Succession planning isn’t just about passing on a business—it’s about protecting your legacy, preserving value, and ensuring the people you care about aren’t left scrambling when you’re gone.

In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, host Paul Sweeney sits down with Rob Ferguson, seasoned CEO, trusted advisor, and founder of Ferguson Alliance, to unpack the essential steps for building a strong succession plan. Rob shares why waiting until you’re “ready to retire” is far too late, how to avoid the “founder’s trap” where the business can’t function without you, and why intangible assets—your brand, relationships, systems, and culture—are often worth more than your tangible ones.

You’ll learn how to start planning from day one, create a business that can thrive without your daily involvement, and transition smoothly to the next generation or a buyer while keeping your purpose intact. Whether you plan to sell, hand over the reins to family, or keep the business in the community, this episode offers practical strategies and a mindset shift that will help you secure the future of your hard work.

Get Rob's free eBook, The Prosperity Plan.

Rob Ferguson has been a trusted advisor to family businesses since 2010. Prior to becoming an advisor, Rob had a distinguished career in leadership – including ten years as a CEO at two different companies. One was a public company with $300 million in revenue, the other a family business with $100 million in revenue where he successfully managed the restructuring and sale of the company. Rob has led companies through 10x growth, helped turn struggling companies around, and has conducted more than $100 million in acquisitions.

Rob's company, Ferguson Alliance, is on a mission to increase the lifespan of family businesses. Rob believes that with the right foundation in place, businesses can live infinitely.

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Can you really be a great entrepreneur and a present parent at the same time?

In this heartfelt and honest episode of The Business Behind Your Business, host Paul Sweeney is joined by Dan Peterson — founder of Flip Switch Social Media, and father of three — for a real talk about the challenges of entrepreneurship and parenting.

If you're a business owner trying to juggle growing a business while showing up for your family, this conversation will resonate deeply. Dan shares how he’s learned (and is still learning) to give himself grace, why balance is a myth, and how embracing imperfection has actually made him a better parent and entrepreneur.

You’ll walk away with:

• A new mindset around "balance" between business and family
• Practical insights for handling guilt and internal pressure
• Encouragement to re-centre on why you started your business in the first place
• A reminder that showing up — even imperfectly — still counts

Whether you're a parent running a business or someone who supports one, this is a must-listen episode that acknowledges the messy, meaningful, and beautiful overlap of work and life.

Dan Peterson has 25+ years of experience in small business management and ownership. Most recently (in 2012), Dan founded FlipSwitch Social Media, a nationally recognized, award winning social media agency that helps small to midsize businesses grow using the power of social media.

Dan aims to help motivate and guide other entrepreneurs and businesspeople using his diverse range of experience across multiple genres of business.

Dan is also a singer-songwriter acoustic guitarist who performs throughout Chicagoland on a regular basis.

In 2008 Dan married his amazing wife Amy, and is the proud father of three daughters: Kylie, Taylor and Brooklyn.

www.flipswitchsocialmedia.com

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What if your next great client is already looking at your LinkedIn profile—right now—and you’re sending them away?

In this episode of The Business Behind Your Business, host Paul Sweeney sits down with LinkedIn strategist and author Daniel Alfon to reveal how most business owners are misusing LinkedIn—and what to do instead. Daniel strips away the noise and shows you how to turn your personal profile into a high-performing business tool that attracts the right prospects and moves them to action.

You’ll discover why your profile matters more than your content, why your company page isn’t where the action is, and how to create a focused presence that actually leads to revenue—not just likes, follows, or empty metrics. Whether you’re a B2B business, a consultant, or a service provider, this conversation will reshape how you think about LinkedIn and help you align your efforts with your business goals.

Forget the pressure to post daily. It’s time to stop serving the algorithm—and start serving your business.

Check out Daniel's LinkedIn cheat sheet here: www.danielalfon.com/#freebie Daniel states, "Our profile headline is the single most important real estate on LinkedIn. This cheat sheet contains examples, a formula and how-tos. All of those enable you to craft a killer Headline."

Daniel Alfon is the author of "Build a LinkedIn Profile for Business Success", and he's been on LinkedIn since February 2004 (yes, you read right).

Daniel sees LinkedIn as an extremely powerful tool that's mostly misunderstood. After training thousands of people on LinkedIn, Daniel developed a simple method that can help leaders reach their objective - without cold connecting, paying for a premium account, advertising or trying to become someone else. Daniel will get you thinking about your LinkedIn strategy, networking, and doing what's smart and not what's popular.

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www.danielalfon.com

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