Meet our new Broker!

Murphy Business has added a new broker to their team. Welcome, Melanie Smollen! We asked Melanie a few questions so you can get to know her better.

Q: What exactly does a business broker do?

A: Simply put: a business broker helps people buy or sell businesses. So, if you are a business owner who is looking to value your business so you can see how much it is worth, or you are thinking about selling, or looking to grow through acquisition; a business broker does that. If you are someone interested in working for yourself and looking to buy a business, a business broker handles that. Helping people buy or sell a business is exciting and rewarding, but the process itself is very complex with lots of details and stipulations. A business broker’s expertise lies in getting a buyer and seller to the closing table successfully.

Q: What made you want to be a business broker?

A: First and foremost, the work is meaningful. At first glance, you might not think that about being a business broker, but it’s absolutely true. In business brokerage, we get to work closely with one of my favorite people groups: entrepreneurs. I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and over the years have worked with hundreds of business owners. Entrepreneurs are creative visionaries that take risks and solve problems. These are my people. I also love to learn about different industries and, in this line of work, you get to represent all different types of businesses. Another reason that I was drawn to business brokerage is that it involves a lot of problem solving. In deal making, you are constantly having to overcome challenges that show up.

Q: You’ve worked with Jennifer and Kate before; tell us about that.

A: Jen and I first worked together when she launched a consulting firm back in 2007. I was one of her first employees and Kate was one of the first hires to our team. The three of us worked together for 13 years until 2019, when I felt called to do something different. It was an extremely difficult decision to leave. You hear people talk about company culture and how important a positive culture is, but you don’t always get to experience it. I’ve never worked anywhere where I felt so supported and had the ability to learn and grow professionally as I have with Jen and Kate. They are some of the smartest, ethical, and caring people I know. I’m thrilled that we get to work together again!

Q: How does your skill set translate into business brokerage?

A: Aside from the obvious hard skills you need to do in this kind of work, even more important are the soft skills. Every day we get to help people; to say that I like that part of my work would be an understatement. I am what my husband lovingly calls a “blackbelt extrovert”. In addition to the people aspect, I love the variety. In business brokerage, no two days or deals look alike, and I like that. Another important skill to have is the ability to keep a secret. Often, we are among the first people to know when someone is thinking about selling or buying a business and, unlike Elon Musk who announced to the entire world on social media that he was thinking about buying Twitter, most buyers and sellers would never want that information disclosed. Confidentiality is everything. We once had to help broker a deal for a co-workers’ parents and she had no idea that we had helped her parents buy a business until after the closing.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your family and hobbies.

A: I grew up in northern Michigan town called Traverse City. I am married to Paul, who works at La Croix Church and together we have four kids. I love food and decompress by cooking and trying new recipes. Over the last three years I’ve also taken up backpacking and have trekked over 200 miles on the Colorado trail and hiked my first “14er” (Mt Elbert) this past summer.

Q: How should someone contact you if they are interested in a confidential conversation?

A: You can call our office at 573-335-1885 or send me an email at m.smollen@murphybusiness.com. I would be delighted to talk with you!