About Beyond 50 Percent

About Beyond 50 Percent

We help business owners confidently and effectively transfer business ownership whether you're...

  • Buying a Business
  • Selling Your Business
  • Preparing Your Business for Sale

Meet Stephen

about beyond 50 percent photo of stephen krausse

My vision? A world where successful small businesses are the rule, not the exception.

I know success looks different to every entrepreneur because we're all different.

30 years of experience starting, buying, operating, and selling small businesses has taught me two things.

            1. Businesses are bought and sold on the perception of future value.
            2. Business owners are oftentimes experts in fields outside of business.

I built Beyond 50 Percent to help owners stay in the top 50% of businesses that are still around year after year. I developed Business BeyonDIY to help entrepreneurs make their way confidently through the processes of buying, selling, and preparing businesses for sale.

Publications & Media

What do I bring to my clients?

  • Experience

For over 30 years I have been starting and running small businesses through all levels of success. I have made and recovered from every mistake and throughout the process developed the problem-solving skills necessary to take a business from struggling to successful.

  • Knowledge

I have a degree in business management from Colorado State University and consider myself a lifelong learner. I’m always studying and seeking out new information on business strategy and success. You can see the fruits of my research through my extensive library of blog posts and podcasts [link here].

  • Passion

Throughout my life, business has been my passion. I’m an entrepreneur at heart. Starting from the age of 19, through my years in the Navy and 25 years of working hands-on, I’ve never been able to resist the pull of business. No matter the situation, I can’t help but see the potential in how to make a business or organization run more successfully.

My Story

Why are small businesses my passion? Well, It’s personal.

I’ve been starting and running businesses since the age of 19. While still in college, I scraped together some recording equipment and started a studio making tapes for local garage bands. (It was the 80’s.) I thought I wanted to be a musician but quickly realized what I actually enjoyed was not endless hours of practicing scales on the guitar, but instead working with a community to provide a valuable service and building a business. Leaving my rock star dreams behind, I jumped headfirst into entrepreneurship and joined my dad in the family business.

When my dad went all-in on an electronics business, taking out a second mortgage and setting up shop in the basement of our house, I was a key part of the start-up process. We then went on to make every mistake a small business could make—but we also achieved great success and built a strong company. After we successfully sold it in 2000, I took over and ran the company through the transition to new ownership. And after paying back $1.8 million dollars in corporate investment in 24 months, I ran the company debt-free and regularly profitable until 2018 when the opportunity to reacquire the company presented itself. In December of 2018, I was thrilled to restore the business to private, family ownership. Quite a journey, for a business, started in a basement!

Along the way, I graduated from Colorado State University’s College of Business and spent several years in the Navy. Even during my service in the Nuclear Propulsion program on submarines in the Navy, I couldn’t resist the pull of business. Finding ways to balance the supply and demand of our repair parts inventory was an interesting challenge for me.

My passion now is sharing my hard-earned knowledge and experience with small business owners facing the same trials I’ve been through. As a problem solver and an entrepreneur at heart, I love to dive deep into what makes a business work. I’ll help you identify the problems facing your business and then, even better, come up with solutions to help your small business run successfully (and profitably).

I believe in a hands-on approach, using my business experience and understanding of human behavior to develop practical solutions and a plan to apply them. Together, we can identify pain points in your business and develop actionable ways to address them for measurable success. Whether you are dealing with cash flow issues, inefficient processes, or questions about how to manage your team, I will work with you to find solutions that fit you and your business.

Let me help you blend your passion with the craft of running a business, to build success and achieve the results you dream about.

Are you ready to get started? Contact us to set up a complimentary session.