Chris Haines never set out to build the company Marias Technology eventually became.

What started as a technology services operation tied to the insurance industry evolved into a business built on referrals, trust, and a willingness to solve problems customers didn’t even know they had yet.

In Part One of this conversation, Chris, President and CEO of Marias Technology in Covington, Ohio, talks about the early years of the company and how it evolved through constant pivots, customer feedback, and opportunities that appeared along the way.

He also explains why he intentionally resisted the pressure to chase aggressive growth and instead focused on building a company that could support employees, serve clients well, and remain sustainable over the long term.

The conversation takes a deeper turn as Chris shares the reality of running a business during COVID, when Marias Technology suddenly lost nearly 40 percent of its revenue and had to make difficult decisions to protect the people who depended on the company.

This episode offers an honest look at leadership, responsibility, and the weight that often comes with building something that supports more than just yourself.

What does it take to break the “third generation curse” in family business?

Jamie McGregor joins us on the shop floor at McGregor Metal to talk about legacy, leadership, and reinvention. As a third-generation leader, Jamie carries the weight of a 60-year manufacturing company while navigating modern pressures like automation, workforce changes, and selective growth.

This conversation dives into culture, humility in leadership, the discipline of saying no to the wrong work, and why success is about more than hitting a revenue milestone.

1. The myth and reality of the third generation curse
2. Leading a family business without entitlement
3. Culture principles that actually show up on the floor
4. Retention vs revenue vanity
5. Selective growth and disciplined customer choice
6. Private equity, ownership transitions, and what gets lost
7. Reinventing manufacturing in Middle America

Business ownership changes more than your role. It changes how money moves, how taxes apply, and how decisions impact you personally.

In this episode of the NextGen Strategies Podcast, we unpack the financial realities that often surprise business owners, especially during ownership transitions, buy-ins, successions, and acquisitions. We walk through how entity structure really works, why S Corps are so common, how K-1 income can create tax obligations without matching cash, and why minority owners are often the most exposed.

This is not an episode about tax hacks or shortcuts. It’s about understanding the financial side of ownership well enough to ask better questions, plan ahead, and build the right bench of advisors before problems show up at tax time.

If you’re starting a business, buying into one, or preparing for an ownership transition, this conversation will help you navigate the financial implications with more clarity and confidence.

A lot of companies treat tradeshows like a box to check. They show up because “it’s an industry thing,” spend real money, then wonder why nothing came of it. In this episode, Grant and Tyler break down a practical approach to events that actually produces results: define the goal and budget, do pre-event outreach, show up with an engaging booth plan, capture content while you’re there, and follow up with a real post-show strategy (not a single “great to meet you” email).

1. How to decide if an event is worth attending (and what success looks like)
2. Why “backpack it” first (walk the floor before buying a booth)
3. Pre-event marketing that increases booth traffic and meetings
4. Booth mistakes that kill conversations (busy messaging, bad body language)
5. How to capture content that makes the trip worthwhile even if the show is a dud
6. The post-show follow-up strategy most teams skip (and why that’s where ROI lives)
7. Why “destination” should not outweigh “audience quality”

1. Define the goal first: leads, partnerships, brand awareness, recruiting, or learning
2. Do recon before committing to a booth
3. Promote attendance ahead of time (website, social, LinkedIn header, email)
4. Make your booth simple, readable, and conversation-driven
5. Send people who are approachable, not phone-scrolling statues
6. Rotate booth coverage so the team stays sharp
7. Capture photos and quick videos for content
8. Follow up with specific context, and follow up more than once

If you’re spending money on events, treat it like a campaign. If you want help building a simple event playbook for your team, reach out.

In this episode of the NextGen Strategies Podcast, we sit down with Nathan Stuckey, founder of Stuckey Law Firm, to talk about leadership that lasts.

Nathan shares his path from law school to launching his own firm, the lessons he learned by growing through people instead of chasing scale, and why trust is the foundation of any sustainable business. This conversation digs into partnerships, delegation, mentorship, and the responsibility leaders carry to invest in their teams without sacrificing their families or values.

If you’re building something for the long haul and trying to do it the right way, this episode offers grounded, real-world perspective from someone who’s been in it.

1. Nathan’s journey from law school to starting his own firm
2. Why leadership built on trust outlasts fast growth
3. What makes partnerships succeed or fail
4. The danger of bottlenecks and the importance of delegation
5. Learning to let people fail so they can grow
6. Mentorship, humility, and asking for advice sooner
7. Diversifying through business ownership
8. Keeping family, relationships, and purpose at the center of success

1. Leadership is about people, not ego
2. Trust and transparency create stronger teams than control
3. Hiring the right people costs more, but costs less in the long run
4. Growth without values eventually breaks something important
5. Sustainable success requires humility, delegation, and patience

Nathan Stuckey is the founder of Stuckey Law Firm, based in Springfield, Ohio. His approach to leadership centers on trust, long-term thinking, and investing in people. In addition to his legal practice, Nathan is involved in other business ventures and is deeply committed to family, mentorship, and community.

LinkedIn has grown into one of the most practical channels for B2B growth, and it’s still one of the few places where consistent, human activity can outperform flashy ad budgets. In this episode, Grant and Tyler break down simple ways to tighten up your LinkedIn profile, create content that doesn’t feel cringey, and build warmer connections that lead to real conversations over time.

They also dig into why traditional cold outreach is losing its punch, how the buyer’s journey has changed, and why “being present” online now matters as much as showing up to in-person networking used to.

What we cover

• Why LinkedIn still rewards personal profiles more than company pages
• The profile basics most people ignore (photo, header, About section, experience)
• Simple content ideas that do not require becoming a motivational influencer
• Why commenting and engaging is free brand awareness
• How to connect without being weird or salesy
• The “warm outreach” mindset (and why it takes time)
• Using groups, associations, Slack/Discord communities, and referral networks to expand connections
• When LinkedIn Sales Navigator is worth it (and when it’s not)

Key takeaway

This is not a quick “throw gas on it” channel. LinkedIn rewards consistency, relevance, and credibility. Show up, be useful, be human, and let it compound.

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Next Gen Strategies podcast, Grant and Tyler sit down with Mo Carpenter of Gallery Homes Real Estate to unpack what it really looks like to walk away from a safe corporate job and build a relationship driven real estate business.

Mo shares his journey from twelve years in a corporate role at Assurant to working two jobs for two years, then finally making the leap into real estate full time. He talks about the “golden handcuffs” of salary and benefits, how his wife pushed him to set boundaries, and why he refuses to build his business on cold leads and empty promises.

If you are thinking about leaving a stable role for entrepreneurship, getting into real estate, or just trying to grow a business without losing your values, this one hits a lot of nerves in a good way.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why law school turned into corporate life, and why corporate life stopped being enough
• How Covid downtime forced Mo to be brutally honest about work, marriage, and calling
• The promise he made to his wife before jumping into real estate
• Working two full jobs for two years and what that grind actually looked like
• How a simple “why” video launch went viral and jump started his book of business
• Why his first clients trusted him with big properties even when he had zero experience
• Building a business on relationships, not purchased leads
• Why “your sphere” will always beat the perfect marketing funnel
• When Mo knew he had to start a team and how he chose his first hire
• The difference values make when you are building a team, not just chasing sales numbers
• A wild story of winning a house with 18 offers without being the highest bid
• How clear communication and story can beat a higher price in multiple offer situations
• Boundaries, burnout, and why not all business is good business
• What reality TV gets wrong about real estate
• Why Mo is dipping into commercial deals while keeping his heart in residential

Key Takeaways

• Relationships and integrity will take you further than any paid lead source.
• You can respect the “golden handcuffs” of corporate while still planning your exit.
• Your sphere of influence is not a fallback plan, it is your first and best lead engine.
• It is okay to say no to business that does not fit your values or season of life.
• Real growth happens when you invest in the people on your team, not just your own production.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Grant Covault and Tyler Davis get real about AI and the way tools like ChatGPT actually fit into day to day business. They dig into the gap between the hype and the reality, the difference between free and paid versions, and why blindly trusting AI is a fast track to sloppy work and bad decisions.

They break down how they use ChatGPT in their own worlds, what it consistently gets wrong, and where it actually creates real value. From SOP building, communication cleanup, and transcription, to research and process improvement, they highlight the practical use cases that work and the pitfalls that don’t.

No sci-fi fantasies. No fearmongering. Just straight talk on how to use AI responsibly and effectively.

What We Cover

• Why the AI hype cycle is misleading

• Free vs paid ChatGPT tiers and how to pick

• Setting up custom instructions and memory

• The “agreeable problem” and how to force real critique

• Research traps, hallucinations, and verification

• Using ChatGPT for SOPs, processes, transcripts, and communication

• Where AI fits today in accounting, marketing, and operations

• Why business leaders need to understand AI even if they don’t like it

Takeaways

AI isn’t a magic assistant, and it’s not replacing anyone tomorrow.

It’s a tool that amplifies what you already do, good or bad.

If you guide it well, it makes your work faster and clearer.

If you don’t, it’ll show up in your output immediately.

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