Steel City Growth | Strategic Legal Growth: A Guide to Business Success - Matthew Bolewitz - Steel City Growth

Strategic Legal Growth: A Guide to Business Success - Matthew Bolewitz - Steel City Growth - Ep #17

August 14, 2025 / 53:28/E17

What are the legal mistakes and pitfalls business owners face?

Matthew Bolewitz, Partner at Cozza Law Firm, joins the show today to discuss essential strategies for business growth and legal considerations for entrepreneurs. Matthew emphasizes the importance of knowing your brand, establishing core values, and ensuring you have the right legal structure and advisement. Through actionable insights and real-world examples, he highlights the nuances between asset and stock sales, the significance of exit planning, and the role of AI in the modern business landscape. The episode provides valuable knowledge for business owners aiming to optimize their ventures and prepare for future success.

Takeaways:

Choose Advisors Who Care: Work with legal, financial, and business advisors who are genuinely invested in your success and long-term goals.
Stay Disciplined and Self-Focused: Set your own bar for growth and improvement. Don’t limit yourself by comparing to peers—focus on your own progress.
Embrace Creativity in Deal-Making: Be open to unconventional strategies and flexible approaches. Sometimes creative solutions yield the best outcomes.
Start Exit Planning Before Burnout: Don’t wait until you’re exhausted to plan your exit. Begin strategizing 3–5 years ahead for the best results.
Plan for Sale Early: Prepare your business for sale years in advance by focusing on the “Four Cs”: human capital, customer capital, structural capital, and social capital.
Prepare for Ownership Transitions: As a buyer, make sure the business can run without the current owner. As a seller, be personally ready to let go and support a smooth transition.
Communicate Directly: Pick up the phone or meet in person to resolve issues quickly and build stronger relationships, rather than relying solely on email.

Quote of the Show:

“You need to know who you are. You need to know your brand because when you start growing and start adding people to your team, whether that's five people or fifty people, that message is gonna get lost.” - Matthew Bolewitz

What problem can the listeners help you solve?