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Every page and article on Rand Larsen in one place, organized by topic.

Best Posts

These are the posts I would point you to first: acquiring Scalepath, the ventures and people that shaped me, and what I have learned building peer groups for small business owners.

HoldCo Builders Podcast: A Lesson From Talking to 2,000 Business Owners : Rand Larsen recaps his HoldCo Builders Podcast interview on working-capital traps, hiring discipline, burnout and how Scalepath peer groups work.
Scalepath: I Just Acquired My First Company! : Rand Larsen announces he acquired a majority of Scalepath, Michael Girdley's community of 85+ business owners, and credits his meetup attendees.
I'm On The Front Page of Forbes! : Rand Larsen shares excerpts from the Forbes front page story about his SMB Community peer groups and the camper van he uses to host meetups.
How and Why I Started My Business : Rand Larsen explains how a dinner with an acquisition entrepreneur who lost nearly $2,000,000 led him to start building peer groups for business owners.
Why I Started DocuFamily : Rand Larsen explains why he started DocuFamily in 2019 to make documentaries about seniors, and how it shifted from families to retirement communities.

Business

I write about business ownership, acquisitions, and the things I have learned from actually doing this work. Posts like "From Well Drilling to Success" and "The Difference Between Inexperienced and Experienced Business Owners" cover the practical side of running and buying companies. "From Well Drilling to Success" is about one of my favorite entrepreneurs I have never met: Randy Holt. His story stuck with me because it shows what happens when someone just keeps going.

When Your Service Manager Gets Poached on Vacation : Months of prep, a stable team, a flight abroad. Then you land to find your service manager poached and two technicians gone with him.
Peer Groups Are for Operations, Not Acquisitions : Acquisition entrepreneurs join peer groups expecting deal talk, but they stay for the shop talk. After buying one business.
What Business Owners Are Saying About the Economy Right Now : I've been asking business owners about their outlook. Most are cautious with costs up 30%, yet growth continues. The sentiment gap is worth watching.
The Disconnected Vacation That Changed Everything : A business owner took a no-internet vacation expecting chaos. Everything ran fine. Full disconnection revealed he'd been micromanaging to feel productive.
Key Man Risk: The Revenue Hostage Problem in SMB Acquisitions : Rand Larsen describes the key man risk new acquirers face when one long-tenured employee controls about 30% of revenue and resists change.
Why Business Owners Need Real AI Examples (Not Theory) : Business owners learn more from real AI examples than from theory. Rand Larsen describes the AI use cases channel in the Scalepath Slack.
What Real Business Owners Are Actually Building with AI : Rand Larsen shares what owners in his peer groups have built with AI, including a virtual assistant, route optimization and a chemical usage audit app.
We're Printing Entrepreneur Trading Cards and You Can Collect Them : Rand Larsen is printing 250+ personal entrepreneur trading cards for Scalepath members and the Acquisition Class of 2025, and invites you to collect.
From Well Drilling to Success : Randy Holt started a well-drilling company in 1979, sold it, then built a second one with 125+ employees. Rand Larsen tells his story.
The Difference Between Inexperienced and Experienced Business Owners : Experienced business owners act fast on a bad hire while inexperienced ones wait and hope. Rand Larsen explains why waiting costs more.
Scalepath: I Just Acquired My First Company! : Rand Larsen announces he acquired a majority of Scalepath, Michael Girdley's community of 85+ business owners, and credits his meetup attendees.
I'm Starting A New Business: Business Coach List : Rand Larsen explains why finding a business coach is hard and why he started BusinessCoachList.com, an open directory with searchable criteria.
US Manufacturing: Inside CLN of South Florida : Rand Larsen tours CLN of South Florida with owner McKenzie Reed and looks at the CNC router tables and channel letter bender it sells to sign makers.
Event Decor Industry with Jacob Becker : Rand Larsen interviews Jacob Becker of Florida Event Decor about building custom decor and renting from inventory to corporate event producers.
How and Why I Started My Business : Rand Larsen explains how a dinner with an acquisition entrepreneur who lost nearly $2,000,000 led him to start building peer groups for business owners.
Cold Email to Garden Empire : Rory Tyer bought South Pleasantburg Nursery in Greenville after a cold email to its owner. Rand Larsen visits and shares what he learned.
Shane’s $10.5M Trailer Dealership: 10 Key Tactics : Shane, known as the Texas Trailer King, runs a $10.5 million trailer dealership. Rand Larsen breaks down 10 tactics he shared.

Community

I care a lot about community, and these posts cover the meetups, peer groups, and connections I have built with other business owners. From "Join Me for No-Pitch Business Owner Meetups" to "How I Built Connections Through Meetups in Atlanta," this is the relational side of business. "Join Me for No-Pitch Business Owner Meetups" announced a series of business owner meetups across five major Midwest cities over three weeks. No sales pitches. Just real conversations between people who run things.

Join Me for No-Pitch Business Owner Meetups : Rand Larsen announces no-pitch business owner meetups in St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland for owners who want real connection.
How I Built Connections Through Meetups in Atlanta : Rand Larsen recaps a no-pitch meetup in Atlanta where business owners shared real stories, and explains why he runs these gatherings around the country.
Peer Group Conversations: Business Owner Anxiety : Rand Larsen notices peer group conversations turning toward cash crunches and sales pressure, and lays out the reasons he thinks the shift is happening.
1,083 Event Attendees Later : Rand Larsen looks back on 1,083 people attending his events this year and explains the break he is taking to plan smaller gatherings and peer groups.

Marketing

Marketing posts, mostly from experiments I have actually run. Posts like "My $25,000 Marketing Experiment" and "Why Your Old Customers Beat Any Ad Campaign" come from putting real money and real time into figuring out what works. "My $25,000 Marketing Experiment" is about investing $25,000 into a marketing test that was either going to make me look like a genius or a complete idiot. I wrote about it before I knew which one it would be.

My $25,000 Marketing Experiment : Rand Larsen explains his $25,000 experiment printing 12,500 AI-generated entrepreneur cards to market Scalepath, a bet that could go either way.
Why Your Old Customers Beat Any Ad Campaign : A plumbing and HVAC owner whose Google Ads broke called 75 past customers and booked 7 jobs in 90 minutes. Rand Larsen shares the story and lesson.
Van Life: A $42K Marketing Machine : Rand Larsen explains how a last-minute decision to park his camper van outside Main Street Summit and give tours turned into an unexpected marketing win.

Media

Podcast appearances, press features, and interviews. These posts document the conversations I have had with other people about business, entrepreneurship, and what I have learned along the way. "HoldCo Builders Podcast: A Lesson From Talking to 2,000 Business Owners" gets at something I believe: owning a small business can be an isolating experience. Talking to 2,000 owners taught me patterns that are hard to see from inside your own company.

HoldCo Builders Podcast: A Lesson From Talking to 2,000 Business Owners : Rand Larsen recaps his HoldCo Builders Podcast interview on working-capital traps, hiring discipline, burnout and how Scalepath peer groups work.
I'm On The Front Page of Forbes! : Rand Larsen shares excerpts from the Forbes front page story about his SMB Community peer groups and the camper van he uses to host meetups.
What I Learned From 256 Entrepreneurs With Matthias Smith : Rand Larsen sits down with Matthias Smith to discuss his path into entrepreneurship, his retirement industry ventures and meeting 256 entrepreneurs.

Personal

Personal posts. The stuff that does not fit neatly into business, community, or marketing but still matters to me. AI, diary entries, book writing, and the traps we set for ourselves. "Critical Thinking and Decision Making in the Age of AI" came from thinking about which human skills will matter more as we race toward an AI-powered future. My answer surprised even me.

Critical Thinking and Decision Making in the Age of AI : Rand Larsen looks at the human skills that matter more as AI spreads, including critical thinking, sound judgment and strategic decision-making.
Business Owner's Diary: 5 Months of Uncensored Updates : Five months of candid journal entries from a business owner after two acquisitions, covering cash burn, costly mistakes and a workers' comp claim.
I'm Writing A Book : Rand Larsen recalls a dinner at the Holdco Conference in Sundance where he was urged to write a book, and shares the decision-making title he has in mind.
The Talent Trap : Rand Larsen describes the talent trap, where owners need better talent they cannot afford, and shares examples from his peer group calls.
Working in Coffee Shops : Rand Larsen shares the scoring system he uses to rate coffee shops while traveling, from seating and outlets to wifi, music volume and coffee taste.
My Camper Van Origin Story : Rand Larsen announces the camper van he bought to travel the country hosting small business meetups, after 13 meetups in 5 weeks on an earlier road trip.
Uber Misadventure : Rand Larsen recounts a pre-dawn airport ride to Vegas that included a broken-down Uber, a flat tire, a Lyft and a hike through a construction site.
Inside a Van-Life Manufacturing Plant : Rand Larsen tours the Remote Vans facility in Cincinnati with 20 friends and looks at how the builder aims to make luxury vans that hold their value.
RANDom Van Life Adventures : Rand Larsen shares photos and stories from his van life travels, from the Austin SMB meetup and Main St Summit to Nashville and favorite food stops.
Why I Started DocuFamily : Rand Larsen explains why he started DocuFamily in 2019 to make documentaries about seniors, and how it shifted from families to retirement communities.