How2Exit: Buy, Don't Build - M&A of Small Businesses

Jeff Wald is the chairman and co-founder of multiple tech startups, a bestselling author, investor, and keynote speaker. He grew up with a lot of support, but wasn't an entrepreneurial child. His first job was at JP Morgan as a mergers and acquisitions banker and he loved it, working 120 hours a week. Wald is passionate about pursuing one's own dreams and encourages others to do so. He is thankful...

Eric is the founder at ExitGuide, an M&A platform for Main Street businesses. He is a longtime tech executive and entrepreneur who began his career at broadcast.com and worked for Yahoo in the UK and California, eventually moving back into early stage technology companies. A veteran in the internet space, having started his career in the mid-90s selling webcasting services. His rise to fame be...

Tony is an experienced corporate executive, advisor and board member whose career has spanned two decades at Fortune 500 B2B and B2C companies. Tony is a Partner with Omicron Partners, a strategy, operations and transformation advisory firm where he primarily engages with Private Equity portfolio and private companies in the middle market. He has extensive experience in post-acquisition integratio...

Neil shares how he became the VP of Corporate Development and M&A at Meriplex. He attributes his success to his 39 years of experience in the business, his dedication to technology communities, and God's perfect timing in his life. Neil Medwed has over 39 years in the technology and managed service provider industry and is Meriplex's VP of Corporate Development and M&A, responsible for lea...

Michael Fink is the Co-CEO of Treasure Hunter, and is currently living in a small city in Munich called Burghausen, which is home to the longest castle in the world. He was invited to the How2Exit Podcast to discuss his experience in buying, growing, and owning media assets. Fink began his journey more than 10 years ago when he and his then-girlfriend, now-wife co-funded Ever Growing with €1,000 a...

Natu Myers is the founder of raises.com, a platform that helps companies raise money. Most of his educational background was in software development and coding. He soon noticed that companies wanted to raise money, but had little knowledge of how to do it compliantly. Natu worked with mentors and coaches, and he worked with a Canadian company that was legally allowed to raise money for companies....

Jim Afinowich is the managing partner of IBG Fox & Fin and has been involved in over 1100 closings. He shared his origin story, stating that he had owned fourteen businesses between the ages of twenty and thirty-four before deciding that he enjoyed doing deals more than running the businesses he owned. He believes that all businesses have common denominators such as managing people, managing m...

Shannon Wilburn and Ron Skelton discussed how she started Just Between Friends, a consignment sale business. She began it in 1997 when her son was just 2 years old. Just Between Friends is a franchise system with over 150 locations that generated almost $42 million in system-wide sales in 2022. Franchising has helped Wilburn share the model and give people the opportunity to become business owners...

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/wH-zHBle2ZM Roland Frasier is an investor and business strategist with over 1,000 acquisitions and exits completed for himself and his clients. His current portfolio includes real estate, restaurants, business, and home services, events, eLearning, e-commerce, franchise, and SaaS businesses. He has been a principal of 6 different Inc. Fastest growing...

In this episode, they talked about Mark's book, Exit Right. The book focuses on how to sell a business. Mark has sold companies as a CEO, invested in over a hundred businesses, and been on dozens of boards. He also shared why some transactions fail, what makes a good client, and more. He wanted to provide real stories and advice to help entrepreneurs navigate the process and make better decisions....

Nate Lind, is the author of Maximum Exit - The Definitive Guide for Internet & Technology Focused Business Founders and a business broker at Website Closers, the largest marketplace of $1 million to $150 million dollar Internet, Technology and E-commerce businesses. Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad inspired Lind to dream of financial freedom and passive income. He exited his first company in 2016, wh...

Christian Haack is a Business Development and Strategy Consultant. He helps business owners and executives to make their business acquisition ready, investable and sellable. Christian is known as "The Exit Angel" because he prepares and positions SMEs for maximum growth and exits. Christian is on a mission: No business should be closed because it is unsellable. So he created the Dealbuddies Platfo...

Marc's new book is "The Soul of the Deal-creative frameworks for buying, selling, and investing in any business". He's the Mentor-at-Large for UC Berkeley's $100MM seed fund and $50MM Opportunity Fund and their portfolio companies, and taught Berkeley's "Street Smart Startups" course. He Co-Founded software company Within3 which was sold to global PE powerhouse Insight Partners. As Founder and Man...

Alex Nghiem is a business broker and M&A advisor who specializes in helping digital agencies, B2B consulting firms and SAAS companies exit at $2M and above. He's also a partner in the SAAS Mastermind who helps SAAS companies scale and exit. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling the world, salsa dancing and watching movies. Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/w6Or7DcZsiw --------------------...

Joe is an international lawyer who started his career at the number one international M&A and finance law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Joe also clerked at the Securities and Exchange Commission, worked at Baker & McKenzie, Morgan Lewis Bockius, and the Seattle City Attorney's Office. Joe specializes in mergers and acquisitions and gives clients world class legal advisory at a loca...

Gia Cilento is an acquisition entrepreneur and a co-founder of a couple of projects that I'm working on. In this conversation, Gia shares her origin story and how she got into the space of acquisition entrepreneurship. She started her own project when she was only 8 years old and wanted to make some money for her family. She eventually made her way into corporate and then book publishing and also...

Blake Hutchison is the CEO at Flippa, the largest marketplace to buy and sell online businesses. He's seen more entrepreneurs exit than perhaps anyone else and specializes in growth marketing, marketplace dynamics and leadership. Flippa - #1 Marketplace to Buy & Sell Online Businesses -------------------------------------------------- Contact Blake on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blak...

Peter is the founder and CEO of Axial, an online M&A platform that connects exit-seeking American business owners with M&A advisors and acquirers. Peter started Axial in 2009 after working in private equity. Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/I-QgjAm0fuU -------------------------------------------------- Contact Peter on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/plehrman/ Email: peter@axial...

Jan Simon is the managing partner of Vonzeo Capital Partners, a fund that invests in search funds globally. He is the Director of the International Search Fund Center at IESE Business School. Jan worked for nearly two decades in the investment industry, including Salomon Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. He teaches the Entrepreneurial Acquisition course at Berkeley, Cambridge, IESE, and O...

Former M&A lawyer turned entrepreneur. Sold his last company for $26M and now the CEO of Dealmaven where they help entrepreneurs scale their businesses using mergers and acquisitions. -------------------------------------------------- Contact Raleigh on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raleigh-williams-32477042/ Website: dealmaven.io -------------------------------------------------- How2...

Steve Baker - Vice President, The Great Game of Business, Inc. Steve coauthored Get in the Game as well as the update of the number one bestseller, The Great Game of Business—20th Anniversary Edition. Known for his engaging and irreverent style, Steve is a top-rated, sought-after speaker and coach on open-book management, strategy and execution, leadership, and employee engagement. His audiences r...

In Sept. of 2021, Mark O’Donnell and eight of his colleagues scaled Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental U.S. Then came the more challenging part: When one of the hikers showed signs of severe altitude sickness, the team had to join forces to get her down to safety as soon as possible — which they did, saving her life. Perhaps no story better encapsulates why Mark is not only a success...

Hans is the Founder and Principal of Sperling Law Corporation, a leading law firm that helps businesses close the best deals while also protecting their legal interests. They've represented hundreds of small and billion-dollar companies in a wide range of business transactions, including M&A and joint ventures, intellectual property protection, and general corporate matters. Hans has 20+ years...

Robert has been buying small businesses since 1999. They are now partnering with individuals who are ready to buy their first small business but don't know exactly how to begin. Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/lTSCXIbr5nA -------------------------------------------------- Contact Robert on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smallbizbuyer/ Website: www.smallbizacquisitions.com FB Group: ht...

Mark Willis, CFP®️ is a man on a mission to help you think differently about your money, your economy and your future. Mark is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™️, a three-time #1 Best Selling Author and the owner of Lake Growth Financial Services, a financial firm in Chicago, Illinois. As co-host of the Not Your Average Financial Podcast™️, he shares some of his strategies for investing in real estate,...