My Journey: From Small Town Kid to Business Consultant

Early Life and Entrepreneurial Roots

I was born and raised in Southwest Ohio, where both of my parents were small business owners. My father, Jim Saylor, invested in and sold real estate, while my mother, Roseanne, managed a home decor business called Hoda and handled the family’s finances. Growing up, my brothers and I were actively involved in these businesses, gaining priceless hands-on experience.

First Jobs and Valuable Lessons

In the 60s and 70s, it was common for kids to work. At 11, I started delivering advertising circulars, and by 13, I was delivering the Hamilton Journal News. This role taught me dedication and customer service, as I delivered papers in all weather conditions, even aiming to land them perfectly on storm doors. By age 15, I saved enough to buy my first car—a 1967 Rally Sport Camaro.

Transition to Financial Services

In my early 20s, I transitioned into the financial services industry, starting with Metropolitan and later joining a retirement planning firm owned by a friend’s father. Over the years, I developed my expertise in financial planning, and eventually, I founded my own firm 27 years ago. Today, we focus on helping individuals, families, and small businesses with comprehensive financial strategies.

Launching Redde-Zone Business Consulting

This year, I launched Redde-Zone Business Consulting after earning my Certified Exit Planning Advisor certification. Our goal is to coach business owners in transforming their companies from good to great by optimizing operations and planning for successful exits.

REDDE-ZONE BUSINESS TIPS/BLOGS

#16-Continuity becomes reality when you build the framework first and fill the gaps with steady weekly action.

Most failures come from no continuity plan.
A clear who, what, when, and how prevents chaos.
Set weekly one hour actions.
Build a battle box.
Organize critical info.
Assign leaders for each area.

#15-Sales can increase through a client referral program.

Grow fastest when a clear system turns ideal clients into steady advocates.
Referrals lower acquisition cost.
Structured programs make introductions consistent.
Transparency and follow through protect all parties.

#14-Great operations begin with the right people aligned to clear roles and shared values.

Strong teams start with the right people in the right seats.
Clear values guide culture and reduce micromanagement.
Retention beats constant rehiring.
Lead, manage, and hold accountable to raise productivity.
Retention, alignment, and accountability lift productivity and culture.
Values of Rik Saylor Financial include Personable, Passionate, Genuine and Intentional

#13-Efficiency wins when leaders delegate smartly and focus their time where value is created.

Profit grows when efficiency is built bottom up.
Clear SOPs and measured adoption matter.
Smart delegation frees leaders for higher value work.
Hiring the right level of support boosts output and cuts cost.

#12-Legacy grows when your business builds transferable value instead of just selling a job.

Lifestyle firms sell a job, while legacy firms sell transferable value.
Enterprise Value from revenue streams is transferrable value.
Both models still require a clear continuity plan to protect morale and value.
Continuity Plan needs to be up to date and provides priceless value to the owner and the company

#11-Get more sales when you know your ideal client and aim every message directly at them.

Half of marketing is wasted when targeting is unclear.
Smart marketing starts with knowing your ideal client.
Feedback from top clients sharpens strategy.
Focused channels outperform shotgun tactics.
Strong ROI comes from targeted, repeated outreach.
Outsourcing your marketing is worth its weight in gold.

#10-Move a business from good to great by mastering the four Cs:

Human Capital - Hiring and retaining the right people protects your culture.
Social Capital - Team chemistry strengthens daily execution.
Customer Capital - Intentional marketing attracts customers who fit your values.
Structural Capital – Keep the business running smoothly with tools, processes, training, technology, equipment and real estate.

#9-Identifying, assessing and measuring three gaps:

Wealth – Where a business owner is now vs attaining their dreams and goals
Value – the profit Gap versus a potential sale price as of today vs the top companies with the higher multiples in your industry
Profit – possible short fall not reaching it’s full potential and lost revenue.
Now it is time to identify, create a plan, take action, and measure repeatedly.

#8-Continuity plan after the five Ds: death, divorce, disability, disagreement or Disaster.

Need a written plan including the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when, how
Deployment of the plan
Rehearse regularly
Identify potential partners or purchasers

#7-Focus on ideal clients and protect your time to drive sales growth.

Targeting ideal prospects keeps your pipeline strong and your time protected.
Identify your ideal customer based on Demographics, Geographics, Economics, Social Status and Values.
Delegate to elevate: Knowing your hourly value guides smart delegation so you stay focused on revenue.
Clear qualifiers help you avoid mismatches that drain energy.

#6-Stronger operations start by choosing the right support to free your team and grow value.

Outsourcing or insourcing should boost efficiency and revenue.
Freeing your time raises enterprise value and new revenue.
Support partners improve service, security, and compliance.
Adding new services deepens relationships an attract new ones.

#5-Profit grows fastest when you blend smart outsourcing, lean teams, and powerful technology.

Standards that can strengthen culture and boost output.
Use on as needed basis
Deliverables are meet.
Built in accountability.
Fully utilize technology.
AI has multiply capacity to make any team lean.

#4-Continuity succeeds when your plan is ready and your team knows exactly how to act.

Continuity requires a real plan, not improvisation.
Most owners know they need one, but few have it ready.
Have a battle box that is written, includes key personnel, compensation guides, and passwords

#3-Sales thrive when marketing attracts the right clients and your process solves real problems, creates repeat business, and drives consistent referrals.

Marketing attracts; sales convert that marketing.
Use the right bait for ideal clients.
Sales is problem solving, not transactions.
End to end systems create repeat business.
Consistency lowers acquisition costs.

#2-Strong operations start with clear systems that turn goals into daily action.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) support leadership, management, and accountability.
Annual goals or rocks are prioritized, and action plans are created.
Weekly level 10 meetings uncover what is on or off track.
Identify, discuss and solve (IDS) clarifies issues and assigns ownership so progress sticks.

#1-The Redde-Zone as we all know in sports is that critical place where great teams score the highest points and win consistently.

Rik Saylor launched his own Financial Planning and Wealth Management firm 27 years ago focusing on individuals, families and small businesses to solve their financial challenges through planning, investing, tax strategies, risk management and estate planning.

Redde-Zone was created to help coach small businesses, so they reach their desired outcome. Say something interesting about your business here.