Matthew Wilhelmi
I grew up in an entrepreneurial household. My stepdad worked for his dad’s painting and remodeling business. Many summers were spent working with the family business. I got to see firsthand how hard entrepreneurs work. The long days. The grueling work (okay, that’s not all businesses, but it certainly was in this one). The budget discussions. The marketing strategies. The decisions employees were allowed to make. The vision of the company. I was also fortunate to see the benefits of being an entrepreneur; providing work for local families that serve the communities they live in, taking modest vacations but being able to totally unplug, and creating an asset that can be passed down to the next generation.
When I was in high school, I started working retail for a Fortune 500 company that invested a tremendous amount of training into their employees at all levels. I loved it! I still look back on those trainings and think about how grateful I am for the opportunity to get paid to learn about business, sales, financials, dashboards, customer service, empowerment, pricing, marketing, and even differentiation.
After high school, I worked in the banking and finance industry and was, again, very fortunate to have opportunities with companies that valued investing in employees. These corporate trainings were a little different though. These trainings taught relationship selling. It was the first time I had heard about empathy. The first-time situational leadership was introduced into my professional arsenal of relationship and leadership tactics. Also, in the banking and finance industry, I had the great benefit of working with tons of small business owners. I would go out into the community and find entrepreneurs who needed help with their banking or financing needs. Needless to say, I met a wide spectrum of really interesting business owners.
The Calling
In 2008, I got this calling. It was almost as if God, the universe, or whatever higher power you might believe in, had been preparing me for something and had a message to deliver. I hadn’t even graduated college yet, but I remember hearing a voice audibly say, “Matt. Go and help small business owners. They need My help. I will provide through you.” That’s it. It was crystal clear.
Since I heard this calling, I feel like I’ve been on a mission. I’ve been networking, blogging, reading, watching a lot of Shark Tank, trying to soak up as much business acumen and relationships as I could. I absolutely love hearing entrepreneur’s stories of how they started their business. All the crazy risks. All the doubters. All the education. Sometimes all the debt. Maybe all the mistakes. They all come together to create a wonderful journey.
Experience as a Business Consultant
When I was working in the banking and financing industry, I started consulting for a local business owner on the side. I loved the work, grossly underbid my time, but learned a tremendous amount about what being a business consultant really means. I’ll never forget the engagement. I got hired to build and implement a marketing strategy for a multi-million-dollar printing company. For ninety days or so, I worked side-by-side with the CEO and VP of Sales to build their marketing strategy. After this engagement, while continuing my full-time work in the banking and financing industry, I began networking and meeting all these small business owners who needed help with their business. Many times, I would come across business owners who wanted to hire me for help with marketing, acquisitions, or just needed advice on obtaining financing. From these relationships and engagements, I began to grow as a business consultant.
When I was 25, while still working in the banking and financing industry and doing consulting on the side, I started and sold my first business. That was an eye-opening experience! I learned, very quickly, what people value in a transaction and what due diligence steps need to happen for the buying party to agree to your asking price.
From there, I converted one of my engagements into employment with an accounting firm. As their director of business development, it was my primary function to meet with business owners about their accounting and tax needs. During this season of my journey, I learned about accounting systems, operational integrity, change management, corporate structures, and employee empowerment.
Also, during this employment, I met Dr. Brian Smith, Sr. Managing Partner at IA Business Advisors. He and I worked together on a few projects at the accounting firm before he decided to make me an offer to work at his firm. In this role, I’ve helped hundreds of business owners all across the US with many different things: acquisitions, due diligence, software implementation, business process reengineering, marketing strategies, website development, contract negotiations, compensation package review, cash flow forecasting, financing structuring—just to name a few.
