Jeff Kalil

Growth2Exit

Business EN ↓ 5 episodes

Growth2Exit is the podcast for business owners who want to build a company worth buying — and one day exit on their own terms. Host Jeff Kalil sits down with entrepreneurs to unpack their real journeys: the wins, the failures, the hard-won lessons, and the strategies behind growing, valuing, buying, and selling a business. Each episode blends honest inspiration with practical, exit-ready insight to help small business owners increase the value of what they've built. Whether you're years from an exit or simply want to run a stronger, more valuable business, you'll leave with ideas you can use.

Author

Jeff Kalil

Episodes

How Ron Ameln Accidentally Bought a Magazine & Built a Business on Fundamentals 07.07.2026 35:28

Ron Ameln didn't set out to own St. Louis Small Business Monthly — a chance dinner conversation and a deal that fell through landed him in the owner's seat in 2007. In this episode, Ron walks Jeff through what it really takes to turn around a struggling publication, including swapping out the wrong people for the right ones, diversifying a revenue stream that was 98% print advertising, and reframi...

SBA Lending Secrets for Buying a Business with Brian Phillips | Growth2Exit S1E2 01.07.2026 38:08

Brian Phillips has spent 28 years in banking, and he became an SBA specialist for the best reason: he once had a terrible experience applying for one himself. In this episode, Brian and Jeff walk through the two main SBA loan types (7(a) and 504), how banks set their own policies on top of SBA's standard operating procedures, and why a seller carryback note can make or break a deal. They also dig...

From Bankruptcy to 700% Growth: Chris Kuban on Building a Sellable PR Business 01.07.2026 43:33

Chris Kuban started Chemistry PR & Multimedia out of necessity during the 2008 recession and spent 16 years learning hard lessons—including a bankruptcy that cost him his car and nearly everything else. In this episode, Chris opens up about the 700% revenue surge that forced him to rethink how the business was structured, why joining the Entrepreneurs' Organization accelerator changed his mind...

Welcome to Growth2Exit (Trailer) 29.06.2026 2:49

Welcome to Growth2Exit — the podcast for business owners who want to grow, value, and one day exit their business on their own terms. Host Jeff Kalil (VR Business Brokers of St. Louis) interviews entrepreneurs about the real journey. Learn more at growth2exit.com.

Sara Stock (Stock Legal): Checklists, Casting Your Vision & Building a Sellable Business 26.06.2026 34:48

In the debut episode of Growth2Exit, host Jeff Kalil sits down with Sara Stock, business attorney and owner of Stock Legal in St. Louis. Jeff (a former Army helicopter pilot) and Sara draw parallels between flying and running a business: pre-flight checklists, weight-and-balance, and planning your route all the way to the exit. They dig into why legal shouldn't be a gating item that keeps owners f...