Poised for Exit
Welcome to the Poised for Exit podcast! Poised for Exit is an under 30-minute strategic planning guidance podcast for busy small business owners. Each week you’ll hear certified exit planning advisor, Julie Keyes, talk with a range of entrepreneurs and professionals about preparing your business for a future transition. Guests at every stage of company ownership will share their personal stories and lessons learned about topics such as the anatomy of the exit planning process, developing a growth strategy, how to sell on your terms, exit planning for women small business owners, handling business diversity, and how to sell a family business. Whether you’re planning an exit in the near future or not, this show will provide you with the same action-oriented content that Julie utilizes while consulting with Keyestrategies clients. Building an exit strategy can be overwhelming, especially with all the decisions and details you have to consider. “Poised for Exit” will simplify the process and help you unwrap the unknowns, giving you more confidence in your planning process. Previous episodes are available for download, so if you are new to our show, you can listen to them in any order that suits you. Join us each week for timely, relevant content that will surely impact your business exit outcome! Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive your weekly episode link and stay updated on new strategic planning content. Find “Poised for Exit” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and others. Thank you to our Sponsors: Sunbelt Business Advisers and JAK CPA's. A special note of thanks to Tyler Keyes who produced the music for the “Poised for Exit” show.
Poised for Exit
Women Contractors are Trailblazing Entrepreneurs!
We had the pleasure of welcoming Barb Lau to the show in this episode. Barb is the Executive Director of the Association of Women Contractors. Barb has been the ED for AWC since 2008 and lots has changed since then.
AWC was founded by 10 trailblazing women in the construction industry back in 1995; that's right, AWC turns 30 years old in 2025! Because it's been such a vital organization for a niche group of entrepreneurs, it's lasted the test of time and has been a staunch advocate for women in construction since the beginning.
Barb talked about being invited to Washington (more than once) to give her input in front of congressional leaders who were seeking to learn more about the needs of women business owners and the particular hurdles they face. Things are better than they used to be, she said, but we still have work to do.
We talked about the uncommon amount of support that AWC gives its members. The benefits of joining are evident in the testimonies of those who recently attended a networking Social; stories of how AWC had impacted their business were plentiful.
Learning that AWC is an anomaly in the US was quite surprising! Barb said the only other similar group representing women and minorities in construction was established in Houston, so for those in other markets, Barb grants her permission to use her ideas!
Listen to the interview here.
Connect with Julie Keyes, Keyestrategies LLC
Founder, Consultant, Author, Pod-caster and Instructor