What if an abundance mindset isn’t just about being positive—but about being selective?Are you chasing every listing that comes your way, or intentionally building a practice grounded in trust and long-term success? Moving from a numbers-driven hustle to an abundance-driven approach means redefining what growth looks like. It’s no longer about stacking listings—it’s about deep relationships, quality representation, and credibility that compounds over time. When you focus on serving first, passing on misaligned deals, and mastering your craft, you stop running after volume and start engineering meaningful, sustainable success. In this episode, host Jason Cutter is joined by Gregory Kovsky, President & CEO of IBA, who shares three decades of business brokerage experience. Gregory reveals why most listings don’t sell, what it really takes to value a business accurately, and how the “four parties to persuade” can determine the outcome of any deal. He also shares real-world lessons in integrity, patience, and persistence—showing that the brokers who win big are the ones who play the long game. If you’re ready to move beyond transactional tactics and build a trusted, referral-driven business, don’t miss this episode. Subscribe now and share it with a broker who’s ready to grow with purpose and conviction. Guest Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-kovsky-460aab7/Email: gregory@ibainc.comWebsite: www.ibainc.com View Transcript Jason Cutter [00:00:03]: On this episode, I have Gregory Kovsky. He is the president and CEO of iba, the Pacific Northwest leading business brokerage and M and A firm. Gregory, welcome to the Business Broker Show. Gregory Kovsky [00:00:15]: Thank you. Honored to be here. Jason Cutter [00:00:17]: I am super excited for you to be here. And the audience is going to find out as we have this conversation and go through it. Just to give people a little bit of background on you is you started in the M and a industry over 30 years ago, worked for IBA as a broker. After six years of being a top performer there, ended up purchasing IBA from the founder and he’d been running it ever since. You guys now have what, 10 offices in Washington and Oregon. And over the company’s 50 year history, I believe it’s somewhere around 4400 transactions. Gregory is also a published author, seminar speaker, advocate for entrepreneurship. His expertise spans basically everything you would think of for small and medium businesses. Jason Cutter [00:01:03]: He’s constantly speaking and sharing knowledge. And I’m so glad that you’re here because you’re really the catalyst for the business broker growth business and for this podcast. Did you know that? Gregory Kovsky [00:01:18]: I did not know that, but I’m honored. I mean, as you know, you’ve been a sales development guru for my team over multiple years, having worked on site during annual off site events where we focus on training, education, skill development. Jason Cutter [00:01:45]: Yeah, it’s been a fun relationship. So it all started in 2020, which I think is a fun kind of look back early pandemic connected with you on LinkedIn. I was going through kind of a focus at the time where I thought, you know what, the good people for me to connect with would be business brokers. Because as you’re potentially helping a business exit, they might want to hel...

Are you still relying on luck and outdated tactics to win listings, or are you intentionally building the kind of trust that makes business owners seek you out?When was the last time you challenged yourself to move from being a transaction-focused broker to a trusted advisor who’s known for clarity, confidence, and genuine care? The truth is, sustainable growth and credibility in this industry don’t come from shortcuts or quick wins—they’re built through consistent community engagement, continuous education, and a sincere desire to help. The brokers who rise above the noise aren’t chasing leads or hiding behind automation; they’re investing in relationships, showing up with value, and becoming the voice of integrity in their market. In this episode, Jason Cutter sits down with Andy Cagnetta, CEO of Transworld Business Advisors, to explore his journey from a new broker to an industry leader who helped shape one of the world’s largest business brokerage networks. Andy shares how Transworld has transformed the industry through professional standards, technology adoption, and collaboration—along with the hard lessons, missed deals, and practical marketing strategies that helped him grow. From redefining “the numbers game” to leveraging AI and authentic outreach, Andy offers a roadmap for brokers ready to build trust that lasts. Subscribe to the Business Broker Growth Show for more actionable insights on building your pipeline the right way—and share this episode with another broker who’s ready to stop hoping for deals and start engineering deal flow through trust, education, and authentic persuasion. Guest Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acagnetta/Email: ac@tworld.comWebsite: https://www.tworld.com/ View Transcript Jason Cutter [00:00:02]: On today’s episode, I have Andy Cagnetta. He is the CEO at Transworld Business Advisors, the world’s leading business brokerage firm. Andy, welcome to the Business Broker Growth Show. Andy Cagnetta [00:00:16]: I’m so happy to be here. Jason Cutter [00:00:19]: This is going to be fun. And a little bit of the info for anyone who doesn’t happen to know who you are, doesn’t happen to know Transworld. You have over 30 years experience. You’ve overseen thousands of successful business sales transactions. You turned your business into a franchise model with so many people around the world, 400 brokers, 200 plus franchises doing billion dollars in annual deal volume. You do so much in the community. You have your annual feed that you do to support. You have your pasta dinner for the LifeNet for families where you’ve raised tons of money over what, like the last 20 years. Jason Cutter [00:01:02]: And so I’m super excited for you to be here because again, you started in Florida in brokerage, kind of created a lot of these things and then grew it to what it is. And so for the people who don’t know who you are, why don’t you share, you know, kind of how that started and the evolution, how you got here? Andy Cagnetta [00:01:22]: Yeah, well, I came to Florida as a buyer. I came to come down the buy business. I had bought and sold a small business up in Connecticut. I bought it for 45,000. Two years later, me and my cousins sold it for 65. So I thought I was a genius and I came down to Florida. My wife grew up down here and so she demanded we move down, which wasn’t too hard after it snows a few times up nort...

Are you chasing every listing that comes your way—or choosing clients who truly align with your values?When the pressure builds to close deals, do you remember who you represent and the reputation you’re building?Long-term success as a business broker comes from quality relationships, clear processes, and constant learning.It’s not about having the most listings—it’s about trust, credibility, and confidence in every valuation and recommendation.In this episode, Jason Cutter sits down with Dave Long, M&A Advisor at Arizona Business Sales Advisors, to reveal what truly drives sustainable growth.Dave shares lessons from transitioning to a solo brokerage, selecting energy-aligned clients, and pursuing continuous education to stay ahead.Ready to move from chasing deals to building a business you’re proud of?Subscribe for more candid insights to help you engineer your pipeline and become a trusted advisor. Guest Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davelongazEmail: dave.long@arizonabizsales.comWebsite: https://arizonabizsales.com/ View Transcript Jason Cutter [00:00:02]: I have Dave Long. He is a M&A advisor at Arizona Business Sales Advisors. Dave, welcome to the Business Broker Growth show. Dave Long [00:00:18]: Thank you for that warm greeting and it’s nice to be here. Jason Cutter [00:00:21]: And we’ll get into your background, we’ll get into your story. We’re going to have a lot of topics today, but for the audience especially because we’re starting the show, it’s the first season I want to share. Our mission is to equip brokers with modern marketing systems that replace guesswork with growth, empowering them to be trusted advisors for owners and partners. And as brokers grow, so do the business owners they represent, creating better exits, stronger communities and more rewarding futures. And so glad that you’re here as an audience. So glad that you’re here with us, Dave, for the show today, we’re going to talk about your background. We’re going to go through a rapid fire growth playbook segment. Hopefully you have some tips lined up. Jason Cutter [00:01:04]: Three to five marketing tips to help brokers out there. We’re going to talk about the one that got away, the lessons of a, of a challenging transaction that might not have gone through, that deal that didn’t close, what you learned from it. And then we’re going to finish up talking about the future of business brokers, M and A media intermediaries. And for the audience out there, as you listen to this, take some notes, make sure to pick up any nuggets that Dave drops and shares with all of his experience. Don’t make this just something you’re listening to. It’s casual, it’s fun. Like actually look for the value, look for the things that will help you. I know that Dave has a lot in the conversation we’ve had. Jason Cutter [00:01:40]: Our calls have, have gone over each time because there’s so much going on. And so let’s talk about this. Dave, you’re on the show here, season one. Let’s talk about it. So in your background, I know that you started in Kansas City, you started with sports bars as an owner, you did a lot of different business things. You ended up in Arizona and then you got into a Sun Belt franchise. You had brokers that worked for you. You owned a flower shop. Jason Cutter [00:02:07]: