Palmer Higgins joins co-hosts Kaustubh Deo and Sam Rosati to discuss building Chenmark, lessons from operating small businesses, and maintaining a long-term approach to leadership. Palmer shares his early career in finance and a startup, the path to acquiring multiple companies with family members, and the importance of agency in shaping his career decisions. He reflects on the challenges of hiring operators, stepping into a CEO role without prior management experience, and the operational intensity of turnaround situations. The discussion also covers Chenmark’s philosophy on growth, capital allocation, and supporting CEOs for sustainable success.

They discuss:

• How Palmer transitioned from finance to entrepreneurship through small business acquisitions

• Lessons learned from failed operator hires and the value of developing leaders internally

• The challenges and rewards of running a company without prior industry experience

• Why Chenmark prioritizes long-term orientation over aggressive short-term growth targets

• Strategies for blending work and personal life to maintain balance and sustainability

This episode offers valuable insights for aspiring business owners and operators who want to build enduring companies while preserving quality of life.

Support our Sponsors:

Kalmar Group

The Kalmar Group is a recruitment firm who partners with small business owners around the nation to find Director to VP level hires in sales, marketing, operations, and finance across multiple niche industries.

Website: https://www.thekalmargroup.com

Twitter: https://x.com/thesmbrecruiter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanscroggins/

Aspen HR

Please contact our valued sponsor Aspen HR (www.aspenhr.com, [email protected]) for a quote on PEO services and a complimentary HR due diligence assessment

Links:

Kaustubh on Substack - https://bigdealsmallbusiness.substack.com/p/read-me-first

Sam on X - https://x.com/Sam_Rosati

Follow along with the guys' fitness tracker! - https://bit.ly/3T4EpHw

Chenmark - https://chenmark.com/

Palmer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/palmerhiggins/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:18) - Work-life balance and office chaos (00:04:18) - Palmer's background and career path (00:04:43) - The genesis of Chenmark (00:08:53) - First acquisition and early challenges (00:13:58) - The decision to leave finance (00:17:00) - Exploring entrepreneurship (00:33:46) - The first business acquisition (00:42:15) - Taking charge: From search to CEO (00:47:00) - The intensity of business ownership (00:50:11) - Sustaining long-term success (00:54:23) - Managing multiple businesses (00:57:22) - Work-life integration strategies (01:04:10) - The future vision for Chenmark (01:16:54) - Fitness competition updates!