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.

In this episode of Up In Your (Family) Business, Todd Rimer talks with Kyle Masengale Vice President of ASAP Payroll Service, a family-owned Indianapolis company that has thrived by staying focused on what it does best.

Kyle shares his journey stepping into the family business, the lessons he's learned from his dad, and the guardrails ASAP uses to stay true to its brand. From accurate, compliant payroll and documentable onboarding to delivering personalized, responsive service, ASAP proves that staying small in scope doesn't limit growth. It sharpens your impact.

Family business leaders will gain insight into avoiding brand dilution, protecting reputation, and making a big impact without being everything to everyone. Kyle also discusses how his family experiences, including shared sports traditions, reinforce the values that make ASAP stand out.

Family business leaders will gain insight into avoiding brand dilution, protecting reputation, and making a big impact without being everything to everyone.

Life insurance is often misunderstood, underestimated, or completely overlooked, especially by busy business owners and growing families. But did you know that over 100 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured? Or that nearly 1 in 3 people would face financial hardship within a month if their household's primary earner passed away unexpectedly?

In this episode, we sit down with Alex Parrish, Financial Advisor and Director at The Spectrum Financial Group, to learn the value of life insurance beyond the traditional sales pitch. With deep expertise in holistic financial planning, Alex explains the different types of life insurance and shares common misconceptions, like why being "self-insured" is a (dangerous) myth.

Whether you're a business owner planning for long-term financial security or a parent protecting your family's future, this conversation offers practical, eye-opening insights into how life insurance can be a powerful tool, not just a safety net.

Tune in to learn:

• The true purpose and types of life insurance

• Why life insurance is more than just a death benefit—it's a living financial tool

• The risks of overestimating how much coverage you have or need

• How to avoid the most common life insurance mistakes

• Why regularly evaluating your policy can save you money and improve protection

• Ways life insurance can support long-term financial stability

• How to evaluate your financial strategies with taxes—not just ROI—in mind

If you've ever questioned whether you need life insurance, if you have the right kind, or the correct amount of coverage, this episode is for you.

Everything's changing… now what?

What do you do when you feel like you can't keep up?

What if things aren't going how you thought they would?

How do you handle all the changes at once?

What if you are tired, but people are still counting on you?

How do you make good choices when you can't see the whole picture?

In this part 2 episode, we continue to speak with Kevin & Jaime White, co-founders of Believe Crew, a visionary advisory team that helps leaders, family businesses, and partnerships realign from the inside out, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure feels overwhelming.

This coaching duo brings sharp strategy and deep humanity to every conversation. They've helped leaders navigate succession, resolve silent tension in partnerships, and return to the heart of their calling.

Grounded in empathy and unafraid to ask the hard questions, they help leaders see clearly, decide confidently, and lead in a way that leaves both their business and their people better.

Together, we explore the silent weight many entrepreneurs carry: the pressure to catch up, the fear of getting it wrong, and the exhaustion of always being on, and how to lead from a place of peace instead of panic. If you've ever felt like something is "off" but can't name it, this conversation will help you find language for it and the courage to realign.

Everything's changing… now what?

What do you do when you feel like you can't keep up?

What if things aren't going how you thought they would?

How do you handle all the changes at once?

What if you are tired, but people are still counting on you?

How do you make good choices when you can't see the whole picture?

In this episode, we speak with Kevin & Jaime White, co-founders of Believe Crew, a visionary advisory team that helps leaders, family businesses, and partnerships realign from the inside out, especially when the stakes are high and the pressure feels overwhelming.

This coaching duo brings sharp strategy and deep humanity to every conversation. They've helped leaders navigate succession, resolve silent tension in partnerships, and return to the heart of their calling.

Grounded in empathy and unafraid to ask the hard questions, they help leaders see clearly, decide confidently, and lead in a way that leaves both their business and their people better.

Together, we explore the silent weight many entrepreneurs carry: the pressure to catch up, the fear of getting it wrong, and the exhaustion of always being on, and how to lead from a place of peace instead of panic. If you've ever felt like something is "off" but can't name it, this conversation will help you find language for it and the courage to realign.

Cheyenne Toombs joins host Todd Rimer to explore how today's most successful brands are not just selling, they are connecting. Together, they discuss the evolving landscape of marketing, from the pre-COVID-19 era to today's hyper-competitive digital environment. They explain why traditional digital tactics such as SEO and advertising aren't always the answer and how authentic storytelling and human connection have become essential components of a strong content and marketing strategy.

You will learn why discovering your brand voice matters more than ever, how values and purpose shape long-term success, and why relationship-driven marketing often outperforms sales-focused approaches.

Whether you are refining your brand message or rethinking your entire marketing strategy, this conversation will inspire you to shift from transaction to connection and tell a story worth hearing.