Built to Sell Radio

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Ep 476 Exit Story: How Ben Landers Avoided an Earn-Out in His 8-Figure Sale of Blue Corona Jan 10, 2025

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Ben Landers built Blue Corona, an 8-figure digital marketing agency focused on home service businesses, into a data-driven powerhouse. When it came time to sell, Ben achieved something extraordinary: a clean exit with no earn-outs, a rare feat in the service business world where earn-outs are practically the norm.

Ep 475 Inside the Mind of an Acquirer: Adam Kerrigan on Selling His Service Business, Acquiring 16 More, and Moving From a 1X to a 15X Multiple Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

Adam Kerrigan started as the owner of a managed service provider (MSP) business, which he built and eventually sold. After his exit, he joined the acquiring company to lead its M&A group, where he completed 16 deals and helped build a private equity-backed organization.

In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Adam pulls back the curtain on how acquirers often push for cashless deals, offering equity instead of cash—and how sellers can negotiate to ensure they get the deal they deserve.

Ep 474 2024 Year-End Special: The Insider's Guide to Maximizing Your Exit Dec 27, 2024

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As we gear up for 2025, I wanted to highlight the top strategies covered this past year on Built to Sell Radio. These insights are designed to help you increase the value of your business and position yourself for a successful exit.

Ep 473 Exit Story: How Grace & Stella Survived a $28M Setback to Sell for 5.8x EBITDA Dec 20, 2024

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Imagine personally guaranteeing millions in debt to fill a $28M order—only to have it yanked at the last minute. It nearly bankrupted founder Adi Gullia as well as Grace & Stella. Yet he overcame it all and sold at a 5.8x EBITDA multiple.

Ep 471 Exit Story: Kaelon Egan on Selling AccelaSchool to PowerSchool, Targeting Strategic Buyers, and Avoiding Earn-Outs Dec 06, 2024

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In this week's episode of Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow interviews Kaelon Egan, the founder of AccelaSchool, who successfully sold his company to PowerSchool—a giant in the K-12 education technology space.

For most founders, the ultimate dream is to sell to a strategic acquirer: a well-funded, industry leader with deep pockets. Egan shares exactly how he positioned his company to become a natural acquisition target, avoiding common pitfalls along the way.

Ep 470 After the Deal: James Ashford on the Aftermath of Selling a 12-Employee Company for 8 Figures Nov 29, 2024

Show notes

James Ashford built GoProposal with a clear goal: to sell. From designing the logo with potential acquirers in mind to rallying his team around the vision, James executed his plan with precision. The result? An eight-figure sale to Sage, a FTSE 100 company. But what happened after the deal?

In this week's Built to Sell Radio, part of our After the Deal series, James opens up about life post-exit. Selling a company can bring financial freedom, but as James reveals, it also comes with unexpected challenges.

Ep 469 Inside the Mind of an Acquirer: The Private Equity Roll Up Playbook Nov 22, 2024

Show notes

If you're a business owner, chances are buyers are considering your industry for a roll-up. From veterinary clinics to auto body shops, pharmacies to advertising agencies—you name the industry, there's probably a private equity firm looking to roll it up.

This week's episode is part of our Inside the Mind of an Acquirer series, where we dive into the strategies and motivations of different types of buyers. Jordan Dubin, co-founder of Guild, shares how he raised $35 million to create a roll-up of garage door companies and reveals what he looks for in a potential acquisition.

Ep 468 The Hustler's Guide to a Big Exit: How Shane Neman Conquered the Business of Partying Nov 15, 2024

Show notes

What does it take to turn nightlife into big business? Med school dropout Shane Neman cracked the code on the nightclub industry, transforming its back office into a finely tuned, revenue-generating machine. From pioneering one of the first SMS platforms for small businesses to setting up his companies for top-dollar exits, Shane shares the technical strategies that turned his ideas into high-value assets.

Ep 467 From High School Dropout to $419M Exit: Mike Fata's Journey with Manitoba Harvest Nov 08, 2024

Show notes

Few founders exemplify resilience like Mike Fata, co-founder of Manitoba Harvest. Growing up in a single-parent, low-income household, Fata dropped out of school in grade 10, struggled with health issues, and found himself weighing 300 pounds by age 18. A life-changing commitment to health led him to discover hemp as a nutritional powerhouse, sparking his path to founding Manitoba Harvest and building it into one of North America's leading hemp food companies.

In his interview on Built to Sell Radio, Mike dives into the journey that saw him go from construction worker to the sale of Manitoba Harvest to Tilray for $419 million.

Ep 466 Building a $35M Home Services Business, Overcoming Personal Tragedy, Private Equity 'musical chairs', and Securing a 10x EBITDA Exit with Carrie Kelsch Nov 01, 2024

Show notes

When Carrie Kelsch was encouraged to start a garage door business back in 2004, she had no experience in the industry.

By 2022, her company, A Plus Garage Doors, was generating $35 million in revenue with 30% EBITDA margins. This week on Built to Sell Radio, host John Warrillow shares Carrie's journey—from her first steps in the home services industry to the personal tragedy that ultimately pushed her to consider selling.

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