Episode 17: Where's My Money Series: Navigating Collections & How to Make it Work For You
Where’s my money? Unfortunately, it’s a question a lot of us have had to ask. In this series we explore options, and experiences, in pursuit of recovering monies owed for work conducted. For many it can feel like a hopeless situation and a confusing process to navigate in a way that minimizes risk for business and brand.
This third show in our series takes us into the world of business collections, in a riveting conversation with Dean Kaplan, President of The Kaplan Group, a full service business debt collection agency that’s based in Los Angeles, and serves clients nationwide.
Collections is a topic many small business owners, especially in client service, were curious to hear more about and this discussion does not disappoint.
We cover a lot of ground, including: ensuring contracts are in good shape; knowing when to call it; how and when to approach clients; when to bring on debt collection specialists; what the process looks like, and much more.
The Kaplan Group offers a range of free resources, including an ebook on “How to select a collection agency” and what to expect when you hire one.
Special Guest:
Dean Kaplan, President, The Kaplan Group
Dean Kaplan personally handles all large debt collection matters and has negotiated more than $500 million in business transactions. He’s also written more than 200 business plans. Dean graduated with an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In the two decades prior to joining The Kaplan Group, Dean ran a variety of manufacturing, technology and consulting businesses, both as an owner or senior executive.
Dean spent eight years as the President/Owner of AMI, Inc. (a custom fiberglass manufacturer for companies such as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Macy’s, Hard Rock Casinos and Guess) and seven years as the CFO/VP of Corporate Development of Beatnik Inc. (audio software found on more than a billion phones). As CFO/COO of venture funded Xing Technology, Dean negotiated the $75 million sale of the company after it developed the world’s first mp3 software recorder.
Dean has traveled to more than 40 countries negotiating large business deals with some of the largest tech, music and phone companies in the world. For one significant deal, he helmed a $250 million equity investment by a Japanese company into a US company that was owned by a British company.
