SPRING 2025
Gratitude and Reflection
As I step into this new role as the Chair of the IBBA
Board of Governors, I do so in a truly humble place
of gratitude, especially considering I have some
pre�y tough shoes to fill, following the great Pino
Bacinello. For those that don’t know me very well, I
hope to get to know you someday soon. But, for now
here’s a quick overview of my business brokerage
journey. I started out on the corporate side for
Transworld Business Advisors’ parent company,
United Franchise Group, overseeing marketing and
franchise development in 2011. As Transworld was
beginning to grow, I really was intrigued with the
idea of brokering businesses, so much that I joined
Andy Cagne�a’s team here in South Florida. I recall
taping drop le�ers (recruited my teenage children
to help out) to doors on the final day of training
week. It was during this time that I realized the
importance of mentorship. It is so hard to get
started in this business without proper mentorship.
IBBA has been and will continue to be a great
resource for new brokers to seek out mentors.
Fast forward through a plethora of listings that
were likely never going to sell, but gave me a
tremendous amount of experience to leapfrog the
learning curve. I joined the IBBA shortly therea�er
and started to capture all the great tools, education,
and relationships that molded my career. In 2017,
I volunteered for the education commi�ee of the
BBF (Business Brokers of Florida) and on the first
commi�ee call, I learned I was the most senior
broker and stepped up to teach the first of many
educational seminars in the South Florida district.
This is where I really began to love and understand
the most important element of our practice
– education and peer to peer networking. In
a�endance at almost all the BBF Seminars was the
great Barry Berkowitz. His heart and passion for
what we do as brokers is unquestionable and he is
one of the major reasons I became actively involved
in the IBBA.
One of the best ways I encourage brokers today
is to get involved…whether that’s on a commi�ee,
taking courses, a�ending events, creating content,
or simply mentoring/being mentored. There is
no be�er way to grow your own practice than to
learn from and teach others. And, of course, our
CBI program is way more than just the 3-le�er
acronym. The amount of work and energy behind
ERIN CRAWFORD
CBI | 2025 IBBA Chair
Leading with Gratitude:
A Vision for 2025