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Open for Business

Open for Business

Written by: Stuart Brown and Norman Kallen
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Running a business and maintaining smooth-sailing operations is no small feat. Aside from the many moving parts to oversee, you must also deal with its direct impact on your daily life and relationships. If you find that running your business is running your life rather than enabling a more successful and joyful life, this podcast has everything you need to become a better informed and more content business owner.

Welcome to Open For Business, the show offering insights and practical tips for navigating today’s demanding and often uncertain business environment. Whether you are growing your existing business or launching your next venture, each episode presents compelling conversations with accomplished business owners and credentialed advisors offering fresh perspectives and data-backed strategies.

Businesspeople who just happen to be attorneys, Stuart Brown and Norman Kallen host this podcast, where you are assured of getting up-to-date advice from fellow entrepreneurs as well as authors, educators, and other experts about all aspects of being a business owner -- professional AND personal.

So join us for a seat at the table to hear informative yet entertaining discussions with guests that include top-tier financial advisors, organizational strategy experts, and fellow business owners, among others. This podcast delivers a wide range of resources and advice you can easily apply to your own business venture and to your daily life.

Elevate how you manage your day, from overseeing your operations and taking note of critical innovation strategies, to aligning your product and service delivery with current market trends. Discover the best tactics for leading a multi-generational workforce, creating a diverse culture, and maintaining healthy professional and personal relationships.

But it’s not all work and no play! We’ll delve into maximizing your spare time, enhancing your relationships with family and friends, even elevating your golf game, or selecting the perfect bottle of wine for any occasion.

Your hosts Stuart Brown and Norman Kallen have dedicated their careers to guiding business owners through every point in the life cycle of owning a business, from formation to sale. Stuart and Norman aren’t just advisors to business owners -- they recently completed their own succession plan in which their 28-year-old business law firm joined forces with Stevens & Lee, becoming its third New Jersey law office.

Stuart Brown was co-founder and managing partner of Brown Moskowitz & Kallen, P.C. and is now a shareholder at Stevens & Lee and co-chair with Norman of the firm’s New Jersey commercial transactions practice. A highly experienced commercial transactions attorney and former general counsel of a publicly traded company, Stuart takes pride in adding value to his clients’ ventures by making mutually rewarding introductions and fostering long-lasting relationships among all concerned parties.

Norman Kallen, a former partner at Brown Moskowitz & Kallen and now a partner at Stevens & Lee, dedicates his practice to advising clients in diverse business, commercial and transactional matters, particularly mergers and acquisitions for middle and lower-middle-market companies. A former general counsel for an early-stage software company and co-founder of a technology company, he has first-hand experience in advising businesses and business owners regarding software, technology development and licensing and building your company with an exit strategy in mind.

Owning and running a business may involve a labyrinth of twists and turns, but it does not have to be a constant struggle. Join us at Open For Business to equip yourself with the skills, strategies, and resources to manage a highly successful venture while maintaining a meaningful and genuinely enjoyable personal life.

Tune in to Open For Business at the Stevens & Lee Podcast URL:

https://www.stevenslee.com/podcast/open-for-business-with-stuart-brown-and-norman-kallen/


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Careers Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Personal Success
Episodes
  • Maximizing Value in the Middle Market: M&A Lessons from Alan Scharfstein
    Feb 24 2026

    On this episode of Open for Business, Stuart and Norman welcome Alan Scharfstein, Founder and CEO of The DAK Group, one of the nation’s most trusted advisors to middle-market business owners navigating high-stakes M&A decisions.


    With more than 750 transactions completed across industries and borders, Alan shares what founders most need to know before they sell: why an unsolicited offer isn’t the same as a true market process, how the right advisor can locate buyers you’d never expect, and why buyers don’t “buy your past” — they buy a company’s future story and the roadmap to growth.


    You’ll also hear Alan’s candid take on:


    • When it makes sense to not sell — and how the best bankers talk owners off the ledge
    • What sellers obsess over that doesn’t matter to buyers (and what buyers care about most)
    • The most common ways founders unintentionally leave money on the table
    • Why “due diligence” can feel like a “colonoscopy without anesthesia,” and how to manage it without losing momentum in the business
    • How to evaluate value beyond price: employees, legacy, life-after-sale, and the emotional reality of closing day
    • Red flags in buyers, deal “retrades,” and how to protect yourself from terms that shift risk back onto the seller
    • A lightning round of hard-won lessons on handshakes, negotiation mistakes, and what owners should never say at the table


    Alan also weighs in on what’s ahead for the deal market — private equity dry powder, increased international interest in U.S. businesses, and why strategic acquirers continue to rely on M&A for growth — plus how AI is reshaping diligence and deal execution without replacing the human judgment that closes great transactions.


    Whether you may be years from an exit or are getting approached right now, this conversation is a practical masterclass in preparing, positioning, and protecting what you’ve built — so you can maximize value and walk away feeling great about the outcome.


    Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://www.stevenslee.com/

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    45 mins
  • Beyond The Balance Sheet: The Human Side Of Family Businesses With Jeff Savlov, LCSW
    Feb 10 2026

    Family businesses, especially uber-successful and wealthy ones, are often seen as untouchable and otherworldly. But in reality, they are just like any other family: they have their own dynamics and experience inevitable conflicts. Stuart Brown and Norman Kallen chat with Jeff Savlov, Founder of Blum & Savlov, who talks about his consulting work for high net-worth families who balance personal relationships with business transactions and generational wealth. He explains how older and younger generations can work better together, the right way to handle conflicts, and how to properly introduce in-laws in a family business. Jeff also presents strategies on making business transitions as smoothly and conveniently as possible to secure a positive and long-lasting legacy.


    Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://www.stevenslee.com/

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    45 mins
  • Securing Success Through Private Equity With Adam Coffey
    Jan 27 2026

    Private equity is an intricate but also rewarding venture – if you just know how to play your cards right. Adam Coffey has been guiding people in learning and mastering the ropes of private equity so they can grow their wealth and secure profitable opportunities. In this conversation with Norman Kallen and Stuart Brown, he details how he became a blue-collar CEO who utilizes the so-called “napkin math” to help entrepreneurs and organizations achieve financial success. Adam also shares how working under Jack Welch and serving in the military influenced his no-BS approach to leadership and coaching.


    Visit https://www.stevenslee.com/ for more information!

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    48 mins
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