OUR LATEST INSIGHTS

Up to date, high-level business information that is relevant to our clients and contacts, helping keep up to date on the ver-changing business world of today.

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Ian Nairn / October 20, 2025

Juliet Peters of Framework Legal

Schooley Mitchell’s Robyn Bowles’ teamed up with Juliet Peters of Framework Legal to produce a blog about analyzing expenses and getting your financials in shape to sell.

Are you preparing your business for sale and aiming to maximize its value? A critical step often overlooked is the proper management of expenses to enhance your profit and loss statement. It’s a common pain point, seeing businesses sell for less than they’re worth due to misaligned expenses affecting the sale multiple.

We’ve collaborated with Robyn Bowles from the Chandler Office of Schooley Mitchell, bringing you invaluable insights on cost reduction strategies that can position your business for the profitability it truly deserves. Our latest Q&A blog provides a deep dive into effective business optimization processes backed by Robyn’s extensive knowledge and expertise.

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how to keep your business’s financial house in order, ensuring you gain the maximum value from your sale. Read our joint blog here:

https://lnkd.in/gmEn3Jei 

https://www.frameworklegal.com/blog-post/business-optimization-with-schooley-mitchell-keep-your-house-in-order

Ian Nairn / October 20, 2025

Interview with Jordan Dunin

In this episode, William and Jordan Dunin have a conversation about his company, HatchPath. helps you find the right coach for your goals—whether that’s improving your health, reducing stress, building leadership skills, or navigating life transitions. Tcoaches are experts across a wide range of specialties, from nutrition and fitness to mindfulness, career development, and even advanced modalities like hypnotherapy and bioresonance healing.

Ian Nairn / October 20, 2025

Interview with Annette Arsenault

In this episode, William and Annette Arsenault have a conversation about her company, Getting Healthy on Purpose. They help clients with programs for those that are looking for better quality of life, to deal with those aches and pains and all the things that come along with aging. They assist with diabetes, weight, diet, and getting healthier one good habit at a time!

/ October 20, 2025

Keep an eye on your ELDs as device approvals are subject to continuous change

If your business operates a fleet that is subject to electronic logging device (ELD) usage, it’s important to keep an eye on regulatory updates and changes that may impact the solutions you’re using. To ensure you remain compliant with federal law, staying on top of all changes, or working with a third-party expert who can keep track for you, is key.

Changes to approved devices are frequent.

In September, 2025 alone, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) removed four ELDs from its list of approved devices. Fleets were given a tight window of sixty days, during which time they were instructed to “discontinue using the revoked ELD and revert to paper logs or logging software to record required hours of service data,” and “replace the revoked ELD with a compliant ELD from the Registered Devices list.”

Sixty days may seem like a big window, but for large fleets and when approaching a busy season for many operations, this is a huge change that needs to be made quickly. Changing devices, contacting your provider, educating drivers, and potentially sorting through paper logs – these are all time-consuming feats. And that’s if you’re made aware of the device revocation right away. If you miss the memo, you might be racing to implement the necessary changes in time.

Why do devices get revoked?

The FMCSA doesn’t revoke devices to make life difficult for fleets. In September, the four devices removed – Robinhood ELD, TT ELD PT30, ELOG42 and RENAISSANCE ELD – were done so because they failed to meet technical requirements. They’re not the only devices to face this penalty. Eight other ELDs have also been revoked in 2025. The technical requirements are extensive but readily available, and all the device developers will have the opportunity to revise their ELDs to meet standards. However, that could be a time-consuming fix, and in the meantime, fleets must switch ELDs – and potentially service providers – to remain compliant.

In conclusion…

As a fleet manager, you have to be on top of current ELD regulations. Revoked devices can have a real consequence for your operations, and there may be less time than you’d like to make any changes. Working with an expert on current regulations can save a lot of headaches and buy you time when facing this sort of challenge.

John Rumasuglia / October 17, 2025

The 3 Levers for Cost Reduction Success

Most cost-cutting efforts fall flat because they focus only on price. Sustainable savings come from a more strategic approach — one rooted in transparency, alignment, and control.

At Schooley Mitchell, we’ve found that three disciplines consistently separate short-term cuts from lasting results.

  1. Benchmark Market Data
    You can’t negotiate what you don’t understand. Without market visibility, you’re negotiating in the dark.
    Whether it’s telecom, SaaS, shipping, or merchant services, knowing what others pay for the same level of service turns guesswork into leverage.
  2. Right-Size Features and Usage
    Even with competitive pricing, many companies overpay because their service mix doesn’t match actual needs.
    Real savings come from aligning features, usage, and fit — trimming what’s unused, consolidating what’s redundant, and matching service levels to real demand.
  3. Audit Continuously
    Costs drift. Vendors change rates, billing errors creep in, and usage evolves.
    A one-time savings project won’t hold.
    Routine audits and feedback loops are what keep savings real — month after month.

The Hidden Opportunity

Most organizations believe they’ve already “cut the fat.”
Yet we routinely uncover 5–25% in additional savings across categories like freight, telecom, merchant processing, waste, and software — often without switching providers or disrupting operations.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need a massive consulting engagement to find hidden savings.
You just need a partner who knows where to look.
Curious what’s hiding in your contracts?
I’d be glad to share a few examples — just ask.

John Rumasuglia works with Schooley Mitchell to help Idaho businesses improve margins and free up resources for growth. From Hailey, he supports manufacturers, nonprofits, and service providers across the Wood River Valley. More information is available at www.schooleymitchell.com/jrumasuglia

 

[email protected] / October 16, 2025

Spotlight for Garvin’s Sewer System

A Legacy Beneath the Surface

What began as a small plumbing company in 1940 has grown into a thriving, third-generation family business serving the greater Denver-Boulder area. Garvin’s Sewer Service was founded by Kris Jordan’s great-uncle and was later passed down to her father. Today, the company is co-owned by Jordan, her sister, and their father, who proudly continue their family’s legacy of trusted, reliable service.

Jordan officially joined the company 15 years ago when her father asked her to take on the marketing side of operations. As the internet began changing how businesses connected with customers, she led Garvin’s into the digital space. The company became one of the first plumbing businesses in the area to focus on content creation, offering helpful online resources that quickly gained attention.

“That got attention from the media and from people in general who were looking for information and couldn’t find it anywhere else,” Jordan recalls. This early move into digital marketing boosted the company’s visibility and reinforced its commitment to educating and supporting the community.

“I think what makes us different is our longevity,” says Jordan. When asked what sets Garvin’s apart, she highlights their decades of experience and specialized expertise in sewer services as key advantages.

That longevity represents more than just time in business. It reflects generations of earned trust, hands-on experience, and a deep understanding of the unique needs of Colorado homeowners and businesses. Over the years, Garvin’s has built a reputation for being dependable, fair, and highly knowledgeable in an industry where those qualities truly matter.

“What I love about marketing my family’s company is that I know our integrity. I know who we are because I grew up in it,” she says. “So, while I’ve never turned a wrench, I believe plumbing is vital to the world. It separates us from third-world conditions. It’s an essential industry, and I feel really honored to be part of it.”

As they look to the future, Garvin’s is focused on growing the company responsibly while staying true to the foundation their family built more than 80 years ago. That includes investing in training, staying ahead of industry trends, and continuing to educate their community.

“Our integrity and longevity go hand in hand,” Jordan says. “If we weren’t taking good care of our customers, if we weren’t doing right by them, we wouldn’t have made it 85 years. We wouldn’t have made it into the third generation.”

To learn more about Garvin’s Sewer Service, visit their website!

Download the PDF.

Ian Nairn / October 15, 2025

Not All Cost Reduction Efforts are Built the Same!

If a client is considering a cost reduction effort in preparation for an M&A event, make sure they understand the different approaches.

Not All Cost Reduction Efforts are Built the Same!

Some businesses engage with Big Consulting to conduct “cost studies” in an effort to reduce expenses. At Schooley Mitchell, we take a very different approach to reducing your expenses. 

Ask the following questions for a better understanding of the differences.

How are you Paid?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell is paid on a contingent basis from the savings we generate.

Is there any upfront retainer?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell has no upfront retainer and performs the analysis on a cost-free basis.

Is there any guarantee of  results?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell only gets paid when we reduce your expenses.

Do you have specialized expertise in my expenses?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell has analysts with specialized technical expertise in your specific cost areas.

Who implements your cost reduction recommendations?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell project manages/leads the implementation of the recommendations that you accept.

Is there any ongoing support?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell provides ongoing support through the term of the Service Agreement.

Are your cost reduction recommendations specific to my business?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell develops recommendations tailored to your specific business, cost areas and vendors.

What is the focus of your cost reduction recommendations? Process changes? New technology?
➡️ Schooley Mitchell is laser-focused on your specific cost areas and vendors.

Ian Nairn / October 15, 2025

Congratulations on the purchase of your new business… now what?

You’ve spent months working with a number of financial and business advisors and you have finally completed the purchase of a new business.

You begin to assess the current state of the business on a more detailed level, trying to find ways to increase your overall profit. You will review things like the current product offering/pricing, marketing plans, sales team, etc. 

What about your business expenses?

How do you know if previous ownership optimized their expenses? How do you know if previous ownership kept vendors out of a sense of loyalty or because they had always done things a certain way?

In my experience, many business owners stay with their current vendors because of a sense of loyalty. Over time they have formed professional and sometimes personal relationships with their vendor sales reps. They will say that the vendor has “always been good to them” and this familiarity can breed complacency when it comes to cost.

Another reason that many business owners stay with their current vendors is an aversion to change. There is a fear of trying something new and different, even if it would benefit the business.

Here are some real-life quotes that I have heard when talking to business owners about vendors:

“I have been using the same vendor and sales rep for almost 20 years; I have never really thought about making a change”.
“Patty has been handling our purchasing for over 10 years. I am sure that Patty is doing a good job and I don’t want to upset the apple cart.”
“My brother-in-law works for our vendor and I cannot really make a change without causing family issues.”
“My employee told me that there is no other vendor that can do what our current vendor does for us”.

A vendor audit is great way to know if your business expenses are optimized, as it will answer the following questions for each cost area that is reviewed:
• What is the current cost structure and how does it compare to the marketplace?
• Are there any billing issues or errors that have been missed or ignored?
• Are there products or services that are being paid for but are redundant or simply not being used?
• Are there any process or procedural changes that would help reduce your business expenses?

Why not take a fresh look at the vendors being used in your new business?

With Schooley Mitchell, vendor audits are always risk and cost-free.
If you would like to talk about a vendor audit, please reach out to me at [email protected].