Smart Business Magazine, May 2017

44 Smart Business Cleveland May 2017 Carl J Grassi was 14 years old when he realized he was destined to be an entrepreneur I was caddy for a private country club when the general manager asked if I wanted to run the caddie shack says Grassi chairman at McDonald Hopkins LLC The job would require Grassi to source and personally purchase products from various wholesale food and beverage suppliers I quickly learned pricing quality and service were keys to success Grassi says A highlight for me was when some of the club members started coming to the caddie shack for a slice or two of my homemade pizza Ultimately the general manager said I had to stop selling it because the club was losing business at the snack bar Funny but I knew then I wanted to be an entrepreneur André Thornton was retiring from his career as a professional baseball player but had already begun laying the groundwork for the next phase of his life When we come to transitional periods in our lives we must access the new opportunities and determine what those new directions mean says Thornton president and CEO at ASW Global In discussions with friends about future goals and desires we decided to combine our talents abilities and resources to look for the right opportunity to start our own business After much research we decided on becoming franchisees for a fast growing restaurant group out of Kansas City Missouri INVESTORS DEALMAKERS ENTREPRENEURS AspireNEO ASPIRE 2017 CONFERENCE PANEL SPEAKERS THE TRUSTED ADVISER As David M Kall was studying to become an attorney he understood the value of a strong tax background I didnt just want to be solely a tax professional says Kall managing member of the Cleveland office for McDonald Hopkins LLC Ultimately what I wanted to be was that trusted adviser for the business owner What I realized early on in my career was there are not a lot of attorneys who have that tax background When youre sitting there trying to advise a business owner as far as what to do in connection with a specific transaction or what to do in order to grow your business how can you give that advice without knowing the tax consequences Kall isnt an entrepreneur but hes worked with many people who are to help them grow their businesses When Im sitting there advising early stage companies my goal is to be involved with companies Kall says When we look at our jobs as attorneys there is no greater satisfaction than taking a company from the beginning all the way to what that perceived end would be You can be that trusted adviser so they can ultimately turn that business into something meaningful for either themselves or their families Listening is one of the most important traits of a good business adviser he says Entrepreneurs often have big dreams and lots of ways to realize their grand visions Its incumbent upon the adviser to take it all in and offer thoughtful measured feedback in return You never want to say you cant do it Kall says What you want to be able to do is listen to what they have to say but then based on your experience equate that situation to something youve seen in the past Ive seen it done this way before This has been helpful This has not Ultimately its the business owner that has to make the decision on how to proceed Our job as that trusted adviser is to be someone who can sit there listen to what the client wants but then also give meaningful insight into what may or may not work and ultimately let them make the decision Its not our business its theirs You hope they take your advice to heart as they try to grow their business CARL J GRASSI ANDRÉ THORNTON PHILIP ALEXANDER Brandmuscle Inc LLOYD W W BELL III Meaden Moore JULIE BOLAND EY RICHARD J BUONCORE MAI Capital Management LLC GEORGE M CHASE ChromaScape Inc CHRISTAL L CONTINI McDonald Hopkins LLC