Exceptional Companies Podcast

About Exceptional Companies Podcast

Step into the world of savvy business decisions with Chris Seegers from Exceptional Companies. Each episode of the Exceptional Companies Podcast unravels the secrets of buying, selling, and optimizing your business. From building your sales team to avoiding costly mistakes, Chris brings 30 years of storytelling mastery and marketing genius to deliver insights that are educational, empowering, and entertaining. Listen now and transform your business journey. Join our free webinar, book a meeting, or purchase our Selling Your Business course today!

Publisher

Chris Seegers

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Aug 2024

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

74 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Plan the Tax Before You Sell | Ed Lyon

   A business owner sold for $55 million in August and started asking about the $15 million tax bill in December. Ed Lyon, Chief Tax Strategist at Excel Empire, says that is the expensive version of the plan. If the end of the business is a sale, the tax work starts while the company is still running. In Episode 74, Chris Seegers and Ed Lyon talk through what changes when the goal is to pay less, not just to find out what you owe. They cover planning before a sale, why a favorite tax idea can lock up money the business still needs, how a late plan compares with an early one, and why getting rich and staying rich are different skills. The $55 million sale and the $15 million tax bill are Ed's account of one client. They are not a standard rate and they are not a promise for another owner. MORE FROM EXCEPTIONAL COMPANIES PODCAST Watch or listen to more episodes: https://excoadvisors.com/podcast/ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ExceptionalCompaniesPodcast Follow the podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exceptional-companies-podcast/ ABOUT ED LYON Ed Lyon is Chief Tax Strategist at Excel Empire. He is an attorney who has worked in tax planning for most of the last 30 years, including founding Tax Coach in 2005 and joining Excel Empire with Matt Pearson in late 2022. Excel Empire: https://excelempire.com/ Ed Lyon: https://excelempire.com/leadership/edward-lyon CHAPTERS 0:00 Plan before the sale 0:37 Exceptional Companies Podcast intro 0:56 Meet Ed Lyon 1:46 From Capitol Hill to tax 2:50 Tax Coach, then the sale 3:27 How Excel Empire is different 5:07 A guaranteed dollar amount 7:32 Where it hurts 8:42 A pension plan can lock the money 9:48 Three lines of defense 12:35 Plan the tax before the sale 14:57 A list of strategies is not the plan 17:25 The $55 million business sale 19:26 Life comes at you fast 23:06 Three plus three, or three times three 26:56 Creating your own buyer 28:07 Silver bullets on social media 32:46 A transition, not a transaction 33:53 Getting rich and staying rich 38:24 You can just do things 46:27 My accountant takes care of my taxes 47:07 Where to find Ed 50:07 Exceptional Companies Podcast outro DISCLAIMER This conversation is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not tax, legal, financial, investment, or business advice. Sale prices, tax bills, and planning results vary. The figures in this episode are Ed Lyon's account of client situations, not a forecast for another business. HASHTAGS #TaxPlanning #ExitPlanning #ExceptionalCompaniesPodcast

2. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Do the Pro Forma Before You Spend | Austin Johnson

   A good recipe is not a business plan. Austin Johnson, founder of The Springs Bagel Company, built the company in Colorado Springs, sold it, and says the pro forma is what tells an owner whether they are getting into the right thing. In Episode 73, Chris Seegers and Austin talk through the lessons after the sale. They cover gatekeeping the work only the owner still does, why a wholesale-only model became a trap, what it takes to let go of a business you built, and why the market sets the number. They also get into personal leadership, building with less than $40,000 of debt, and the books Austin listened to while he handled every bagel. MORE FROM EXCEPTIONAL COMPANIES PODCAST Watch or listen to more episodes: https://excoadvisors.com/podcast/ (https://excoadvisors.com/podcast/) Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ExceptionalCompaniesPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/@ExceptionalCompaniesPodcast) Follow the podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exceptional-companies-podcast/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/exceptional-companies-podcast/) ABOUT AUSTIN JOHNSON Austin Johnson is the founder of The Springs Bagel Company in Colorado Springs. He started the company in 2022, built it, and later sold it. Chris and his team were part of that sale. The Springs Bagel Company: https://www.thespringsbagel.com/about (https://www.thespringsbagel.com/about) CHAPTERS 0:00 Do the pro forma first 0:29 Exceptional Companies Podcast intro 0:48 Meet Austin Johnson 1:59 How The Springs Bagel Company started 4:01 Stop gatekeeping the work 6:51 When the owner is the business 7:20 Sequence the work 9:23 Wholesale only was a bad idea 10:33 Personal goals, business goals, and wealth 11:59 Stories from the bagel company 13:08 Take care of the person in front of you 16:30 Ask why before you fire 18:12 Enterprise value and the long plan 19:01 Built with less than $40,000 of debt 19:51 The storefront decision 21:46 Your identity is more than the company 24:09 Letting go after the sale 26:54 A valuation is not a feeling 28:36 The market sets the number 29:57 Questions for a founder 31:00 Do the pro forma before you spend 33:21 Books that shaped the journey 35:06 Where to find Austin 35:30 Exceptional Companies Podcast outro DISCLAIMER This conversation is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial, investment, legal, tax, or business advice. Debt levels, valuations, and sale outcomes vary. The figures in this episode are Austin's account of his own company, not a forecast for another business. HASHTAGS #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship #ExceptionalCompaniesPodcast

3. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Transactional or Relational? Why Human Connection Wins in Business | Ryan Jahnke

   AI can make business faster. Ryan Jahnke argues that it should also make us more human by creating more time for real conversations, thoughtful follow-up, and long-term client relationships.In Episode 72, Chris Seegers and Ryan explore the difference between transactional service and relationship-driven business. They also cover Ryan's path from competitive figure skating to coaching and mortgage lending, creative financing for self-employed borrowers, money habits, real estate investing, Home Buyer Coach, and the role of AI in a business built on contact, care, and community.MORE FROM EXCEPTIONAL COMPANIES PODCASTWatch or listen to more episodes:https://excoadvisors.com/podcast/Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@ExceptionalCompaniesPodcastFollow the podcast on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/exceptional-companies-podcast/ABOUT RYAN JAHNKERyan Jahnke is a Mortgage Loan Originator with 719 Lending. NMLS #2011733.Ryan's 719 Lending profile:https://www.719lending.com/staff-member/ryan-jahnke/719 Lending:https://www.719lending.com/CHAPTERS0:00 Transactional or relational?0:28 Exceptional Companies Podcast intro0:46 Meet Ryan Jahnke1:17 From figure skating to coaching3:13 Getting started in real estate4:01 Learning money principles early6:13 Why Ryan entered mortgage lending7:29 Creative financing for business owners9:40 People first, profit follows10:12 Keeping business human with AI12:51 Personal touches clients remember14:37 Mortgage options for self-employed borrowers17:55 The changing residential lending landscape19:28 DSCR loans for real estate investors22:00 Money habits that build ownership25:44 Defer gratification and own assets26:46 The marketplace rewards value29:10 Launching Home Buyer Coach31:15 Real estate and retirement longevity33:19 Modern reverse mortgage planning35:04 Books for building wealth36:33 Competing on value, not price39:09 Use AI, then make it human41:00 Bad financial advice42:00 Start small with your first property43:15 The refinance payment trap44:24 Encouragement for first-time buyers46:27 Closing thoughts47:06 Exceptional Companies Podcast outroThis conversation is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not mortgage, financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Loan programs, grants, rates, eligibility, repayment obligations, and refinance options can change and vary by borrower and location. Verify current terms with a qualified lender and consult appropriate professionals regarding your situation.#BusinessLeadership #ClientRelationships #ExceptionalCompaniesPodcast

Who has been a guest on Exceptional Companies Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jonathan Hawkins
• Chris Seegers
• Otis McGregor
• Daniel Montano
• Greg Wiggins

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

53,850

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

47

Social presence

0

YouTube

72

Engagement

0

Contact Exceptional Companies Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.