Jay Sachetti joined Jeff O’Brien, partner at Husch Blackwell and Dyanne Ross-Hanson, president of Exit Planning Strategies talked about the market for mergers and acquisitions, exit planning opportunities for companies that don’t end up for sale and how companies can maximize their eventual sale price during an early October panel at the first Upsize on Tap event at Summit Brewing Co. in St. Paul.
When the state Legislature passed a law requiring employers to provide paid leave and safe time for employees, Justin Bieganek started hearing differing details from friends, colleagues and peers.
Nicole Middendorf is one step closer to becoming “Minnesota’s version of Suze Orman,” she jokes, referring to the ubiquitous financial planning guru, speaker and author.
Middendorf, the owner of Strategic Financial Inc. in Plymouth, started hosting a financial talk show called “More than Money” on June 5, every Saturday 10 a.m. to noon on WFMP-FM 107. That’s a station owned by Hubbard Broadcasting in St. Paul, which offers talk radio for women.
She discusses a topic for about 20 minutes each show, such as retirement or business financing or college payment, then answers questions from callers. Her goal is to “empower, inspire and motivate” her listeners, she says.
Although gaining clients for Strategic Financial would be “great,” it’s not her primary motivator, she says. Nor is the money. She gets $50 a show, on a freelance basis, which she figures might just cover the gas to drive to St. Paul. She says station bosses originally offered her a show and said, “this is what it will cost you,” but Middendorf didn’t think it was ethical to disguise a sales pitch as a financial advice show.
She believes the callers she talks to will add content to the book she’s writing, and cause her to focus on completing it. And she hopes to augment the presence of the company to attract other financial advisers to join the firm. Strategic Financial has three licensed brokers now and two offices.
One difference she plans from the sharp-tongued Orman: “I’m the nice version,” she says.
Nicole Middendorf, Strategic Financial Inc.: 763.208.0482; ni***************@*pl.com
