What happens after you make the money? In this episode, Jeff Harkness sits down with longtime mentor and serial entrepreneur Brian Will to unpack why wealth without purpose leads to burnout and how real success is built.

Brian has built, scaled, and exited businesses across multiple industries, from landscaping and insurance to internet marketing and private equity-backed companies. In this wide-ranging conversation, Brian and Jeff dig deep into the psychology of success, the concept of a “success filter,” and why most entrepreneurs unknowingly sabotage their own growth. They explore the fundamentals that actually drive enterprise value: mindset, data-driven sales and marketing, margin discipline, and cash flow clarity. The episode closes with a powerful discussion on purpose, advisory boards, and why scaling leaders must surround themselves with people who have already been where they’re going.

Key Discussion Points:

• Why money alone never creates happiness or fulfillment

• The “success filter” and how mindset determines outcomes

• From blue-collar beginnings to multiple exits across industries

• Why business principles are universal, regardless of industry

• Passive vs. active growth strategies in the skilled trades

• Sales teams, data, and why margin matters more than revenue

• Cash flow, gross profit, and knowing your numbers

• The difference between peer groups and true advisory boards

• Finding purpose after an exit, and resetting your compass

Some business owners believe partnering with private equity means losing control. The right partner can do the opposite: alignment, accelerating growth, strengthening culture, and creating generational wealth.

In this episode of The Deal Factory, Jeff sits down with Allen Sweeney, founder and CEO of APHIX Grounds Maintenance, to unpack his journey from starting a landscape business in high school to leading a $60M, multi-state platform. Allen shares the pivotal decisions that fueled APHIX’s growth: hiring a true CFO earlier than felt comfortable, redefining the company’s name and mission, and ultimately partnering with private equity. Together, Jeff and Allen break down what the partnership process really looks like, how management equity transformed APHIX’s leadership team, and why culture and vision mattered more than capital at every stage.

Key Discussion Points:

• Starting a service business in high school and scaling over decades

• Why APHIX changed its name, values, and mission

• Hiring a real CFO before “feeling ready”

• Letting your “Why” unlock your growth

• Unsolicited offers and valuation surprises

• What private equity partnerships actually look like in practice

• Management equity and creating generational wealth for leaders

• Scaling culture, leadership, and accountability alongside growth

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:00 Meet Allen Sweeney & APHIX Grounds Maintenance

3:40 How Jeff and Allen First Met

7:00 Starting a Business in High School

10:00 Why APHIX Changed Its Name and Mission

14:10 Hiring a CFO Before Feeling Ready

18:30 Scaling from $8M to $18M in One Year

22:30 Unsolicited Offers & Valuation Shock

26:00 Deciding Whether to Take Private Equity

30:00 Selecting the Right PE Partner

33:30 Management Equity & Sharing the Win

38:00 Life After the First Private Equity Deal

41:30 Leadership Routines & Mental Discipline

44:30 Growing Leaders Inside APHIX

47:00 Final Reflections & Closing

A lot of investors miss the big three pressure points that make or break deals in the trades: connecting with sellers in a room, navigating diligence without killing momentum, and integrating teams together without wrecking culture.

Jeff and Gloria talk through the common buyer missteps that tank deals, stress out sellers, and create post-close headaches, and what great buyers do differently.

Key Discussion Points:

• Why speaking “entrepreneur” wins more deals than speaking acronyms

• The real reason diligence fatigue destroys transactions

• How a Navigator prevents sellers from getting overwhelmed

• Why duplicate diligence requests blow up trust and timelines

• Integration failures: payroll, benefits, culture, and communication

• What great investors do in the first 100 days (and what bad ones miss)