By Josh John, Creative Business Council

What could a business owner possibly get out of writing a blog for their bank?

That’s what I asked myself when Riverland Bank approached me. But then I remembered – it was actually a chance conversation at their anniversary party that set the stage for what I shared next with Stephanie over cocktail shrimp and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts.

We started talking about how rare it is to find a banking partner who actually knows the small business owner. Not the billion-dollar company or the tech startup, but the founder-led trades business. The one with 25 to 80 employees, where the owner started with a great idea 10 to 20 years ago and is now wrestling with how to eventually get out of the day-to-day without the whole thing falling apart.

That’s our world at CBC – the Creative Business Council.
We’re a network of CEO and leadership peer groups across the Twin Cities, built specifically for the trades, construction, and manufacturing spaces. We work with the founders who are still in the trenches – the ones who know what it’s like to lose sleep over payroll and wonder how to turn a good business into a transferrable one.

 

The Money Side of Maturity

 

Inside CBC, we use a framework called The CBC Way – an assessment that helps business owners pinpoint where they are on their journey and what needs to evolve next.
Two of those stages focus entirely on money:

1. The company’s relationship with cash – how it’s generated, used, and protected.

2. The company’s financial infrastructure – the tools, people, and partnerships that support it.

Early on, most businesses blur the line between personal and business cash. Vehicles, phones, vacations, meals, “marketing” golf trips – it’s all fair game. And honestly, it’s normal. But as the company matures, that has to change.

A growing organization must begin to protect its operational cash from “ownership theft.” It’s not malicious – it’s human. The same instincts that helped the founder survive in the early years now get in the way of scale. The owner’s job eventually becomes learning to see the business not as their wallet but as a cash-generating engine that must stay fueled to keep producing.

And that’s where the banking partner comes in.

 

Why Small Banking Partners Make a Big Difference

 

Big banks rarely focus on this stage of business. The under-$20M companies, the ones that are stable, growing, and employing dozens of people, often get overlooked.

But smaller, relationship-driven banks like Riverland don’t just wait until you’ve “arrived.” They show up while you’re still climbing.

That’s when it matters most.

Because even a strong business will hit cash-flow turbulence – a bad customer, a slow receivable, a three-payroll month. When that happens, the owner doesn’t need an 800-number. They need a banker who understands the rhythm of their business and can move fast to bridge the gap.

Once an organization starts keeping cash – not just generating it – it becomes an economic influencer. Deposits grow. Lending conversations shift. Banks start competing for your business. But that stage only comes after a company has learned to stop draining its own tank.

And for that, having the right financial partners early on makes all the difference.

 

Our Work with Riverland Bank

 

Since 2024, CBC has partnered closely with Riverland Bank, with special acknowledgement of Brett Howells, Riverland’s Leader of Commercial and Industrial Banking, leaning on their team in both good times and tight ones. We’ve connected many of our members with them – whether that’s a tough debt conversation during a rough patch or a growth loan once reserves start to build.

What we’ve found is simple:
When your banking partner leans in early, you can build a healthier, more resilient business that’s ready for the next owner – not dependent on the current one.

So if you’re a business owner who’s outgrown the “personal checking account that happens to have a logo,” and you’re ready for a real relationship with your banker, talk to Riverland.

And if you want to be around other blue-collar leaders who have real conversations about profit, cash balances, and the uncomfortable next steps that actually move a business forward, join us at the Creative Business Council.

Because your business won’t be truly valuable until it’s built to run without you.

 

Josh John
Head of Operations

Creative Business Council