He Took a $10M Business to Nearly $0 (On Purpose). Here’s Why.

Jim Schultz started his company, Applied Educational Systems (AES), with a $2,500 investment out of his parents' basement.Thirty-six years later, he sold it.But he had to survive reinvention first.We talk about the bold decision to walk away from a successful business model and rebuild the company from the ground up. The transition wasn't easy. Revenue disappeared, the team shrank dramatically, and Jim and his wife emptied retirement accounts to keep the vision alive.Jim shares what he learned about leadership, recurring revenue, building a strong management team, and why waiting until you're ready to sell is too late to start preparing for an exit.If you're building a company, leading through change, or thinking about what comes next, this conversation is full of lessons earned the hard way.Build Something Magnetic.