How to Cut Business Technology Costs and Avoid Costly IT Mistakes | Blake Patterson

Blake Patterson, founder and president of Exploring IT Solutions, joins Seth Krussman on the Business Insights podcast to share insights from more than a decade working with major technology and telecommunications providers, including Comcast, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

From hidden IT expenses and restrictive vendor contracts to cybersecurity, AI, and technology planning, Blake explains how business owners can make smarter technology decisions, reduce unnecessary costs, and avoid common purchasing mistakes. Discover why comparing providers, standardizing technology across locations, and working with an independent technology advisor can help businesses improve efficiency, strengthen operations, and plan for growth.

Key Takeaways:

• Hidden Technology Costs: How vendor incentives, bundled services, and contract renewals can lead businesses to overpay for technology they don't need.
• Smarter IT Purchasing: Why comparing multiple providers and creating competition can uncover better solutions, pricing, and contract terms.
• Technology Standardization: How inconsistent IT decisions across departments and locations create unnecessary expenses and operational complexity.
• Cybersecurity and AI: Why businesses need proactive security support and should implement AI based on practical needs without losing the human touch.
• The Value of Independent IT Advice: How an experienced technology advisor can help businesses navigate vendors, coordinate projects, and make better long-term technology decisions.

Connect with Blake:

Website:https://exploringitsolutions.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuablake18

Pathfinders: https://exploringitsolutions.com/pathfinders/

With your guest host Seth Krussman:

Seth Krussman is a seasoned financial advisor and partner at Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC, with over 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business development, and wealth management. A Registered Representative and Investment Advisor Representative with Osaic Wealth, Inc., Seth specializes in tax-efficient investment strategies, executive compensation, and succession planning for high-net-worth clients. Based in Hillsboro, Oregon, he is also the nationally recognized co-host of the radio show Money On Tap and an active community leader, husband, and father.

seth@brayshawfinancial.com

brayshawfinancial.com

Mike Milligan is the founder of OneOak Financial, an author, financial strategist, and entrepreneur who has built an Inc. 5000 company with a 30-plus-person team serving clients across the United States. His approach to financial planning emphasizes tax strategy alongside investments and retirement planning.

In this episode, Mike shares how his early experiences with money shaped his career, why taxes can be one of the biggest expenses in retirement, and how better planning can help individuals and business owners keep more of what they earn. He also explores advisor fees, Roth conversions, required minimum distributions, business growth, and the importance of having a financial plan clients can actually understand.

Key Takeaways:

● Make Tax Strategy Part of Retirement Planning: Proactive tax planning can help retirees and business owners identify opportunities to reduce their long-term tax burden.

● Look Beyond Investment Returns: A comprehensive financial plan should address taxes, retirement goals, cash flow, and other financial decisions—not just portfolio performance.

● Understand What You’re Paying For: Knowing how financial firms and advisors earn money can help investors better evaluate the fees and value of the services they receive.

● Turn Your Financial Plan Into a Roadmap: A clearly documented plan can make financial decisions easier to understand and help clients become more informed about their own finances.

● Growth Creates New Business Challenges: As a company expands, overcoming obscurity and maintaining the founder’s original vision become increasingly important leadership priorities.

Connect with Mike:

Website: www.mikemilligan.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikemilligancfp

Book: www.amazon.com/author/oneofakind

Estate planning is about more than documents—it’s about making sure your assets, advisors, and intentions actually work together.

Chris Carns is a board-certified estate planning and probate attorney and partner at Hessie, Blythe & Carns in Plano, Texas, with roughly 15 years of experience serving families, business owners, and high-net-worth clients. In this episode, Chris breaks down common estate planning mistakes, planning considerations for blended families and business owners, and why coordination among attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors becomes increasingly important as wealth grows.

Key Takeaways:

● Coordinate the Plan and the Assets: Estate planning documents alone aren’t enough; account ownership, beneficiary designations, insurance, IRAs, and other assets need to align with the overall plan.

● Planning Is an Ongoing Process: Changes in family relationships, assets, businesses, and laws can make an outdated estate plan less effective.

● Prepare for Complex Family Dynamics: Blended families, remarriage, children, and grandchildren can require carefully designed trusts and distribution strategies.

● Build a Collaborative Advisory Team: Attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors can better serve high-net-worth families when recommendations are coordinated rather than made in isolation.

● Plan for the Business Before the Exit: Business owners can benefit from addressing succession, legal documents, deal structure, and tax considerations well before signing a letter of intent or selling the company.

Connect with Chris:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-carns-b0aab22a

With your Guest Host Dana Gibson:

Dana Gibson is a Retirement Diagnostician and Certified Financial Fiduciary known as The Roth Doctor™. His approach was shaped by a life-changing 1995 assault and subsequent financial devastation, which taught him how quickly health, wealth, and financial security can change.

Today, Dana helps pre-retirees identify hidden risks involving taxes, RMDs, Social Security, retirement income, longevity, and wealth preservation. He also developed the Self-Completing Roth Conversion Strategy to help families reduce lifetime retirement taxes.

Dana’s philosophy is simple: every retirement deserves a thorough diagnosis before a financial prescription.

Website: https://taxmitigation.net/tax-readiness-score.html