Introduction

This week, in a special bonus episode, Michael Brown, co-founder of an innovative company called Teamshares, explains how he and his co-founders are bringing a fresh approach to a big challenge. Teamshares is buying the businesses of Boomer owners who are ready to retire but, in many cases, struggling to sell. Once the business is bought, Teamshares is turning the employees of those businesses into employee-owners, which is intended to strengthen the businesses while also addressing income inequality. So far, starting in 2020 and flying largely under the radar, Teamshares has already bought more than 60 businesses in more than 40 industries, most ranging between $1 million and $5 million in revenue. Along the way they’re learning some intriguing lessons about what it takes to build a business.