From Running Solo to Joining a Team: Lessons From Selling My Business

Bottom Line:  Even though there have been some challenges along the way, I am still ecstatic about my decision to sell Event Medical, LLC to Joffe Emergency Services.

Background:  Event Medical was founded just after the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Olympics.  I purchased the company in August of 2019 (unsolicited advice: try not to buy an events-focused company right before a global pandemic).  I sold Event Medical to Joffe in April of 2024 and started as a full time employee on May 1st.

“You went from owner to employee” or “You have a boss now”

I often hear some version of these when I tell friends and colleagues that I sold the company.  It's true.  And it has been awesome.  All of my bosses (yes I have more than one since I wear more than one hat) have a consistent approach.  I rarely hear “You have to do this.” Instead, I get asked “What support do you need?”  Knowing that I have the support of a team has empowered me to take risks and do more than I was able to do as the owner of Event Medical.

“Even Burger King has sold hotdogs.”

During the height of COVID, when I worked in field hospitals, one of our vendors told me this when we were discussing the impact that the pandemic was having on our “real life” businesses. Event Medical was really good at doing one thing. I am continually inspired not only by what Joffe does, but how well we do it.

In addition to Event Safety, we also have divisions that focus on School Safety, School Security,  cross functional disaster planning and training, and crisis response.  The Responders we have across the entire business have educated me, pushed me, and made me better overall.

The Power in Different Dimensions of Diversity

Our diversity goes beyond the verticals we serve.  On the Event Safety side, we serve around 34 different states.  Folks outside of emergency services might not know this, but there is a pronounced regionality to public safety.  Getting exposure to how things are done in other parts of the country has made me question how we do things, and given me the opportunity to borrow what is working in other parts of the country to make our local operations better.

My public safety experience comes from volunteering as a firefighter and working briefly in emergency management.  This informed my approach to working with events and venues.  What has been especially eye opening for me is working with Alex Soltero, our National Director of Event Safety.  Alex was a venue guy, and has been patiently educating me on venue’s perspectives on safety.  Colleen Scheetz, my partner on the growth team, has been an EMT for 9 years, taught middle school, and even worked at Disney.  Her ability to understand challenges from all of these angles has pushed me to think more broadly about helping customers address challenges.

The road has been bumpy, but it is headed in the right direction.

It wouldn’t be fair or accurate to say that the time since our acquisition has been all resounding successes (though we have had plenty).

Some team members from Event Medical feel like our small, sometimes dysfunctional, but always highly effective family lost its identity.  I understand this feeling, and in some ways they are right.  As busy as everyone is, it has been a challenge to connect the team with Chris, Alex, and the others that are supporting them from California.  

From the outside, the products from Event Medical and Joffe Event safety look similar.  This is true, but the subtle differences mean a lot to the responders working in the field.  Looking back, I wish that we had been better prepared to communicate the changes and to get everyone on the same page.

It seemed really corny at the time…

When we really started getting serious about the acquisition, Chris told me before we closed that he would ask me if I was excited about the sale and coming to work for the company.  I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at the time and filed it away.

As we went through due diligence, I got to meet more of the team and learn about the company.  By the time we got to closing, I was truly excited to get to work for Joffe.  I am still excited everyday as we win new clients and grow.