Meet Adam Sonnhalter | Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam Sonnhalter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk is like beauty, it’s in the eye of the beholder. I left Wall Street in 2003 to start my own business and haven’t looked back since. Some people would view giving up a paycheck as being risky but it’s what freed me from having to rely upon someone else. Shannon took the plunge in 2022 after a 20+ year career in the healthcare industry. When it comes to business, we view it to be more risky to put your fate in someone else’s hands than relying on your own skills and abilities. As a small business owner we get to choose who we work with including employees and customer.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of the wonderful things I’ve learned about small business over the years is that you don’t need to be the expert when it comes to the products or services of the business in order to run the business. Take me and Shannon for instance. My background is in finance with investment banking for 10 years and then 20+ years as a small business coach. Shannon’s background is in child development in the medical field. Yet we now own a business that teaches kids how to draw even though we had no background in drawing before buying the business. Between valuing and advising companies on their daily operations over the years, I’ve realized just how similar business can be and so we bring our expertise in running business to our small business. Working with your spouse isn’t for everyone. I grew up with parents who worked together for 40 years and we have coached dozens of couples who happen to also be business partners as part of our business coaching so we are aware of many of the ups and downs of being in business with your spouse.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow, OK. For the Cleveland area we would definitely want to catch a ballgame so if it’s summer time we’d go see the Tribe play. We’d also want to hit a few museums including the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Museum of Art. In addition we’d hit a comedy show at Hilarities one night. We’d take a little fishing trip one morning on Lake Erie to catch some perch or walleye. We’d spend some time eating and drinking in Ohio City as well as the Warehouse District and East 4th Street. Last, but not least, we’d get in a few bike rides in the local Metro Parks.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Being part of Young Rembrandts is our first direct exposure to the franchising industry. We wouldn’t have had nearly the success as quickly as we have without the support and direction of our friends back at the corporate office, in particular our business coach Chris. No matter the challenge or opportunity in front of us, we can always be sure to get some good insight and guidance from the franchisor which is very different from being out totally on your own as a small business owner.

Website: https://www.youngrembrandts.com/gcw-oh

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsonnhalter/

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