How do you go from a conservative CPA career to owning the #1 hockey retail store in Washington—without ever having laced up a pair of skates?

In this episode of Entrepreneurship Unlocked, host Seth Rudin is joined by Rick Bauman to pull back the curtain on a 35-year journey in the franchise world. Rick didn't just survive in retail; he dominated the "Play It Again Sports" system by leaning into adaptability, pioneering rental models, and knowing exactly when to exit at the top of his game.

If you’ve ever wondered how to build a business that is "sellable" from day one, this conversation is your roadmap. Rick shares the raw, emotional reality of walking away from a legacy and the practical steps he took to ensure his financials were ready for a high-value broker exit.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The CPA to Entrepreneur Pivot: Using analytical skills to build a retail empire.

• The Power of "Gut Feel": Why Rick tells younger entrepreneurs not to over-analyze in the age of the internet.

• The "Rental" Secret: How adding a rental and service arm transformed his store into a top-tier performer.

• Selling on Top: Why you should never wait for a "fire sale" to exit your business.

• The Identity Shift: What life really looks like the first year after selling a 30-year legacy.

What happens when a single regulatory shift unlocks millions of dollars in previously "lost" tax revenue for an entire industry?

In this episode of Entrepreneurship Unlocked, we dive deep into the seismic shifts hitting the cannabis landscape. Hosts Kelsey Ellis and Diego De La Torre from Opsahl Dawson join the conversation to break down the massive implications of the recent executive order moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

For years, cannabis entrepreneurs have been hamstrung by the notorious Section 280E, a tax code that prevented them from deducting standard operating expenses—often resulting in effective tax rates as high as 70%. We explore the "how" and "when" of this reclassification and what it means for the future of the industry.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The Death of 280E: How moving to Schedule III finally allows cannabis businesses to operate on a level playing field.

• Banking & Liquidity: Why this shift could finally open the doors to traditional financing and institutional investment.

• The R&D Incentive: How businesses can now leverage tax credits to innovate and scale.

• Strategic Timing: What business owners need to do right now to prepare their accounting for these massive changes.

• The Global Ripple Effect: How federal reclassification impacts state-level operations and future legalization efforts.

In this episode, Seth Rudin, Senior M&A Broker at IBA, sits down with Billy Huntley, Commercial Relationship Manager at Washington Trust Bank, to pull back the curtain on the complexities of buying and selling businesses within the high-stakes aerospace and defense sectors.

Drawing from their successful track record of closing deals together—including suppliers for military operations and Boeing—Seth and Billy break down the unique variables that define this industry.

From managing high customer concentration and long-lead working capital to navigating the critical "change of control" process with massive aerospace entities, this conversation is a masterclass in specialized business brokerage and commercial banking.

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