Most entrepreneurs build businesses with their eyes fixed firmly on immediate success—revenue growth, market share, and short-term profitability. Yet, according to entrepreneur and business consultant Joshua Kirshbaum, this myopic focus often creates enterprises that cannot function without their founders’ constant involvement and businesses that collapse when their creators step away even briefly.
Kirshbaum, through Impact Ventures International (IVI), the consulting firm he co-founded in 2024, tackles core business vulnerabilities. He aims to show that companies can achieve lasting financial success while making a real social impact
“If you left your business for 30 days, would it still thrive when you returned? If the answer is no, you need IVI,” Kirshbaum states, cutting straight to the existential question that makes many business owners uncomfortable. This question highlights IVI’s main goal: creating businesses that run efficiently as assets, not liabilities, and don’t rely on the founder.
The Sustainability Crisis in Modern Business
The statistics tell a sobering story about business sustainability. According to industry data Kirshbaum cites, 80% of businesses sell because they have to, not because they want to—since what is called “the five Ds: death, divorce, disability, distress, and disagreement” force them to do so. This vulnerability represents not just a business challenge but a social one, creating cascading effects when businesses fail due to structural weaknesses rather than market forces.
Kirshbaum also emphasizes the value of bridging business and personal wealth. After working with investment firms and financial strategists, the founder saw that business owners who separate business and personal finances often lose millions during transitions.
“At Impact Ventures International, we align everything—business, legal, financial, and personal assets—into one cohesive exit strategy or scalable move,” Kirshbaum explains. “I take everything I’ve learned—business acquisitions, strategic growth, automation, financial structuring, and impact-driven leadership—and turn it into a system that helps entrepreneurs do the same. I work as the ‘quarterback’ of your team, where I collaborate with your lawyers, CPAs, advisors, family, etc. to make sure that, at the end of the day, everything we do for our clients fits their unique situation and they’re positioned for success.”
His technique draws from an unlikely source: humanitarian work. Before founding IVI, Kirshbaum oversaw the management of over 100 UN civil society contracts for over 15 years, raised over $20 million for humanitarian efforts worldwide, and developed 33 educational programs that launched the careers of 10,000 young adults globally.
This extensive humanitarian experience taught Kirshbaum a crucial lesson about organizational resilience. In refugee camps and conflict zones, he built programs that function amid chaos, personnel changes, and resource fluctuations—precisely the challenges that plague many businesses.
Building Systems That Outlast Their Founders
The cornerstone of Kirshbaum’s perspective in IVI is VentureMax360 (VM360), a comprehensive scaling system that integrates AI-driven analytics with Certified Exit Planning Advisor principles. Traditional consulting models often reinforce the centrality of the visionary founder. VM360 creates what Kelly Grandmaison, Kirshbaum’s business partner and IVI co-founder, describes as “a nervous system for businesses that keeps functioning regardless of who’s in charge.”
This outlook represents a fundamental shift from personality-driven entrepreneurship to systems-based business building. While traditional business culture celebrates the charismatic CEO, Kirshbaum’s humanitarian experience taught him that dependence on any single individual creates vulnerability. The results speak for themselves: according to case studies, clients using VM360 have doubled or tripled their valuations within 24 months.
Complementing VM360 is IVI’s Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPA) program, which helps business owners maximize value, mitigate risk, and structure high-yield exits. With millions of baby boomer business owners approaching retirement, many without succession plans, CEPA addresses a critical demographic challenge by guaranteeing owners can leave on their terms with their wealth intact.
IVI relies on IVSS Digital Office, an automated CRM and operations system that helps businesses run efficiently and scale easily. According to Kirshbaum, this system automation aims to remove the business owner as a bottleneck, creating resilience that continues functioning even during leadership transitions or unexpected disruptions.
“Every client we work with is building something stronger, smarter, and more valuable. Whether they’re preparing to sell, scale, or safeguard their future, IVI certifies they’re always in control of their next move,” Kirshbaum emphasizes.
When Profit Meets Purpose: The IVI Approach
Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Kirshbaum’s vision is IVI’s commitment to “integrated impact”—the belief that financial returns and social good aren’t opposing forces but complementary ones. The company’s three core principles—”GIVING to those in need, BUILDING towards a better future, and IMPACTING real change in the world”—are not just corporate platitudes but actionable commitments.
IVI has ambitious plans to donate over $1 million annually to nonprofit causes within three years of its founding. The company’s foundation has housed nearly 60 people whom the Los Angeles fires affected, supported over two dozen nonprofits in creating sustainable systems, and connected over 40,000 individuals with resources to start businesses.
“It’s not about competition—it’s about creating impact,” Kirshbaum says of their collaborative method with other consultants. It echoes the cooperative frameworks common in international humanitarian efforts.
This philosophy extends to how IVI measures success. While the company projects substantial growth, expecting to double in size within a year, this expansion is not measured solely in revenue or client numbers.
“Ultimately, success for IVI isn’t just about how much we grow or the size of our client base,” Kirshbaum reflects. “It’s about the lives we transform, the resources we give back, and the lasting impact we create.”
Excellence Years in the Making
Kirshbaum’s unique background prepared him for his integrative attitude on IVI. By age 22, he had built, scaled, and successfully exited two multimillion-dollar companies. He later worked across diverse sectors, consulting for organizations ranging from FIFA and Coca-Cola to global investment firms. He simultaneously chaired the LifeLong Learning Foundation, which created 30 community centers across Latin America.
“For years, I’ve worked across industries, borders, and disciplines—not just advising companies but building them from the ground up,” Kirshbaum explains.
This multidisciplinary experience enabled him to identify common structural challenges across seemingly unrelated industries and develop universal systems that address these vulnerabilities regardless of sector.
The IVI process addresses a critical market need: creating businesses that can thrive independently of their founders while maintaining alignment with broader social purposes.
Kirshbaum believes IVI’s methodology suggests a fundamental rethinking of what constitutes business success. By focusing on creating systems that can withstand chaos, personnel and economic changes, and resource fluctuations, he, through Impact Ventures International, offers businesses something more valuable than rapid growth—sustainable impact.
