Why This Automotive CEO Gave Up 40% of His Company

Living Your Legacy

Adam Marburger, CEO of Ascent Dealer Services and founder of multiple ventures including a martial arts academy and real estate firm, shares

Key takeaways

• True growth often requires letting go of control and empowering stronger operators.
• Setbacks like eviction can be transformed into opportunities with strategic vision.

Main topics

• Entrepreneurial origins
• Business resilience after eviction

Notable quotes

I took that tragedy and turned it into an opportunity.

Conclusion

Adam Marburger's story illustrates that lasting success comes from adaptabi

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) We were maliciously and wrongfully evicted a little over a year ago out of the building that we were in. It was dirty, really, really dirty. Speaker 1 (0:08) It Speaker 3 (0:09) went Speaker 1 (0:09) below Speaker 2 (0:09) the belt. Yeah, it was below the Speaker 3 (0:11) belt. But what we did is I took that tragedy and turned it into an opportunity. I'm a real estate guy and I didn't own that building. Speaker 2 (0:17) And Speaker 3 (0:18) I told myself, being a real estate guy, I'll never be evicted. So I bought this incredible building and we built one of the nicest martial arts academies in the Midwest. It is... Beautiful. It's the business that provides the least amount of revenue, but gives me the most. Speaker 1 (0:35) Adam Marburger is a strategic, purpose-driven, and multifaceted executive coach and the CEO of Ascent Dealer Services. Leveraging his expertise, he helps professionals master their mindset and scale their success, driving a legacy of holistic growth and empowered leadership. Speaker 3 (0:52) We have an event called Keys for Kids. We fundraise for about six months. In November is the event. We bring all local business owners. Last year, we blessed 63 families. Speaker 1 (1:02) We Speaker 3 (1:03) work with all the local schools. We get with the nurses and the schools. We find out the kids that are in most need, and we fulfill their entire shopping. We got a team that wraps. We deliver them to the schools. We let the parents decide who's the hero. Speaker 1 (1:21) It spans the globe Speaker 2 (1:22) like a super high school internet. Speaker 1 (1:24) Elvis, Brendan, I am free. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. It's not over until Speaker 3 (1:32) I win. Speaker 1 (1:34) The Living Your Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy. That's sensational. Chicago. Speaker 1 (1:54) Hey, Speaker 2 (1:55) welcome back everyone to another episode of Living Your Legacy Podcast. I'm your host again, Jay Slangen. We're down here at the great Miami studios on sunny South Beach, Florida. And yeah, we get the privilege to speak to some of the best entrepreneurs from around the country, the disruptors, the experts in their field. And today we got a special guest with us. Yeah, I just ran his episode. A lot of hot tip nuggets in there. Great dude overall. That's, you know, seen the top, seen the bottom, but now he's back on top. And yeah, proud to have him on the show. But introduce yourself. What's your name? Where are you from? And what's your business? Speaker 3 (2:31) Yeah, Adam Marburger, near St. Louis. We're right across the Mississippi River in Alton, Illinois. I have a few businesses. So I've got an insurance brokerage firm, which is Ascent Dealer Services. Yeah. Alton Elite. That's my jujitsu academy. And then Marburger Investment Group is one of my real estate companies. And I'm very proud of our nonprofit, Riverbend Rescue. Speaker 2 (2:53) All right. So trifecta of businesses and then the nonprofit on the side. Yeah. Nice. Perfect. So, yeah, let's talk about it. I mean, serial entrepreneur, right? It takes a while to get there, right? So what was the first business? What was your little dabble? into the world of entrepreneurship. Speaker 3 (3:10) Well, I talked about it on the paper round. I mean, that's where I, you know, I was 13. Oh yeah, I forgot to say, I was a paper boy too. Yeah, 13 years old, you know, and I would collect and I had a process of asking for tips in Speaker 2 (3:22) a Speaker 3 (3:23) way that I got a lot of tips. So I started at 13. My journey in entrepreneurship started as a paperboy at 13. Speaker 2 (3:29) Yeah, yeah. Was there snow in your route? Yes. Yeah, man. Heat, snow, rain, you name it. Oh, my God. I remember one time I had, like, you know, a foot and a half of snow or, like, two feet of snow. And you're, like, you can't take the bike out during those days, you know? So I had, like, my backpacking backpack, you know, the papers in the plastic bags, as you said, dude, you know, trucking it, dude. And then I have one story because, you know. I got the bike with the baskets, which I bought from the previous paper guy, right? And so I had my route. I had my little shortcuts too through the woods or whatever. And then instead of the woman telling me, hey, don't take a shortcut through my yard, right? She put a freaking clothesline, right? From tree to tree, right? And I didn't see it, right? And it's just like this thin rope, right? And I'm going and then boom, right? And it's down a little hill. So I'm going down the hill and I'm just, boom, I do a spread eagle. Papers are everywhere. And it's kind of like a wet day. I'm miserable. And that's like my fifth house on the route. So I got the whole rest of the route going, like 100 houses or so. And so I take out the paper and I put it right underneath where the water is dripping. I'm just like, you MF, right? It was just a bad day, right? But yeah, I sounds like it. I know, man. But yeah, I can relate to what being young is being a paper boy to all the paper boys. Shout out to all the old school paper boys, which doesn't exist really anymore. Speaker 1 (5:04) But Speaker 2 (5:04) yeah, kind of tell us what what did that like? What was that process of getting the tips? I had this system and I would ask just a couple of questions. Speaker 3 (5:15) I would ask. Mr. Customer, Mrs. Customer, did you receive your paper on time every single day? Speaker 1 (5:20) Yeah. Speaker 3 (5:21) Yeah. Speaker 1 (5:22) Let Speaker 3 (5:22) me ask you another question. Was it rolled in Speaker 2 (5:25) a Speaker 3 (5:25) plastic sleeve even on Speaker 2 (5:27) days it wasn't raining? Yeah. That's what we had to do. We had to physically put those papers in those bags, people. They didn't just come like that. Yeah, no, it took time. Speaker 1 (5:35) Yeah. And the answer was yes. I was like, great. So Speaker 3 (5:39) now I'm going to ask you a question because this is what I do for a living. This is where the money is. My paper route. is going to fund my first car. Speaker 2 (5:47) Yeah. Speaker 3 (5:47) And if I've given you good service, I just ask that you give with your heart. Don't give me anything that I haven't earned. Give me what I've earned and just give with your heart. And that's all I ask. And I'm telling you, I got tips. I've got a lot of tips as a paper boy Speaker 2 (6:02) and I made really good money at 13 years. Speaker 3 (6:04) And Speaker 2 (6:04) so did you use that money to go buy your first car? Speaker 3 (6:06) Yeah. So I split it. So I ended up splitting it. My dad. Paid for the other half. Nice. And unfortunately, that car shot craps in three months. Oh, no. The Dodge Daytona, 1988 Dodge Daytona, red in color. I loved it. Had the sound system and the speakers in the back. Speaker 2 (6:23) Yeah. Three months. So that kind of segues into the next part of your story, right? Used cars, right? So you bought a used car, and then you became a used car salesman. Yeah. What... I mean, would you, after being a used car salesman, would you still bought that same car? Or were you like, man, I got it all wrong. Speaker 3 (6:41) Yeah, no, I think I would have bought that same car. It was just, it was just a bad one. You know, some cars are bad cars. You know, some cars have issues and that car had an engine issue and we didn't. I, now being that I, I sold used cars and new cars at a new car