR ties together the different components of a successful marketing program.

The two guests for my next show were Jake Goldman from 10up.com and Bill Angove from Asset Preservation, Inc. Jake is the CEO of 10up.com which is a distributive website development company that specializes in using WordPress to build unique and powerful websites for high end client needs. Bill Angove is the California Division Manager for Asset Preservation, Inc and specializes in helping clients defer capital gains tax using a 1031 Exchange Plan.

The two guests for my show on June 18 were Carolyn Durkee and Karl Palachuk. Carolyn is the Marketing Manager for the Two Men and a Truck franchise in Sacramento and they just helped the local charity, WEAVE with some great support. Karl is the CEO of America’s Tech Support but he’s also the author of ‘Relax, Focus and Succeed.’ Using his extensive technology training, experience and discipline, Karl talks about how he approaches his personal and business life to maximize but not overwhelm him. In fact, he suffers very badly from rheumatoid arthritis and developed some unique skills to help him stay on top of his businesses.

The final two guests in June were Brian Sharp and Lenny Verkhoglaz. Brian is the CEO of the Go Big Company and he’s just launched a brand new marketing tool to help business owners attract more business and it focuses on video. Lenny is the CEO of Executive Care which is a franchise that recognizes each family is unique and needs qualified and dependable caregivers to preserve the independence and the dignity of their loved-ones.

The show from each week is archived and available to listen from my website by simply following this link to my website – http://www.rogersonbusinessservices.c...

Please join me each Tuesday at 10.00am on radio station 105.5 FM and Money 2.0 where my hope is that you learn something and enjoy….good things…and that 2013 will be your best year ever.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?

What makes a successful entrepreneur? There is a perception that to be a successful entrepreneur you have to be lucky. We look for heroes or successful entrepreneurs and read about them as much as we can in the belief that if we understood what they did and then follow their recipe it will increase our chances of success.

When you think about successful entrepreneurs who are your heroes? Bill Gates and what he was able to do at Microsoft with the Windows operating system and suite of Office products? Jeff Bezos at Amazon with how he’s creating an online product distribution unlike anything that’s been seen before? Walmart who are competing head on with Amazon using a bricks and mortar strategy started by Sam Walton? The list of successful entrepreneurs is endless as not only are they successful in the US but in other countries around the world. For example, Carlos Slim lives in Mexico and his net worth competes and fluctuates closely with that of Bill Gates so that in some years Carlos Slim is worth more than Bill Gates while in other years, Bill Gates is worth more than Carlos Slim.

If you look at any of the above to try to determine how they became successful entrepreneurs there doesn’t seem to be a pattern. Each had an idea and each kept refining and tweaking their idea and by doing this their net result made them a success. In all cases, their success was a function of providing a product or service they thought the market would need and then delivering it to the best of their ability or the ability of the company they put together.



If you are looking for the magic formula or magic recipe that separates a successful entrepreneur from a failed entrepreneur perhaps it’s no more complicated than the horse parable I heard about recently. The parable goes as follows.

A village elder found a horse near his village one day and was able to capture the horse and tie it up to use to help in his field. All the local villagers came to admire his horse and acknowledge how having the horse would allow him to do more than the others in the village and all observed and commented on his good luck. To each person that acknowledged his good luck he said … we’ll see.

A few days later the horse ran away. The local villagers found out and came to say how unlucky it was that he now lost the horse. To each person that acknowledged his bad luck he said … we’ll see.

A few days later the horse returned and when it returned it came back with a second horse. Once again all the villagers came to admire his two horses and commented on his good luck. To each person that acknowledged his good luck he said … we’ll see.

A few days later the son of the village elder decided to break in the second horse so they could use it in the fields. While the son was breaking in the horse, it threw him off and in the mishap broke his leg. The local villagers found out and came to say how unlucky it was that his son had broken his leg. To each person that acknowledged his bad luck he said … we’ll see.

A few days later a war broke out and so the military came to the villages looking for able bodied men and forcibly took them away. The entire village was upset at all the able bodied men that had been taken away as it was feared that many would never return as they would be killed in battle. However, the village elder’s son was passed over because he was unable to walk. The local villagers came to acknowledge his good luck and as you can guess, he said … we’ll see.

So what makes a successful entrepreneur? Based on this parable it’s no more complicated than taking advantage of what happens, doing something with what you know and when circumstances change, accepting that change by taking a new course.

If you are thinking of becoming a business owner and not sure the time is right you are probably right. If you currently own a business and things are not going well, you are probably right. However, the facts would indicate your chances of success right now are the best they have been in five or six years. These facts include interest rates to borrow money are the cheapest in years. Unemployment is high so there is a large pool of workers to choose from to build and grow your business. The economy is growing and has been growing albeit slowly for the last several quarters. It’s easier to grow a business in a growing economy compared to a contracting economy.

What makes a successful entrepreneur? A critical ingredient of a successful entrepreneur is whether or not they believe in themselves and whether they have the ability to adapt when their circumstances change. If the change in circumstances appear negative then it’s obvious the chances of success decline. Conversely, if the change in circumstance appear positive then it’s obvious the chances of success increase. Perhaps the real answer is though … we’ll see.

What can a business owner learn from Paula Deen and the Food Network?

Paula Deen and the Food Network made the front page of the CNN website when it was simply announced that Paula Deen would not have her contract renewed with The Food Network at the end of the month. Not only did it make the front page of the CNN website but it ran across the bottom of their screen the day it happened.  In addition, the story was carried on NBC as Paula Deen was lined up to appear on The Today Show with Matt Laurer and so the news was all over NBC and also the other networks.

If you own a business there are many lessons.  The first question you may be asking though, is who is Paula Deen?  There are probably different answers to this question though the simple answer is that Paula Deen is a chef/cook and she’s also a celebrity building her brand and notoriety by cooking the food she loves which is from the south where she lives in Savannah, GA.

So if you own a business, what are some of the lessons?  You will probably have your own opinion about what you think are the most important lessons but the most important lesson for me is that Paula Deen did not change with the times.  It would be easy to say that part of the reason that Paula Deen didn’t change is because she’s been around for a number of years; she’s 62 years old and her company has been on TV for over 22 years with 11 of those years on The Food Network.  Because of her longevity on TV she came to believe that she could do and say what she wanted because she had either learned the right to do it or perhaps she thought her audience would not care.  And that’s my point.  Paula got it wrong.



Paula got it wrong because as a society we continue to change and evolve.  Often the changes are subtle and small but regardless, they are change.  Because of this change in society and especially because of the public profile and indeed the dependence of her business on it, Paula needed to understand those changes and adapt.  She deliberately chose not to as her PR company said and I quote “She was born 60 years ago when America’s South had schools that were segregated, different bathrooms, different restaurants and Americans rode in different parts of the bus. This is not today.”

If you own and operate a business you must adapt and change.  The future of your business depends on it.  Who knows if Paula Deen and her business will survive?  Perhaps Paula has enough money and been running her business long enough to no longer need to keep working.  The Food Network, however, made a quick and firm decision.  They were no longer interested in carrying her show.

What other lessons can we learn from Paula Deen losing her show on The Food Network?  Here are a few.

When it was to be announced later on in the day that Paula Deen would not have her contract renewed by The Food Network she immediately moved into damage control mode by making some video’s and apologizing.  Paula didn’t try to defend what had happened she tackled her problem head on and as quickly as she could.  Bottom line, if you have a problem deal with it quickly.  It should be part of any Disaster Recovery Plan you have in place for your business.

Paula Deen has a contract in place with a pharmaceutical company for her to endorse a diabetes drug.  Apparently Paula was diagnosed about 3 years ago with diabetes and so now she has a new revenue stream available to her as a result of her diabetes.  So the lesson is not to have your business solely dependent on one revenue stream.

If you’re an employee, here’s a great take-away from what’s happened.  If you work for a business owner and the business completely revolves around them, you could be out of a job and out of a job very quickly.  In the case of Paula Deen’s business, no one else could replace her  If you work in such an environment, get out and either get a new job now, or better still, go and start or buy your own business so you only have to rely on you and the decisions you make, not for the person you are working.  As they say, why help them live the American Dream of owning and operating a business when you can do it yourself.

If you own a business and think it’s time to sell so you don’t have the same worries as Paula Deen, give me a call on 916 570-2674 or send an email to Andrew Rogerson.

If you work for a company and decide it’s time for a change give me a call and let me go over your business ownership options or use the above email address to send me a request to contact you.

How do I know if buying a franchise is right for me?

How do I know if buying a franchise is right for me? This is a question I asked Tom Miller when he was the guest on my radio show on April 16, 2013. Tom is the Executive Vice President of Murphy Business and Financial Corporation. He’s also a 33 year veteran of the franchise industry, but as Tom likes to say, who’s counting. And as Tom’s wife Diane also likes to say, when you get to Tom’s age counting has little to no appeal.

As Tom has been involved in the franchise industry for such a long period of time, it was a good opportunity to ask him some questions as he has seen so much including all the different fads and trends.

One of my first questions to Tom was therefore, how does a franchise buyer know if owning and operating a franchise is right? To answer the question, Tom gave some interesting insights. As Tom said, there are no absolutes, but buying a franchise definitely appeals to certain people at a certain stage in their life and the statistics show that a typical franchise buyer includes the following:

Is between the ages of 35 and 55 years old
Come from a Corporate Management background
Have an average income of between $60,000 to $150,000 per year
Have a net worth of between $250,000 and $600,000
A majority of franchise buyers have an IRA or 401k Retirement plan and many plan to use this as a down payment to buy their franchise
 In order of those that will buy a franchise, men come first, then couples and then women.
Typically, most franchise buyers will not have owned a business before.
Typically, the franchise buyer wants to become an entrepreneur, build their franchise or business and then when they are ready to retire, sell the franchise and use the funds to support their retirement.
What attracts most franchise buyers is that the franchisor provides the initial support and training to open the business and then provide the ongoing training and support as well as the sales and marketing.

My conversation with Tom was for about 40 minutes. I was able to ask him many questions. If you would like to listen to my conversation with Tom on my radio show by clicking on the following link – Conversation with Tom Miller.

Some of the other questions I asked Tom and the answers you will hear include:

What makes a good franchise buyer?
What research would you recommend someone do if they want to buy a franchise?
What are the different franchise formats available?
What finance options are available?
What’s the best way to investigate a franchise opportunity?
What’s the FDD or Franchise Disclosure Document and what’s its purpose?
There is an incorrect perception that most franchises are in the food or auto industry. What types of industries can a franchise buyer find?

If you have an interest to buy a franchise and want more information, here are three options available to you. The simplest is to click on this link which will take you to a page on my website that breaks down the steps to buy a franchise. If you prefer to do some research you are welcome to buy a copy of my book – Successfully buy your franchise. Finally, if you have questions and want answers simply give me a call on 916 570-2674.

How much tax will I pay when I sell my business?

How much tax will I pay when I sell my business? Many business sellers have worked out that the final amount they receive from the buyer at the close of escrow when they sell their business is not the final amount they get to put in their pocket. The reason is very simple. The IRS or tax man wants his share. Equally, many sellers are not sure what they can do to lower the amount they pay the taxman.

Monty Walker is the principal of Walker Advisory Services. By training and profession, Monty is a CPA but instead of conducting a general CPA and tax advice practice, Monty chooses to focus on a very specialized area of the tax and accounting profession and that’s when a business is sold and the seller and/or buyer want specialized advice on the best tax structure for a deal.

It’s not unusual for a buyer and/or seller to work for many months on the sale of the business, have every main detail agreed upon and then find everything is about to fall apart because the two parties cannot agree on a fair tax structure. The seller thinks he has to pay too much tax or the buyer thinks they are not getting enough tax deductions. What adds to the tension at this point in the transaction is that there have generally been a lot of other negotiations and this tax negotiation can be the proverbial straw to break the camel’s back.



To help ease the tension in this situation and provide an impartial third party perspective, Monty is able to put his advice together in the form of a report called a Transaction Structuring Report. This was one of the two topics that I spoke to Monty about on April 30, 2013 when Monty was the guest on my radio show. One of the best benefits is that Monty can actually do this report with the seller before the business goes onto the market so the seller can present his preferred tax position before any stressful and difficult negotiations.

My conversation with Monty covered two topics. The first topic was a conversation about using retirement funds in a 401k or IRA plan as part of the down payment to buy a business. The second part of my conversation with Monty was about a Tax Structuring Report. I was able to ask Monty a number of questions and these include:

What is the real purpose of a Tax Structuring Report and what’s the best way to use it?
What documents do you need to create the report?
How much does it cost?
How long does it take to produce?

The primary benefit of a Tax Structuring Report includes tax deferral, minimization and elimination strategies. You are welcome to listen to my conversation with Monty on my radio show and you can do this by clicking on the following link – Tax conversation with Monty Walker. There were two separate topics when I had my conversation with Monty. The first topic was about using 401k or IRA money to fund the purchase of a business or franchise. You may therefore wish to skip this part of my conversation and move to our discussion about structuring the tax component when you are selling your business.

If you would like to see a sample Basic Report, please click the following link -

Basic Tax Structuring Report.

If you would like to see a sample Full Report, please click the following link – Full Tax Structuring Report.

Free IRS Webinars for Small Business Owners on June 18 and 20, 2013

Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. This year, National Small Business Week begins on June 17, 2013.

In recognition of National Small Business Week, the Internal Revenue Service is holding two free national webinars for small business owners covering the following topics:

On Tuesday, June 18 at 11am PDT
Small Business Owners: Get All the Tax Benefits You Deserve

Learn about business expense deductions
What is a business depreciation deduction
Find out which business tax credits are available for your business
Get the latest facts about the American Taxpayer Relief Act
What are the qualifications for the Earned Income Credit
Broadcast will include a live Q&A session

Click on the following link to register: To register

On Thursday, June 20 at 11am PDT:
Avoiding the Top Tax Mistakes that Small Businesses Make

Tips to avoid common mistakes with your business taxes
Good recordkeeping strategies
What is reportable income
How to carefully choose a tax preparer
Helpful Tax Information Resources
Broadcast will include a live Q&A session

Click on the following link to register: To register

Please contact Marc Zune with any questions.  The contact information is as follows:

Marc J. Zine , CPA

Liaison Specialist

IRS-SBSE Stakeholder Liaison Field Operations

4330 Watt Ave., SA-3318

Sacramento, CA 95821

With thanks to SEDCorp for initiating this message. SEDCorp is the Sierra Economic Development Corporation. For more details:

Sierra Economic Development Corporation

560 Wall Street, Suite F

Auburn, CA 95603

SEDCorp

Phone: (530) 823-4703

From employee to entrepreneur is just one step

Without question the most terrifying decision for all entrepreneurs is the first step when they announce to the world, I am moving from employee to entrepreneur!

Can’t you hear the gasps followed by the questions? What will you do if it doesn’t work out? How can you afford to take such a risk? What does (insert name) think? I don’t think that’s a good idea. That’s not something I would do. And so it goes on.

On Tuesday May 28 I was delighted to have as a guest on my radio show Kasey Cotulla who is a partner in three printing businesses. My conversation with Kasey was able to explore his thought processes and eventual decision to become a business owner. From my perspective, as I help business owners every day with the service I provide, Kasey’s move into entrepreneurship is unique with his journey but his thought processes and conclusions are typical.

As Kasey likes to say, he’s a forklift driver from Galt that is now a partner in a business. However that’s not where Kasey started. Kasey’s first job was that of the janitor at a printing business when he left school. Kasey then moved up through the company to driving a forklift and eventually found himself in the role as the General Manager. However, after being an employee for twenty five years Kasey had an itch and the itch became a question that he had to answer – Am I good enough to own and operate my own business?



The question seems simple enough. Am I good enough to own and operate my own business but the question has so many complexities. What does “good enough” mean? What does “own and operate” mean? What happens if I get it wrong? In Kasey’s case as is the case with many other “wanna be entrepreneurs,” the outcome of Kasey’s decision would not only affect him personally but also that of his family.

After 25 years Kasey decided it was time to see if he was right, that is, was he good enough to own and operate his own business. He therefore put his strategy together and took action. What separates a “wanna be entrepreneur” from an entrepreneur? The answer is real simple and it’s doing something or taking action.

So Kasey decided to tackle his entrepreneurial ambitions with a partner, Jim Davis. A key ingredient for Kasey in the decision to choose Jim was trust and this is an issue I see plague many business owners. A partnership is a great way to test your entrepreneurial skills and drive as you get to do it with someone who can share the work, responsibilities and decision making processes. One of the questions I asked of Kasey during my conversation with him was if he had a buy/sell agreement and I was pleased to hear that he does. A partnership is like any situation where two or more people come together with common ideas and goals. However, like many things in life, may start with good intentions but things can and do change. If you are thinking of testing your entrepreneurial skills and spirit and do it with a partner, make sure it includes a good buy/sell agreement.

For Kasey and Jim to get into business, it required they have some “skin in the game” or a down payment to buy their business. For Kasey it was a decision to use the equity in his house. With this equity, Kasey was able to add to it by getting an SBA loan and so with this money was able to buy his first business which was Delta Web Printing in West Sacramento. Delta Web Printing is a black and white book printing service that produces college schedules and catalogs etc. and this deal was closed in early 2010.

Due to the strength of their management and the success they were experiencing at Delta Web Printing, a new opportunity came along within 12 months and this was to buy a second printing business as an asset sale which had a different focus in Rancho Cordova called River City Printers. River City Printers had a different customer focus to Delta Web Printing and so this was a way for Kasey and Jim to diversify their risk.

As if that wasn’t enough, Kasey and Jim made a third acquisition that closed in April 2013 with the purchase of Paul Baker Printing in Roseville, this time as a stock sale.

When you speak to Kasey he’s a very quiet and unassuming person. As he says, he hates to talk about printing as it’s so boring but he loves to talk about owning and operating a business as there are so many parts to it. However, if you do want some printing give Kasey a call at River City Printers on 916 638-8400.

Are you thinking about owning and operating your own business and not sure where to start? Kasey provides a great example and shows how simple it is. That is, learn some skills, realize that if you stay and work as an employee your helping to build someone else’s fortune, take an educated risk by borrowing some money, work hard and make it happen. This fits in with one of Kasey’s favorite observations. “There is a risk in staying where you are at – even when you are successful as an employee or manager.” As they say on TV “it’s not that complicated.”

If you are ready to buy or sell your business, let me help you. Simply give me a call on 916 570-2674 or send an email to info@RogersonBusinessServices.com

Guests for May on 105.5FM and Money 2.0

The response to my weekly radio show on 105.5FM called Money 2.0 has been terrific. I’ve been receiving inquiries from guests who would like to share their business story or information, calls from listeners who have a question about a product or service and lots of other positive feedback. As a result of the feedback, from the beginning of May I made a change to the format and instead of having just one guest per show I now have two. Having two guests per show means twice the subjects and information I have been able to share as each guest covers a topic that will help make a business better and stronger be it with real success stories, new information, a product or service or simply encouraging those that own a business or are planning to do so. As I like to say, this show is about where Main Street meets Wall Street.

If you want to hear one of the guests on my shows, it is no more than a click away as each show is archived and instantly available to hear by simply following this link to my website – 105.5FM and Money 2.0 with your host Andrew Rogerson

The guests for my show on May 07 were Jim Pelley and Adam Frick from Ulink Network and Neal Weiss from Rhino 7. Jim and Adam are the proud owners of a new networking business they have put together called Ulink Network. They started their business in 2010 and now have over 350 members in more than 30 chapters; mainly in Northern California but moving out nationally to Florida, Texas and Washington. Ulink Network is LinkedIn and technology on steroids as Adam has developed a unique app for your mobile phone that allows each user to find a member and the type of product or service they offer and send a message introducing a referral or new piece of business to them.



Neal Weiss is a Franchise Developer with Rhino 7. Rhino 7 is a franchise development company that allows a franchisor to hire them and then let them focus on interviewing and qualifying potential franchise buyers for a concept they represent. Rhino 7 is active in the market with a franchise called Pro Martial Arts and Neal and I just finished working with a husband and wife franchise buyer that bought 5 locations with Pro Martial Arts in the Sacramento area.

Right now there is enormous interest from those in their late 30’s to early 50’s that are working in Corporate America and are tired of the Corporate grind and want to build their own business or franchise to be in charge of their future and then plan to sell and fund their retirement. If that sounds like you, give me a call as there are about 100 different franchise concepts available I can introduce to you and help you find the right one.

The guests for my show on May 14 were Ron Crane from DCA Partners and Elza Gennicks. Ron is the Managing Director with DCA Partners that is based in Roseville and they focus on three primary services for their clients; larger Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity and Advisory services. Their Advisory services are for a business that has a problem due to a decline in sales that’s putting pressure on their bottom line or too much growth too quickly the company is struggling to manage.

Elza is with a national sales franchise development company that represents three concepts for franchise buyers. The first concept is Best In Class Education Centers which is a supplemental learning center for school-aged children that need help with Math or English as well as help with SAT and ACT preparation. Total investment is about $100,000. The second concept is Native New Yorker Restaurants which was originally opened in Arizona by a husband and wife who lived in Buffalo, New York and decided that feeding their family with food they ate and loved in New York was their entrepreneurial path. Total investment varies with the size of the restaurant but starts at about $500,000. The final concept is Kalologie 360 Spa which combines a full array of spa services and products and was named an American Top-10 Spa destination by Elle Magazine. Total investment starts at $270,000.

The guests for my show on May 21 were Brent Smith from SEDCorp and Curtis Kroeker from CoStar Group which includes the online website, BizBuySell.

Brent is the CEO of SEDCorp which is based in Auburn, CA. SEDCorp or the Sierra Economic Development Corporation provides services to small businesses including training and third party finance options which also include SBA loans. Part of their service offerings now includes working capital loans at much more affordable rates. If you were in need of working capital an option available was factoring.

Curtis is the President of Marketplace Verticals for CoStar Group, Inc which is a long title but his responsibilities including two national leading websites BizBuySell and BizQuest. Both sites display businesses for sale and tell what’s happening with the buying and selling of businesses.

The show guests on May 28 were Kasey Cotulla from River City Printers and RJ Cicchetti from Massage Heights in Roseville. Kasey has an exciting business story. Many wrestle with the idea of becoming a business owner but for different reasons decide it doesn’t make sense to them. That was not the case with Kasey. After 25 years working in the printing industry and starting out as the janitor he came to the conclusion that the only difference between the owner and an employee was their ability to manage risk. So, about 3 years ago in the middle of the economic recession Kasey and his partner, Jim took out an SBA loan so they could buy Delta Web Printing. The printing business is very challenging as it requires a large capital investment. If you buy the wrong equipment and cannot meet your customer needs it will send you bankrupt. After their initial investment and success in Delta Web Printing, they decided to buy River City Printers. Although it was in the same industry, this print shop has a different focus and customer base so it provides some diversification. If that wasn’t enough, in April of this year another acquisition was made and this time it was Paul Baker Printing in Roseville. With the help of one SBA loan, Kasey is a true entrepreneur in a difficult, challenging and ever changing industry. As Kasey likes to say, he’s doing well for a forklift driver from Galt.

RJ Cicchetti is the Regional Developer with the franchise called Massage Heights. Massage Heights is a membership based service that helps the aging stressed out population keep some balance in their lives with therapeutic massage and related wellness services. RJ is an Area Developer with Massage Heights which means he owns a territory in Northern California and gets to help franchisees join their system and build and grow their franchise location.

If you would like to listen to any of the shows featuring each guest and their topics mentioned above, it’s no more than a click away. Each show is recorded and available to listen or download from my website by clicking the following link:

105.FM and Money 2.0 with radio show host Andrew Rogerson

Please join me each Tuesday at 10.00am on radio station 105.5 FM and Money 2.0 where my hope is that you learn something and enjoy….good things.