Matthew Pohl, CEO of the ReWild Group, recounts watching his father build a business, and how that has since influenced Matt’s life.

When I was in the ninth grade, my dad lost his business. He was 50 years old at the time, and while he lived to be 77, I can say that, in many ways, he never recovered from the blow.

My dad wasn’t typical of most men in his small Iowa community. He was an artist and a musician, and he went to school in Chicago for interior design.

My dad, Robert Pohl, drew this in 1957 while in interior design school in Chicago.

After college he moved back to Iowa and started an interior design business. It provided a unique, custom option for upscale design, including drapes, upholstery, and fabrics. It also provided a good income and employment, not just for my dad but for other family members too.

He traveled a 3-hour radius to find enough clients. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it was rewarding and he enjoyed it. Owning his own business gave my father income, purpose, and standing within the community. Some of the homes he decorated were even featured in our hometown newspaper, The Hawkeye.

The Hawkeye, Iowa’s oldest newspaper, featured an addition designed by my father.

Nationwide, the economy took a downturn in the late 70s. Manufacturing slowed, factories closed, and people quit spending money. Midwest farmers were hit hard with multiple years of drought. My dad weathered a lot of storms over the 25 years he owned his business, but this one proved to be too much. He simply wasn’t equipped to deal with a problem of that magnitude. That’s when he decided to close the doors and walk away. He was never the same.

Fast forward 30 years and I’m running my own business. Different industry, different location, but I’m following in the footsteps of my dad. That’s why it was so difficult for me to receive a valuation of my company and realize that, after 12 years of enormous sacrifice and hard work, my company was worth far less than I expected.

I wanted a successful exit from my business. I wanted to do everything within my power to leverage what I had built and make it attractive for someone to buy one day.

I started looking around for solutions, and that’s when I came across the Stages of Growth methodology. I took those principles and concepts and applied them to my business. The results were extraordinary. In just three years, the value of the company increased 10x. I sold my business at a price that truly reflected my investment.

I could have retired at that point. But after experiencing the power of the Stages of Growth methodology, I wanted to bring it to the market so that others could benefit too. I can’t help but think of my dad, and how if he had access to these tools, things could have turned out differently for him.

That’s how the ReWild Group was born. If you’re a business owner or leader, or an adviser to business leaders, I hope you’ll take a closer look at Organizational ReWilding.