Brian LaFreniere spent 25 years in oil and gas, most recently helping lead the planned spinoff of Speedway's retail business. When COVID ended those plans and a move to Texas came next, he chose his family instead. He bought Ashlee Fence Company, a fence business serving Dayton and Cincinnati that had run for 35 years on paper. No CRM. No processes. Five and a half years later, he's built real systems, hired a general manager, and launched a new deck division. And he's honest about what he still needs to let go of.

Alan assesses Ashlee Fence Company at upper Stage 5 (Profitability), approaching Stage 6 (Success), in his 7 Stages to Business Freedom framework. Brian's take: some days he goes through all seven before lunch.

What you'll hear:

• Why Brian left a corporate career to keep his family in Ohio
• What he found inside a 35-year-old business that ran on paper
• The tension between commercial deadlines and residential customers
• What a passive storage business taught him about his time
• The two things he's still working to let go of
• Who he's really building the business for

🎙️ ABOUT ALAN MELTON

Alan Melton is the founder of Small Business Coach Associates. He's spent 24 years coaching 1,100+ business owners on marketing, sales systems, and operational clarity. Credentials: Inc. 500 Founder — #422, East Coast Transportation | SBA Small Business Person of the Year 1994 | Florida Governor's Sterling Award 1999 | #1 Small Business Coach, Life Coach Magazine 2026 | #1 Business Coach Blog, Feedspot 2026. Free strategy session: smallbusinesscoach.org

📌 CONNECT WITH BRIAN LAFRENIERE & ASHLEE FENCE COMPANY

Website: https://ashleefence.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-lafreniere

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleefence21

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleefencecompany

📌 CONNECT WITH ALAN MELTON

Website: https://smallbusinesscoach.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanmelton

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheOwnersTrap

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Meet Brian LaFreniere

01:40 Leaving corporate for family

05:16 A business that ran on paper

06:30 What Brian still does that he shouldn't

10:42 The cash flow roller coaster

18:08 Lessons from a passive business

23:24 Letting go of customer issues

25:39 Who is he building this for?

30:27 Stage check

35:36 Is this your story too?

#BeyondTheOwnersTrap #SmallBusinessOwner #FenceCompany #BusinessAcquisition #Delegation #FamilyBusiness #OwnersTrap

Beyond the Owner's Trap: Real small business owners on what it takes to grow. Hosted by Alan Melton.

🎧 Also on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon Music.