80% of a Trades Owner’s Wealth Is Trapped in One Decision... Transitioning a Family Business | S1E2

Most trades owners don’t fail because they make bad decisions.

They fail because they delay the right ones.

In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy and Elliot tackle one of the most avoided — and most expensive — realities in the trades:  What actually happens to a business when the owner eventually steps away?

For many construction, manufacturing, and specialty trades owners, the business isn’t just what they do.
It’s who they are.

It holds their relationships, their people, and often 80% or more of their personal wealth.

That’s why exit and perpetuation planning isn’t a retirement conversation.

It’s a profit-protection conversation.

In Episode 2, we unpack:

• Why waiting too long destroys leverage and value
• How internal and family transitions break down without runway
• Why private equity often becomes the default — not the preference
• The emotional identity challenges owners face when letting go
• How founder-held relationships quietly become valuation risk

This episode is not about selling a business tomorrow.
It’s about thinking clearly long before decisions are forced.

If you own a trades business — or plan to someday — this conversation matters more than you think.

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