Cleve Clinton - With Business Value, Legal Matters Matter (#23)

In this episode of the Maximize Business Value podcast, Tom welcomes our guest Cleve Clinton, who is a partner at Gray Reed law firm in Dallas. Tom met Cleve through a mutual friend several years ago, and they’ve become great friends. He has presented at our V90X Lunch & Learn series (before COVID) and he is a master storyteller who, as a corporate attorney with a broad spectrum of clients, has “been there, done that” in almost every legal situation. As Cleve says he represents Mavericks who Dare Big, Plan Big, Think Big, and get into Big Trouble! Today, we talk about some of the legal considerations business owners really should be thinking about relating to building long term value and ultimately transitioning their business.Cleve Clinton, Partner - Gray Reed - [email protected] With a client list full of family businesses, Fortune 500 companies, and maverick risk-takers who won’t take “no” for an answer, Cleve Clinton knows what it takes to develop creative solutions when big ideas result in big problems. Whether he’s serving as lead counsel in one of the growing number of fiduciary litigation claims within family businesses, advising a family in transition, or helping a developer sidestep a legal and public relations disaster in a new residential community, Cleve’s focus is always the same – achieve the client’s goals, either in or out of the courtroom. His clients span nearly every industry, including beverage distribution, real estate, manufacturing, telecommunications, and transportation. After 40 years of litigation practice, Cleve has learned one absolute truth – there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. His starting point with every client is to fully understand their motivations and concerns so he can mirror their judgment. When the initial legal answer won’t solve the problem or is too costly, he seeks practical solutions that reveal new legal paths that minimize both the financial and emotional impact. And most important – if it’s not simple, it’s not the best solution. Cleve is dedicated to keeping clients informed about the latest legal and industry trends that impact their businesses. As a regular contributor to the firm’s blog, Tilting the Scales, he focuses on analyzing new and interesting business issues from a legal perspective.  Reach out to Cleve with your questions at  [email protected]. Tom Bronson is the founder and President of Mastery Partners, a company that helps business owners maximize business value, design exit strategy, and transition their business on their terms. Mastery utilizes proven techniques and strategies that dramatically improve business value that was developed during Tom’s career 100 business transactions as either a business buyer or seller. As a business owner himself, he has been in your situation a hundred times, and he knows what it takes to craft the right strategy. Bronson is passionate about helping business owners and has the experience to do it. Want to chat more or think Tom can help you?  Reach out at [email protected] or check out his book, Maximize Business Value, Begin with The Exit in Mind (2020).Mastery Partners, where our mission is to equip business owners to Maximize Business Value so they can transition their business on their terms.  Our mission was born from the lessons we’ve learned from over 100 business transactions, which fuels our desire to share our experiences and wisdom so you can succeed.Mastery PartnersElevating Businesses to Achieve The Business Owner’s Dream Exit The unfortunate reality is that for every business that comes on the market (for whatever reason), only 17% of them achieve a successful exit. You read that right. 83% of attempted business transitions never reach the closing table. Mastery Partners is on a mission to change that. We ELEVATE businesses to achieve maximum value and reach that dream exit.Our objectives are simple - understand where the business is today, identify opportunities for dramatic improvement, and offer solutions to enhance the business, making it more marketable and valuable. And that all starts with understanding the business owner’s definition of his or her dream exit.  Mastery has developed a 4-Step Process to help business owners achieve their dreams.STEP 1: Transition Readiness Assessment STEP 2: Roadmap for Value Acceleration STEP 3: Relentless Execution STEP 4: Decision: Now that desired results are achieved, the business is ready for the next step in the journey!CONNECT WITH MASTERY PARTNERS TO LEARN MORELinkedInWebsite© 2025 Mastery Partners, LLC.