Chris Meyer didn't stumble into entrepreneurship—he trained for it. Two and a half years at Ernst & Young, 400 business plans reviewed, and a clear list of criteria for what he wanted. In 2006, he found it: a $5-6 million materials company called Mintech that specialized in turning industrial byproducts into construction and environmental solutions. He was 27, had never worked in the industry, and put everything on the line to buy it.

What happened next sounds insane on paper. Take-or-pay contracts where he paid for materials whether he had buyers or not. Expanding into markets where he had no customers. Signing liabilities before he had revenue. But Chris wasn't gambling—he was calculating. Exclusivity clauses before he signed anything. Relationships with suppliers so deep that when 2008 hit and his suppliers went offline, they worked with him instead of against him. He turned crisis into opportunity, figured out logistics on the fly, and kept his customers whole even when it cost him.

Sixteen years later, he sold to a strategic partner—a supplier he'd known for over a decade—for $72 million. Majority cash upfront, three-year employment agreement, and a piece of the upside. He and his wife shared part of the exit with the entire team. Now he's reprioritizing: time with family, giving back through the Boys & Girls Club, and staying open to whatever's next.

Here's what we discuss:

• Growing up with entrepreneurial parents and learning business at the kitchen table
• How he reviewed 400 business plans before finding the right one
• Buying a $5-6M company at 27 with seller financing and bank debt
• Why he did nothing for the first six months after acquiring the business
• Take-or-pay contracts: the calculated risk that fueled explosive growth
• How the 2008 crisis forced him to expand geographically—and why that was a good thing
• Treating suppliers, carriers, and customers all like customers
• Building storage infrastructure to smooth out the highs and lows of construction
• The oil and gas boom and how customers pulled him into new markets
• The two-to-three year courting process that led to the sale
• Why he took majority cash instead of rolling equity
• Sharing the exit with his team—and why it mattered
• Reprioritizing life after the deal: family, community, and what's next

Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com.

Iconic Links:

Learn More: https://www.iconicfounders.com

Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

Production: Lower Street https://lowerstreet.co

Tom Heaviland bought a one-truck landscape company with his dad in 1985. They each put up $11,000. Thirty-five years later, he sold it to BrightView—the largest player in the industry—for millions. But getting there wasn't linear. He lost his biggest contract overnight when a developer pulled out. His dad died suddenly in 1997. And for seven years, he was stuck splitting everything 50/50 with his stepmom who even didn't work in the business.

The real turn came when Tom stopped asking "how much can I make?" and started asking "what's this worth?" At 57, he got serious about value—not revenue, not profit, but what a buyer would actually pay. He shut down the construction division. He focused on recurring revenue and high-margin enhancement work. He surrounded himself with the right people and stopped being slow to fire. In five years, the business went from $5 million to $15 million, and margins jumped to the mid-50s.

Tom closed in November 2019. Four months later, COVID killed his earnout. But he'd already taken his attorney's advice: be happy with the deal you have, because nothing's guaranteed. He's 68 now, still working, still loving it. His one regret? Not measuring value sooner. Those last five years—when he finally got serious—that's when the real money got made.

Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com.

Iconic Links:
Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com
Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com
Production: Lower Street www.lowerstreet.co

Kris Birch started working in his dad's lawn and snow business in 2005. Fifteen years later, he sold it to a national brand. The deal looked good on paper, but within a year, most of the team was gone and the business had been absorbed into corporate machinery. When he finally walked away, he discovered something important: he'd already started building his next company.

But Kris’s story is a little different because most founders think you only get one shot at an exit. Kris got two. After the first sale fell apart, he and his business partner Tony built a tree care company from scratch. Six years later, they sold again, this time to private equity. Different buyer, different structure, different outcome. The second time around, Kris knew which questions to ask. Live and learn.

Here's what we discuss in this episode:

• Why working with family requires a third party to navigate the hard conversations

• How Kris transitioned from his dad's lifestyle business to a growth-focused operation

• The moment he realized he wasn't good at operations—and who he brought in to fix it

• What recurring revenue and service diversification did for his business valuation

• Why his first exit to a national brand didn't go as planned

• The difference between selling to corporate acquirers vs. private equity

• How peer groups and EOS transformed the way he ran his businesses

• What due diligence actually feels like (spoiler: everyone hates it)

• Why the second sale was faster, smarter, and more aligned with his values

• His advice to young founders: do hard things, then recover intentionally

Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com.

Iconic Links:

Learn More: https://www.iconicfounders.com

Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

Production: Lower Street https://lowerstreet.co