Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ian Orlikoff. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ian , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

For years I imagined what it would be like to see the inside of the trees we were working on. We bought a sawmill in 2016 with our past business (a tree service) and when the first wood slab was cut, we were fascinated instantly. Little did we know this passion for wood would turn into a full-time business.

We started the new business in January 2021 with a Covid environment, so it was a bit daunting. It was an easier transition than one would think since we provided this live edge wood service along with our tree care company that we had for 18 years in Naples, Florida so we already had a small presence in the market. We kept the same location for our woodshop so that made the transition easier as well. After we sold the tree service in October 2020 and took a 2-month break, we started slowly to build the business from there. January 2021 we officially launched our website & social media pages.

The business plan included: budgets (wood slabs, tools, advertising, payroll), list of needed inventories, timeline, and an estimated cost of monthly expenses to then create a weekly goal for beginning sales.

Our first-year startup costs were more than anticipated but manageable, and building clientele took time of course as the local area got to learn more about us by word of mouth and online via our website and social media pages.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Ian & Stephanie Orlikoff, we were the owners & operators of Signature Tree Care in Naples, FL. 2002 to Oct. 2020 when we sold the tree service. I was the lead ISA Certified Arborist & Stephanie was the Office manager.

Naples Live Edge Wood provides Live Edge Furniture and raw Live Edge Wood Slabs. We have a Kiln & Sawmill. Ship within the USA. No appointment is needed, and we are open M-F 9-5, located at 3384 Mercantile Avenue, Naples, FL. 34104.
Products include raw Live Edge Wood Slabs, Live Edge Tables, Live Edge River Tables, Live Edge Coffee Tables, Live Edge Dining Tables, Live Edge Desks, Live Edge Floating Shelves, Live Edge Countertops, Live Edge Bar tops, Live Edge Benches, Live Edge Charcuterie Boards, Wood Décor, Stumps and Wood Wall Art

Naples Live Edge Wood is a #Onetreeplanted business partner and plants 1 tree in Florida for every project sold. Ian Orlikoff is the Arboricultural Board Advisor at the Gore Nature Education Center in Naples, FL. We are an Interior Design Society Naples chapter member.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

From Ian: It always takes longer than you think; things will get heavier and bigger so plan accordingly; focus on a work balance; understand your strengths and weaknesses. Learn about lean systems such as the 5s or Six Sigma.
Always be passionate about what you are doing. Challenge and push your limits to learn and surprise yourself; find simple rewards along the way. Develop short- and long-term goals. Be able to adapt quickly and be prepared for opportunities.

From Stephanie:
I highly recommend meeting with your lawyer and accountant before you want to sell your business to know what financial options and legal factors you need to have agreed upon for a good business sale experience.

Keeping all your records up to date and “knowing your numbers” is fundamental for preparation to sell a business. There are various tasks to be completed before selling that benefit from your specific knowledge and good documentation to better represent your company to a potential buyer and therefore increase your sale price.
Examples include taking good photos of your business’s tangible items owned, creating, and updating your assets and inventories lists, and having a weekly financial update meeting so owners always know the numbers (working capital, receivables, budgets, average monthly costs for all expenses, payroll, etc.)
When a business broker knows that you know your business inside and out, they can confidently represent you during the sale process.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

1-Carnegie training Several years ago, together we took a 3 hour a week Dale Carnegie management class as we found ourselves so busy and getting too stressed out as business owners. Weekly public speaking for 2 minutes and recognizing your own defining moments helps you grow as a person and as a business owner. Learning how to speak publicly with more assurance in a comfortable setting with great classmates helped to upgrade our communication skills. That was helpful for both of us interacting with employees and clients alike.

This class taught us how to better delegate and to create more measurable plans (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly tasks) and adjust the short-term goals as needed with more consistent reviews.

One of the memorable lessons that helped Ian put things into perspective during a difficult and busy time was to write down 10 things that are of concern or cause stress at that moment and in 2 months pull the list out and review how many of those things are still an issue. It taught him to understand that most of what people are concerned about is not worth the weight we give it because 9 out of the 10 things on his list didn’t exist after 2 months. He realized he spent energy on things that were mostly out of his control and might not matter in the long term. Dale Carnegie courses are an invaluable experience, and we highly recommend them to anyone who desires to improve their personal and professional life skills.

2- Taking classes on how to sell your business is a great experience to have when/ before you begin a business. The points you need to accomplish to one day sell your business will give you a basic roadmap to follow to reach your goals. Local chambers of commerce and other organizations like SCORE offer low-cost classes for small businesses.

3- Annual meeting with accountant
We meet with our accountant every fall for an annual business and personal portfolio review; we evaluate how the year is going and adjust long term financial goals as needed for our business and ourselves, which has taught us a lot.
Now managing Naples Live Edge Wood, we know where we stand financially & goal wise as we keep track more consistently; we adjust quickly to meet goals & budgets with weekly “state of the company” reviews, and we learned through many different experiences how to quickly switch gears and change financial and business plans to meet the business’s needs as the world changes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://naplesliveedgewood.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naplesliveedgewood/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naplesliveedgewood/

Image Credits
All photos taken by Naples Live Edge Wood