Business owners face a unique challenge: how to reward key employees, protect their business, and prepare for retirement, all without overpaying in taxes or relying solely on selling the company someday.

In this episode of Up In Your (Family) Business, host Todd Rimer welcomes back Alex Parrish, Financial Advisor and Director at The Spectrum Financial Group, joined by her father and company President, Dennis Parrish.

Together, they share creative compensation strategies most business owners have never heard of, from executive bonuses and deferred compensation plans to using permanent life insurance as a tax-advantaged wealth-building tool.

They will discuss why traditional benefits fall short for business owners, how these strategies can help you retain and attract top talent, and how life insurance can serve as both a protection plan and a powerful financial engine for long-term security.

If you're looking for innovative ways to grow, protect, and leverage your business and personal wealth, you won't want to miss this conversation.

Tune in to hear:

• How to use life insurance as a vehicle for compensation, retention, and key employee benefits.

• The tax-smart strategies high-earning business owners are missing out on.

• Why selling your business isn't a retirement plan alone.

• How creative planning with permanent life insurance can build tax-free wealth you can't outlive.

• Real case studies showing how strategic planning enhances both business and personal financial goals.

• The mindset shift from income now to strategic wealth for later.
  
  

If you've ever wondered how to reward your team, protect your business, and lower your tax burden, this conversation is for you.

In this episode of Up In Your (Family) Business, Todd Rimer sits down with DJ Blatherwick, Director of Culture and Business Development at Brick + Ember Outfitters, for a candid and heartfelt conversation about living out faith in both the workplace and the marketplace. Not just through actions, but through honest, appropriate openness.

After spending 15 years as a pastor, DJ transitioned into the business world with a passion for building healthy teams, meaningful culture, and values-driven leadership. He shares how his faith shapes his life and work, how he came to Brick + Ember Outfitters (owned by a former pastor), and how faith and values influence the way DJ and the company serve its people, customers, and community.

Together, Todd and DJ discuss:

• Why people want to work for organizations that stand for something meaningful

• Why values are most powerful when lived out consistently

• How faith can shape leadership, decision-making, and relationships.

They also talk about why living out faith is not only about actions, but about being willing, when appropriate, to acknowledge and share the values and beliefs that shape how we live and lead. This episode invites listeners to consider what it looks like to authentically live their values, not loudly or forcefully, but through everyday actions and the quiet confidence of a life well-lived.

Whether you are a leader, an employee, or a family business owner, this conversation offers encouragement, perspective, and a reminder that faith and values don't stop at the church door. They're meant to be lived where we work and serve every day.

Selling business assets, whether equipment, inventory, real estate, an entire estate, or a lifetime's worth of merchandise, can feel overwhelming. In this episode of Up In Your (Family) Business, host Todd Rimer sits down with Zack Burgess, owner of Burgess Auctions LLC, to explore how auctions can provide a fair, efficient, and surprisingly profitable way to sell your assets and reach the right buyers — locally, regionally, and worldwide.

With more than 28 years of experience, thousands of auctions, and a deep understanding of shifting market conditions, Zack breaks down what family business owners need to know before selling anything of value. He explains why auctions can generate significantly higher returns than private sales, how technology has reshaped the auction industry, and what steps sellers can take to maximize results.

Whether you're preparing for a transition, clearing excess inventory, restructuring your business, or simply exploring your options, this conversation will help you see auctions not just as an exit, but as a strategic tool for protecting value, preserving legacy, and creating opportunity.