Riding the Wave of Entrepreneurship: From Garage Start-Up to Business Titan with Brian Cox

Brent Peterson (00:02.378)
Welcome to this episode of Uncharted Entrepreneurship. Today I have Brian Cox. Brian, go ahead and introduce yourself. Tell us your day-to-day role and a couple of your businesses that you're involved in and maybe one of your passions in life.

Brian Cox (00:15.536)
Absolutely Brent. Well, thanks for having me here today and appreciate the invitation and the time. Myself, I'm a lifelong entrepreneur born and raised here in Minnesota. I've had many different small businesses earlier in my life. I sold Boy Scout Reeds door to door. I sold soda pop out of my locker at high school. Had a lawn care business, you know, kind of put a quarter in the bucket for every entrepreneur that's had a lawn care business.

I sold that and then actually started another one in college that did landscape. I got into what I'm doing now about 18 years ago. I'll talk about that in a second. But on the personal side, I'm married. I've been married for 15 and a half years, if we're counting halves. I've got two kids. I've got a 14-year-old daughter who's very entrepreneurial as well. I think she picked up that habit for me and probably her father or grandfather, I should say.

Um, but also have a son, uh, he's, he's 12 and a half, um, loves talking about, you know, business and finance and sports and all that. Uh, we've got a hobby farm with a couple of animals and such. Um, and so that's a little bit on the personal side. Um, but on the business side, I started a motorcycle dealership that I'm sitting in today, uh, 18 years ago, started in my garage, one bike at a time. Um, now we're the largest seller of pre-owned motorcycles in Minnesota.

We buy and sell. And so if you're looking to buy a bike or sell a bike, we're going to help you out. I'm here from a strategy standpoint, big picture. I've got a leadership team that runs the daily for me. And that's freed me up to do something I've really found enjoyment in, which is I'm the president and partner at Traction Capital. And we invest in small businesses and acquire small businesses. And our goal is to help entrepreneurs and small businesses get what they want for the greater good, meaning the employees, the customers, the people that are involved. So

That's what I really like. And then I think you asked Brent what I enjoy on a daily basis. I enjoy helping people and I enjoy process. And I find that those two sort of work well together. If you've got a good process, it's going to help the organization and help the people run better. And that's what I enjoy.

Brent Peterson (02:27.198)
Yeah, we'll touch a little bit on EOS. I know that Traction Capital is a big proponent of using EOS and how that's probably, I won't assume, but that's most likely helped you to be more of in a strategic role at Simply Ride, right? Other than just having to be there working every day.

Brian Cox (02:47.74)
It absolutely does. I picked up EOS from what I kind of call him the godfather of it here in Minnesota. Mike Payton, I had the pleasure of serving with him on the EO board. That's the Entrepreneurs Organization Board. And he taught and ran EOS for the board. And so I got to learn it from him. He was a very early stage implementer. And at the time, my business was too small and didn't have the profitability enough to afford an implementer.

And so he gave me some nuggets that really helped out. I read the book, I self implemented and you know, that was 15 years ago when I kind of learned that. And my team constantly refers to, well, what's the EOS talk about? You know, well, let's put that issue on our level 10. And so it's really helped the whole team benefit as well as myself be able to get what I want out of my business, which is sort of a core EOS tenant.

Brent Peterson (03:38.578)
Yeah, that's awesome. And we'll get into a little bit more of that as we move along. First though, you have graciously volunteered to be part of the Free Joke Project. So all I'm gonna do is tell you a joke and all you have to do is say, should this joke be free or should someday we could charge for it? It's that good. And to give you some background to kind of prep you, I've done about 250 of these episodes.

I've had maybe I think five jokes that people said could be paid for so I just want to I want to set expectations up front So here we go Yes, very high. Yes All right, here we go scientists have discovered Wait, I got to start over again. I'm sorry married. Well, we'll edit that part No, maybe I'm just gonna leave it because you know, some of them are good fails, right? Here we go This is authentic, right?

Brian Cox (04:13.356)
So you're setting the bar high, I see.

Brian Cox (04:24.596)
No problem, no problem.

Leave it in there. Yep, yep, this is real. This is authentic.

Brent Peterson (04:33.65)
Scientists have successfully grown human vocal cords from stem cells in the lab. The results speak for themselves.

Brian Cox (04:44.364)
I'm going to call that a, uh, an unpaid, but if you were to have a different site that was dad jokes, that's perfect all day long. I love the dad jokes, but I don't know if that's a paid, a paid joke. Sorry, Brent.

Brent Peterson (04:57.558)
Yeah, no, it's fine. Yeah. And then, you know, my, I fell down on my delivery. I mean, there's, there's the problem right there is delivery and you know, 99% of the time, it's also my delivery. So, alright, so let's talk a little bit about, about your, about your background and how you got into it. You've got a couple like your kids are entrepreneurial and your sounds like your dad was entrepreneurial. Was it something in your family that kind of just

Brian Cox (05:08.332)
Fair enough, fair enough.

Brent Peterson (05:23.094)
drove you to do that and start those businesses even in college and then continue on over.

Brian Cox (05:29.004)
That's a great question. My dad was actually not entrepreneurial. He was big business. My wife's dad is an entrepreneur, he's a farmer. And so it's funny because as I look at my upbringing, I don't think I was shown that. I just knew even as a young kid, like I'm talking 10, 12, that's what I wanted to do. Maybe I was stubborn enough to know what I wanted or just that I knew I wasn't employable.

And so I, I sold, um, I don't know if you remember these days, but you'd get a catalog in the mail and you could go and sell that catalog to your neighbors. And I sold, you know, little trinkets and wrapping paper and stuff. And then I was in Boy Scouts and I sold reads and I wanted to be the top producer for selling reads. And then I was in high school and I noticed that you could get a 16 ounce pop for a dollar and I ran the math and I figured out I could buy a 20 ounce pop for 45 cents or something like that.

and I put them in the fridge and I bring them to school and I competed with the school. And I made good margins. They was making, you know, 100% markup and I sold for the same price but a larger product. Eventually, I had to break into my locker and I gave up on that business. But so I knew all along that's what I wanted to do. I took a loan from my dad to buy lawn care equipment. I mowed the neighbor's lawn and then I was mowing upwards of 30 or 40 lawns a week.

I sold that business before I went to college. And it actually was interesting. I learned how to grow a business and have employees. And then I learned how to sell a business because I figured out what the valuation was. And there is actually a valuation for lawn care businesses. So that got me up through college. I can share a little bit more about, I went to the University of St. Thomas and they had at the time sort of a newer entrepreneurship program. I thought it was fantastic. I learned a lot.

I probably didn't use or benefit from the school as much as I should have because I was just always on to the next thing. But some of the professors that were there are still there and they were really, really connected with me. I still talk with them. I actually still speak at St. Thomas classes on occasion. And so I thought that was really instrumental in my growth as an entrepreneur.

Brent Peterson (07:47.726)
Is there a reason that you decided to go to college and I'm assuming you got a degree? Is that was that part of like what do you feel is that made of it interrupted your journey as an entrepreneur or enhanced it?

Brian Cox (08:00.456)
Yes, both. I knew, so again, my dad was corporate and I knew I needed a degree. Because if whatever I was going to do as an entrepreneur didn't work out, I needed to have that as a fallback. But I also knew that I didn't know everything. And so I wanted to go and learn more. I had a professor at one point, my mom hated it, but he asked me why I was still in school. Because he just knew I just...

I could move on and I could be successful, but I knew I needed to finish it. And so I did, barely. My wife nudged me. I didn't finish at St. Thomas. I had one class left and she said, you gotta finish this. And so I did when I was probably 24 or something. But I'm really glad I did it because I met these professors. I learned from them because they invested in me and they gave them a lot of time. And I use things that I learned there, probably subconsciously I use them today.

but it was really beneficial. So could I have been successful without it? Probably. Did it help me be more successful? I think so. So I think it's worth it if it's the right fit for the person.

Brent Peterson (09:05.65)
Yeah, I do feel as though, especially in a liberal arts degree, you get so much, you get so many different experiences from the educational standpoint that can be applied to entrepreneurship. I also feel as though, and you can help me answer this, if you're not an entrepreneur, you're not going to be able to apply any of those things. You're not going to think in that mindset. There's a certain person who's...

or at least there's a certain amount of energy that has to come from within to become an entrepreneur. Like you have to have a drive to do something, right?

Brian Cox (09:37.364)
Absolutely. And something else that I just thought of Brent is my path to where I'm at today really goes all the way back to St. Thomas. I knew I didn't know everything. So I went to school. I learned. I then was connected with a small group called Biz Lounge, which was a peer to peer business networking group that then led me to EO Accelerator, which was another peer to peer and also a coursework for learning.

which then led me to the Entrepreneurs' Organization, which I've been a part of for 15 years. And so as I've traced my path back, that's where that constant thirst for learning. And I always had this goal of being the smallest fish in the pond of the big fish. I didn't want to be the biggest fish in the small pond. So I'm always trying to one-up my game and surround myself with people that are more successful than me so I can learn from them and continue my own growth.

Brent Peterson (10:28.938)
Yeah, I mean, that's a really good point about learning and continual continually learning. I also started a business in college and realized at some point that I had to choose one or the other. So I went to college for eight years and then decided I wanted to drop out. And I at some point in my early career gave up or thought that maybe I'm too old to keep learning. But I think, you know, part of...

Industry always disrupts and new things happen. And if you don't have that attitude of being able to learn something new, you are gonna get stuck. And probably, I dare say fail as an entrepreneur because you can't move into the next bit of whatever is new out there, right?

Brian Cox (11:15.552)
Absolutely, I think you have to be able to adapt and change. And I don't think any human being is built perfect. And I firmly believe that. And so we have to be, we're wired a certain way, but we have this ability to learn behaviors. And by hearing from my wife and giving me input and my people that work with me and my EO group and.

you know, the board and all these different people that are around me. I take this nugget and that nugget to try and make myself a better human being and a better business owner. And so if I, if I'm firmly stuck in my ways, that might make me successful, but I, I believe that being adaptable is very important.

Brent Peterson (11:57.766)
Let's talk a little bit about Accelerator. You mentioned you started off in EO Accelerator. I started off in EO Accelerator. We had some green room conversations about it. I think you were my last coach before I graduated to EO. How important is it for an entrepreneur to seek out, not advice, but mentorship from people that have been doing this for a long time that can help or coach you along the way?

Brian Cox (12:24.66)
I think it's hugely important. I found it at St. Thomas through some of these professors that gave of their time. I then got it from BizLounge and then Accelerator. It's lonely at the top. If I have to fire an employee tomorrow, it's hard to talk to other employees about that. I won't. It's hard to talk to my wife about it. My kids, they don't get it. You know, my parents, my friends.

talking to other business owners that have been there and done that, whether it's this new major market expansion opportunity, or my business is short on cash this month, or whatever the highs and lows we go through as an entrepreneur, I think it's a must. And so Accelerator to me was so cool because I got to be in a small group with other business owners, similar size and similar stage of business. And I received mentorship. My mentor at the time, Shane Erickson, 15 years ago, is now my partner. I joined

Traction Capital, he's the managing partner there. And he gave of his time and his experiences to me. I benefited from the program. So then when I graduated out of it, I then ran the program for about a year and a half and then spun out of that. And then I coached off and on for a couple of years. And now fast forward, I'm now helping run it again for the last three years. So that's how much I believe in that program.

Brent Peterson (13:39.83)
Just talking about some volunteer roles that you've done, do you feel that in EO, or any volunteer organization, that you get out, usually you get out more than you put in, but you have to put in something to get anything out?

Brian Cox (13:54.608)
100%. If you're not, if you're just sitting back and taking, you're not going to benefit nearly to the potential that program is meant to be. You have to show up, you have to inject yourself into groups, into conversations, you have to give into that group, and you will get tons and tons and tons of value. But if you're not putting forth the effort,

you won't get nearly, I don't know, 10% or 20% of what is there to benefit.

Brent Peterson (14:26.282)
Earlier, we were talking about education and maybe how education gives you a more rounded view on things. Being an EO and maybe in EO we have this, we do experience sharing. We don't should on people. We don't tell people what they should be doing. We will say this is what we've done and hopefully in that we're not giving advice out. But do you?

I think that there's a difference between an entrepreneur that you met who's so focused just on the one thing that they're doing that they can't. Sometimes they don't see the bigger picture and it's hard to experience, share with somebody like that or it's harder for them to understand if you're in a different business, some of those same principles apply to your business.

Brian Cox (15:11.824)
Yeah, gosh, I have to formulate my thoughts. I had a lot of thoughts there in your comment. I think that, I think it kind of depends on what the founder or the business owner or the executive wants to be. I just finished watching the series, Super Pumped. Did you see Super Pumped about Uber? Okay, so it was neat. And I don't know the CEO at all, but the way they portrayed him, like he was ruthless and he was wildly successful with Uber and.

Brent Peterson (15:30.167)
Oh yeah, I did see that, yes.

Brian Cox (15:40.732)
IPO evaluation, all that. But I think about what I want. I used to want to be the super successful business owner, but I've grown after getting married and having kids and having some life experiences that I want to be a well-rounded person. I want to be a successful person in my business, but I want to be a successful husband and a successful father and a successful person, well-rounded. And I think that the people that are maybe the most successful in EO Accelerator or in EO or as just well-rounded business people.

They're open to that. They're open to feedback from those other people. And then there's other people that, again, just because I just watched it, the super pumped Netflix, I think it was, or something else, he was wildly successful at his business, but maybe not as successful as a well-rounded person or as an individual. So I think it just, at the end of the day, depends on what the individual wants. I've chosen what I want. And again, to use him as an example, he's chosen, or other wildly successful business owners have chosen, and that's great for them. I just know what I want.

Brent Peterson (16:40.106)
Yeah, I mean, that's such a good point. And I think about that often about how our really big people or some of those very, very successful business people portray this thing as this is the, what you have to pursue and they forget about the family side, the personal side, your relationship side, uh, things like that. Even your physical side, um, sometimes is, is put to the side, right? And the, maybe speak a little bit about how EO

Most of our groups and I'm not gonna say all of them, but most of them give a family a personal and a business aspect to our meetings

Brian Cox (17:19.936)
Well, those are very, very key pieces, especially for an entrepreneur, because it's all, there's a Venn diagram and there's a lot of overlap between business, personal and family. When I joined EO and Accelerator, I was like, I want 99% of what I bring and what I get to be business. And I have switched that over and I've matured maybe a little bit. In the 15 years I've been involved, I'm probably 70% personal or family and probably 30% business because there's so much interaction in life.

If my business does great, that affects my family life and my personal life. If my business is in the toilet, it affects it. And so I like that every month when I show up, I can, I'm supposed to share the best and the worst of my personal, the best and the worst of my family and the best and the worst of my business life because then we show up as human beings and then we can work on all facets and be a better, well-rounded person.

Brent Peterson (18:13.406)
Let's move into a little bit into traction capital and how that helps small businesses grow and maybe put a little spin on that, how EOS, implementing EOS helps that to give some structure around for a business person to grow even more.

Brian Cox (18:32.66)
Yeah, it actually goes, it's sort of a long story. So I'll try to give the cliff note. Shane Erickson was my mentor and accelerator, officially mentored and then unofficially, and then that transitioned into friendship and we were friends for 10 years. And during that, I learned EOS myself and I learned mentorship. And four or five years ago, he said, I've been investing in small businesses. I've been mentoring small businesses and business owners. I wanna do this officially and I have a fund.

and we're going to launch this fund, and we're going to invest dollars in capital into these businesses that need the dollars in capital. We're gonna mentor them because I'm a business owner and I have experience to share, and hopefully we can get them on the fast track to learning. So I'm gonna mentor them, that's two things. And then thirdly, we're gonna help them in a process, and that process is EOS. And I went, wow, these are three things that I've benefited from greatly, I wanna be a part of this. And so I came in very part-time and now I'm.

almost full time in the fund. And we're continuing to deliver on that original thesis that he formulated because it's lonely at the top, like we talked about Brent, we're able to invest and inject capital in these businesses that need the dollars to grow. We're mentoring them through our own experiences and those in our network and sharing that experience that we've built as business owners. And then we're running that process that we've seen help in our own businesses. So it's sort of all entwined and all encompassing.

Brent Peterson (19:57.77)
One thing that I've experienced is the fact that having those things in place when you decide at some point you'd like to sell your business is much easier if you do it up front than if you do it a month before you want to sell. Talk a little bit about the processes in there, growth of those, and then most people should have an idea what they would like to do post...

post-business. I mean, some people will be in their business for their whole life, and some people would like to do it one or two times in their life, right?

Brian Cox (20:28.244)
Yeah, absolutely. I have never, so beside my lawn company, I've never sold my business. I've been at Simply Ride for 18 years. I started it from scratch and I'm still here today. So I can't speak from experience there, but I've seen many, many people, close, close friends and acquaintances and also people that we've bought and sold businesses with go through this process. And so if your business is running on a shoestring and the process is made up on the fly,

or maybe you're like the one person that all business decisions go through, your business has significantly less value in it when you go to sell it. It's also probably very draining on you. Putting in place EOS or a process that's like it, it helps the business work on its own and it gives the people that are in it the ability to operate somewhat autonomously, so it doesn't rely solely on the founder. It's better for the founder and it's better for the people in the business, but it's also if they go to sell, it's also then better because

There's a rinse and repeat to it where the buyer comes in and they know that things are going to run for the most part, the same as they did before. And so it's, I think it's better overall, regardless of if you're going to do this for life, or if you're going to do this three or four times in your life, or if you're going to sell, it's just better overall.

Brent Peterson (21:45.31)
Yeah, I mean, I think there's a number of EO people that I know that have had, that have sort of removed themselves from their day-to-day roles in their business and they're doing other things, whether it's another business thing or a personal thing. We talked about our personal lives. There's a big difference between somebody in the turn of the last century, like a Victorian era, where it was stylish not to work.

didn't work and suddenly, sometime in the 60s or whatever that time was, we're all encouraged to work even more and your success is seen as, oh, I work 100 hours a week. Do you feel as though this gives you some, maybe it's more freedom, right? It gives you that freedom to choose, I'm going to work 100 hours a week or I'm going to spend 100 hours a week with my family.

Brian Cox (22:41.28)
I think it definitely gives you the freedom to choose. And I love that. And it kind of goes back to what do you want as a business owner? Some people want to work 80 hours and make a ton of money and be viewed as incredibly hardworking. Some people want to choose not to work much and their business funds their lifestyle and their time with their family. I've chosen to try and there's never balance but I've chosen to try and balance it as best as possible.

I used to work the 80, 90 hour weeks, but that's not for me. I want to work hard and I want to play hard. I want to spend time with my family and take cool trips. And so I've tried to have the best of both worlds, but at the end of the day, it's really up to the individual. What do they want? And then they should go after it.

Brent Peterson (23:30.142)
I want to make one comment about kids because my kids all worked for us in our past business and now My son has said many times that he doesn't want to work as hard as we're perceived to has worked or he sometimes feels because It's hard to turn I mean just back up it's hard in your mind sometimes to turn off what you're doing as work Right and sometimes that bleeds into your family life

I kind of took that as not as a red flag, but something that I definitely don't want. I don't want my kids to think that work is all encompassing and all empowering, but I also want to have that ethic of hard work in it. Is there a dichotomy or is there a tension between those family life and what you're working and you can't turn off?

Brian Cox (24:23.784)
Oh, there's definitely a dichotomy and attention. And I agree 100% with what you just said. I'm trying to instill in my children that it is absolutely important to work hard and to do things well. And I'm also trying to instill in them that you should figure out what it is that your family needs and what you need given whatever phase of your life you're at. I make it an absolute pointed effort to work very hard and sometimes very long, and then other times to not work.

very much and to take a 10 day road trip and, you know, turn the phone off for days at a time. And I point that out with them, you know, I'm working hard right now because my business needs me and I'm going to make time to play hard and to be with my family. And so when we talk about hard work, you know, around the house, it might be doing chores or taking care of the animals or, you know, putting in the extra effort to study for this test.

And I tell them you will reap that reward. You'll get the good grades. That'll get you the job you want. Um, while at the same time, trying to balance out. So if you work hard, you can play hard as well. So yes, it's a dichotomy and I'm trying to teach both.

Brent Peterson (25:32.63)
That's awesome. Brian, we have a few minutes left. What sort of things would you, I don't wanna say give advice to, but yeah, let's just say if you're a smaller business owner and you wanna, you want to learn more about how either Traction Capital can help them or even the accelerator program, what would you tell them?

Brian Cox (25:55.62)
Um, I think number one is, is find somebody or some bodies or a group that you can talk business with and share and help carry the load. So that's accelerator or a group like it or EO. I think from a traction capital standpoint, I think it depends on what you want. There's a lot of companies out there that want to raise money and they only want to raise it the highest valuation possible. There's other companies that they want that strategic help.

that experience the business owner. And that's really what traction brings to the table. We want to invest at a fair value, but we also want to spend a ton of time in those companies. I was actually on a call just a bit ago, Brent, and I said, you know, just so you know, I spent 35 hours last month working within one of the portfolio companies that we're a part of. I don't work tons of hours. That's probably a fourth of my month. And so that's the value that traction capital tries to bring to the table is

We're going to be there. We're not going to run your business for you. That's not our job, but we're going to be there to help out and to leverage our experiences and the things that we failed at and the things that we've been successful at so that you can hopefully be on the fast track and also know that there's someone else out there that's helping carry the load. And so it goes back to that experience, the EOS process that we're helping them run and then the capital they need to run their business. So I think that answers both your questions. I'm happy to elaborate further if you want on either.

Brent Peterson (27:22.762)
No, that was good. I know my introduction to EOA was, I think, Andrew Dunman from Bulk Reef. He said, hey, come into this quarterly day. It's free. Just join us and sit through it. And I was in the tech business and tech industry. I knew how much it costs to go to some conference and pay for a private session or whatever, pay for the working sessions.

And for me, it was just like, it was eye-opening and it was something that I had no concept that even existed because I, going back to that close-mindedness, I didn't always look outside of myself to find solutions. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs try to do that. My introduction then was, hey, wow, this is a, I think I went to people day or execution day. And I ended, the nice thing is that I left with action items. Like I didn't leave at,

with concepts and a lot of times those help groups, things that they say, here's a concept you can take a hold and use it, we left with things, here's you should, not should, but here's things you could do in your own business that will give you, that will give you better ROI or a better retention of your employees or whatever, whatever that thing is, there was actions that came out of it that helped me in my business and I joined that day.

Brian Cox (28:44.732)
I love both of the things that you pointed out there, or at least that I heard is there's these concepts and they're big ideas and they're exciting and they're fun. And we're at the bar and we're writing on the back of the napkin or we're learning and we're digesting a book or an audible or a podcast. But then there's the action that needs to take place. And that's where I thrive. I'm always the, what are we doing next? What's the next step? I think everybody that's around me is probably sick of me staying great.

So what's the next step? But I think that both have to coexist and that one can be successful without the other, but not nearly as successful as both together. Have the great idea and the big picture thinking and then have the execution. And so I see that in my relationship with Shane, as partners, he's the idea, a dozen ideas before breakfast, and I'm the, okay, great, what are we gonna do next? It's also what EOS teaches us, that those two relationships, the visionary they call it, and the integrator work really well together.

And if you don't have a business partner, then trying to think with one side of your brain on the big picture idea, and then also thinking on the other side of your brain, okay, what am I doing next? That's how you can do it on your own. And so I love that you kind of pointed out those two very different, but equally important factors.

Brent Peterson (30:01.034)
Yeah, and the last comment and maybe your last question. As an employee, sometimes if the owner or visionary is all vision and they don't give you the tools to execute, it can be very frustrating, right? And maybe just last, how do you deal with if you're more of a visionary, you have to have some action in that, right?

Brian Cox (30:27.604)
You definitely have to have some action and the visionary might not see that because they're just always coming up with the new ideas. But if they're feeling stuck, like if they're feeling like, gosh, I have all these ideas, but our Our revenue is not growing or we're losing employees or our customer service isn't working, then they might need to ask themselves the question is where's the action? Where is it happening? Or if you're the employee that feels like, well, gosh, I feel like we just chose this direction last week and then now we're going this direction this week and then I'm sure next week it's going to be a different direction.

Maybe just having a heart to heart conversation with that owner that's changing direction a lot and saying, I feel like I'm pulled in a different direction every week and I'm never able to execute well, that might help get some direction.

Brent Peterson (31:10.97)
Yeah, that's such good feedback. Brian, we have a few minutes left. As we close out, I give everybody a chance to do a shameless plug. Shameless plug, but anything you'd like. What would you like to plug today?

Brian Cox (31:22.072)
Shameless plug, a couple thoughts, I'll try to be brief. Early in my life, I was all business and that's great for some people. For me, it's more about family and business and balancing that. So I would plug family as well as business. I would shamelessly plug EO and Accelerator as they've been super instrumental in my life. If you're a small business owner looking to grow your business and have a network of peers and learning, that's great and same with EO.

I would shamelessly plug Simply Ride. We're the largest seller of pre-owned motorcycles in Minnesota and also buyer. And so if it's anything to do with pre-owned motorcycles, we'd be happy to help you out service and parts as well. And then I would plug Traction Capital. If you're looking for dollars to help your business grow and get to the next level, but also strategy and help from business owners who have been there and done that, we'd love to have a conversation whether...

your early stage, looking to raise dollars to help you get to the next level or your mid stage where you don't want to invest your own dollars in that next employee or that next, you know, new widget. Or if you're later stage where your business is running great and it's time for you to cash out and move on. We're happy to take a look and help you out.

Brent Peterson (32:40.406)
That's awesome and where should people get a hold of you?

Brian Cox (32:43.676)
Oh, which, which email address? Uh, let's go to LinkedIn. I think you've got my LinkedIn profile, uh, that you'll, you'll put there. So find me on LinkedIn, Brian Cox, not the actor, not the football player. Um, Brian Cox, and that's a COX.

Brent Peterson (32:56.834)
All right, good. I'll get all those in the show notes. Brian, it's been such a great conversation. Thank you so much for being here today.

Brian Cox (33:02.384)
Absolutely, Brent. Thanks again for having me.