Emerson Endeavors: Partnering

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together“

As a Growth Partner, I’d be looking to join forces (if you’ll have me!). Oftentimes, the skills required to run a business are different than the skills required to grow a business. You may be the best plumber in Delaware County, but that does not mean your business is destined to achieve it’s full potential. You need time, but you also need expertise.

After all, when you’re busy excelling in the trade, when do you have time to rebuild the website?
… Or respond to the unfair Google Review?
… Or rework your bookkeeping system?
… Or run an email campaign to your clients?
… Or to launch a google ads campaign?

The list goes on and on, and many business owners find themselves in this bottleneck where time is a scarce resource. There’s lots they want to do but they either lack the time or expertise to get them done. That where I come in!

Earned, Not Given

You didn’t get where you are making bad decisions, and I certainly wouldn’t expect you to sign over a part of your business based on some mildly inspiring words. And truthfully, we’re in the same boat – I wouldn’t want to partner with someone I’m not simpatico with. For this reason, I believe in an Evaluation Period of 3-6 months, to prove out my value and establishing the right working relationship before entering into a formal partnership agreement. Talk is cheap, seeing is believing.

Who Is Dave?

Have you every tried explaining who you are to an unfamiliar audience? It’s not easy. How far back do I go? What do they care about? I’ve re-written this first sentence more times than I care to admit, so I’ll jump in with some bullet points to give you the pertinent highlights, but hopefully you’ll get to know me better over time!

• Entrepreneur by Blood – my father has owned car washes for over 40 years, and he found his way into that business via my PopPop. Maybe it’s nature, maybe it’s nurture, but seeing his dreams come true helped pave the path for me.
• In College – majored in Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies. At this point, I knew I wanted to own my own business one day, and had even created my own side-businesses to make a little money (re-selling sports jerseys).
• Post-College – As a newly minted college graduate, I graduated during the Great Recession, so jobs were scarce. I sold life insurance, peddled some of the first smartphones at Verizon Wireless, and even unstructured settlements with JG Wentworth (yes… “It’s MY money and I want it NOW!”)
• Advertising – After years of unfulfilling ‘jobs‘, I had found myself in a ‘career‘ within advertising. I worked at several ad agencies in the Greater Philadelphia area, learned a lot, but still found myself unfulfilled.
• Mobile Car Cleaning – I took the leap and launched my first official company, which was a mobile car cleaning service. Unfortunately, it did not succeed. I had a lot to learn still, and I very much consider this my “Real World MBA”. I cataloged my successes and failures, got a taste of the entrepreneurial lifestyle and briefly re-entered the advertising field. Naturally, this was short-lived.
• Pocono Rentals & Management – shortly after re-entering advertising, our family purchased a rental home in the Poconos. Long story short, there was an opportunity to establish a property management business to support our home (as well as others). PRM was formed, I independently grew it to 85 homes and 22 employees from 100 miles away, and with a growing family I ultimately sold it at the tail end of 2023. I stayed on board as a part of the transition team into 2025 when my earn-out was complete and I was free to pursue new opportunities.

Now that you know a little more about how I got here, allow me to elaborate on what I offer…

• Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) – I know how to grow. My experience working at Ad Agencies helped me understand the tools and techniques, but my experience being hands-on with PRM helped me establish the practice. I understand the marketing funnel, the importance of establishing an authentic brand voice, how to best create an easy-to-navigate and intuitive website, how to establish systems to make sure every lead gets responded to immediately, how to hands-on manage paid search campaigns, setting up and utilizing a CRM platform to email your loyal customers, and so much more.
• Chief Operating Officer (COO) – I was 100 miles away from my business, with three kids under 4, employees in 6 states and 2 countries. The only reason my business survived (and thrived) was I was able to create clear operational systems for the team to follow. I had playbooks for each team member, which answered 90% of the questions they would come across on any given day. I had videos/recordings to support the playbooks. I removed myself as a bottleneck to decision making, while still being involved to support the team. Clean operating procedures is the lifeblood of a successful business
• Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – One of the biggest “unlocks” at PRM was integrating with a Property Management Software. While it took work upfront to enable, the time saved in daily operations was pivotal. Guests received automated messages, we could update Airbnb/VRBO simultaneously, our review process became seamless, owners had their own dashboard for performance, and so much more We live in the golden age of tech, and finding the right piece of technology to compliment your business offering is crucial in unlocking your business’ potential. Less posted notes and more “if this, than that” statements!
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – This is why we’re here, right? If our business helped others but made no money, it wouldn’t be a business. Many business operators look at their bank statement, see if there’s money there, and use that as a benchmark for success. We need to be more sophisticated than that, not only when it comes to understanding where the business thrives but also organizing the business in a way to make sure it’s sell-able one day. What products/services make the most money? Can we find a cheaper supplier? Does our bookkeeper itemize all our services so we know where our profit margins are the highest? Can we depreciate our assets differently? Making money is a sign of value – if you’re making more money then you’re helping more people! Being able to get a strong grasp of the finances is essential on driving future growth (which will also be how my success is bench-marked!).

Why Me?

• Successful Exit – I was able to found, built, and sell my property management business for a low-7 figure exit. Having sold a business successfully, I learned a lot, including how to structure a business in a way that’s “sell-able”, capturing it’s full value when you’re ready to exit.
• Trained Entrepreneur – whether is been through helping my family business, studying the topic in school, or successfully launching my own business, my brain tends to be fine-tuned towards the entrepreneurial world.
• Robust Expertise – I bring a significant amount of hands-on and educational experience to the table. As mentioned above, I tout the CMO/COO/CTO/CFO responsibilities, and I have enough entrepreneurial savvy to understand ways to improve the business within a structure that works best for all partners.
• High Motor – I love entrepreneurship, I love learning, and I love solving problems. Being able to create and improve businesses is not a “job” to me, it’s a passion. And with a significant ownership in the business I’m working for, it’s easy for me to “dive-in” to help get your business to the next level.
• Local – I’m only interested in working with local businesses (Greater Philadelphia area) and I trust that there’s comfort in being able to meet each other, see the operations, and do business together in a more familiar way.

How It Works?

Every potential deal is structured specifically to the business’ needs, but below is an example of how a process may flow.

Phase 1: Introductory Conversation/s (Fact-Finding)

At the onset, I like to have a low-pressure open conversation about ourselves and the business. What’s working? What’s not? How might I be able to help? This likely occurs over a series of conversations, helping to make sure we’re a good fit for one another. If all is aligned and well, we will move forward with the next phase.

Phase 2: Evaluation Period

We would enter into an evaluation agreement, which allows for me to come aboard as a Contractor/1099 to help your business over a stated period of time (typically 3 months). This allows me to begin working alongside you, understanding the business, and begin moving the needle in a positive direction. At the conclusion of the evaluation period, the mutually agreed upon goal would be to have myself come aboard as a minority partner in the business, provided that I deliver on what was promised. Please note…

• If we decide not to Partner – I want to work with those who want to work with me. If you do not see a meaningful impact, or do not want to move forward with partnership for any reason, I would only ask to be compensated for my time over the Evaluation Period, which will be stated and agreed upon beforehand.
• If we do decide to Partner – If we do decide to work with one another, I will not charge you for my time commitment during the Evaluation Period.

Phase 3: Partnership and Beyond

At this phase we’re officially partners! With aligned goals and responsibilities. But my work isn’t done (obviously!). To give you further peace of mind, I would view a fair agreement to include the following language to protect your position.

• Vesting Schedule – my ownership is vested over a period of time, not given all at once after the Evaluation Period is complete.
• Shotgun Clause – as a majority owner, you would have the ability to buy our my shares at a strike-price.

This language is to protect your interest, and while we have no reason to believe a partnership would go awry, we are certainly aware of the resistance to dilute your ownership share and we want to make sure you feel like your risk exposure is greatly diminished.

Contact

Frequently Asked Questions (Partnering):

Please note – there is also a FAQ section on the Buying Your Business page

Q: How much equity do you take?
A: For me to commit my time, energy and attention, it usually requires a vesting path to 10-20% equity. These shares can vest over time, at performance benchmarks, or however we see fit. This equity allotment typically makes sense with my ability to improve business operations beyond the equity split (in other words, I can bring more than 10-20% value).

Q: Why can’t I just pay you a consulting fee?
A: I’m not interested in being a consultant, I’m interested in being an owner. I want to be hands-on helping to solve problems I have a stake in, and sharing in the rewards for getting there. Consultants tend to be hands-off and operate in an advisory fashion, and we’re fundamentally different from that.

Q: What happens if we’re partners and split on a decision?
A: I hold a minority position in the company (usually around 10-20%), usually meaning you have more ownership and your vote would count more than mine. In other words, you still have full operating control, I would hope/trust my opinion carries weight within the organization, but naturally that will be earned over time.

Q: Does the business pay you a salary?
A: Typically there is some level of compensation allocated on an ongoing basis. This might come in the form on a salary, but could also come in the form on a revenue share, dividend, commission, or bonus. But yes, there would be an agreed-upon, and modest, compensation structure.

Q: Do you need to see the books before the Evaluation Period?
A: I would, yes. From my perspective, I want to make sure I’m investing my time into a business I feel like I can best help, and this would involve understanding the financials and overall health of the business. This won’t need to be quite a polished as a business sale, but it does typically involve looking at a few financial statements (P&L, Income Statement, etc.)