We are reflecting on an extraordinary year of the Buy Grow Sell podcast, where we delved into the triumphs and tribulations of nearly 100 business owners from across the globe. To wrap up this season, we rounded up the top insights from our guests that every business owner needs to know. Listen to our final episode of 2023 and leave with five integral tips to ensuring a successful business sale. See you next year! Connect with Simon Bedard LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srhbedard/ Website...
Dec 11, 2023•32 min
In episode 98 of the Buy Grow Sell Podcast, I sit down with Nick Fanto from Orbital Advisory and Joanna Oakey from Aspect Legal to discuss the complex challenges that arise when business partnerships go sour. Nick shares personal experiences and valuable insights into the importance of planning for unforeseen circumstances, such as illness or injury, which may impact the key revenue-generating individuals in your business. Together, we discuss the critical role of key person insurance and the si...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 4 min
From four frustrated moms crafting labels in a basement to a multi-million-dollar business model, Julie Cole and her co-founders navigated the challenges of co-founding a business while juggling parenthood and bootstrapping their startup. Eventually, Mabel’s Labels moved from a basement to a bigger basement to a 20,000 square foot facility before finally selling for $12M back in 2016. In this episode, Julie explores the ups and downs of having co-founders (especially when they are family) and th...
Sep 25, 2023•45 min
From growing her business to $1M then spending it all on a lawsuit, seeing her business fall apart on 9/11, having her father die six weeks later, and losing her house on the very same day as the funeral, Beate Chelette has faced her fair share of adversity. But she turned it around, rebuilding her business from scratch, and eventually selling it off to Bill Gates for 5x gross earnings. In this episode, she unveils her path from a single parent drowning in debt to a multimillion-dollar deal with...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min
If you’re an entrepreneur eyeing the outsourcing realm, then you’re in for a treat. Learn how Nathan Hirsch’s journey shifted from dollars to value, from e-commerce to building an empire of virtual assistants, to exiting and finding contentment in the freedom he gained after growing the business to eight figures. His journey spans from street smarts to business brilliance, as Nathan shares his experiences and wisdom that’s more than just numbers – it’s about crafting a life on your terms. Connec...
Aug 28, 2023•53 min
As one of Australia’s most successful businesspeople, Radek Sali blends over a decade in the service industry with a lifetime of health and wellness knowledge, and pairs it with a conscious business philosophy that puts people first. Under his helm, he transformed Swisse Wellness Group into one of the largest wellness brands in the country before negotiating a $1.7B acquisition deal with a Hong Kong-based company. He used the proceeds to continue on his path of bringing light to the world throug...
Aug 14, 2023•46 min
Hampus Jakobsson co-founded the company at the age of 21 with his university friends and sold it eight years later for $150 million to Blackberry. Over coffee. While usually a 9-figure exit takes more than a year to complete, this acquisition took place in less than six weeks. Why? Because Hampus and his co-founders spent those eight years building the perfect product for the market, making it irresistible for Blackberry, and in turn securing an offer the team couldn’t say no to. Connect with Ha...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 7 min
As a self-described scaler, Kurt Uhlir has helped start and run businesses from start-up to hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, been a part of over 60 transactions, and built teams across almost every continent. He came onto the Buy Grow Sell Podcast to share some of his stories about scaling, how to recruit the right people to grow fast and effectively, what he looks for in strategic acquisitions, and how he embeds his values into everything he does. From starting a web hosting p...
Jul 17, 2023•54 min
Sophie Howard, Founder of Aspiring Entrepreneurs, has started, scaled, and sold six and seven-figure online businesses. Sophie started online with an Amazon business in 2013, which she sold for over $1 million USD in 2015. As well as launching over 1,000 products, she has built educational programs teaching thousands of students how to sell online. She is now focusing her efforts on buying other online businesses and teaching others how to build a portfolio of income-generating assets. Learn her...
Jul 03, 2023•50 min
Imagine growth so fast, you needed to double your headcount every 120 days. How do you build a sustainable business this way? More importantly, how do you exit? In the latest episode of the Buy Grow Sell podcast, Sunny Vanderbeck, a successful entrepreneur and investor, walks us through the start, rapid growth, then exit of his business Data Return. Over three years, it grew a staggering 40% every quarter before reaching a $3 billion market capitalisation. Sunny operated at the helm throughout t...
Jun 19, 2023•55 min
Getting tips from a computer about how to act more human seems a little counterintuitive. But Shruti Kapoor’s software, Wingman, takes that role very seriously. The application allows salespeople to get real time feedback on mannerisms, and when to pick up on social cues. The trio of founders include Shruti Kapoor, who speaks about how they developed the product, approached seeking capital, and how they went on to quickly sell to an enterprise software company. Proof that a Wingman, is still you...
Jun 05, 2023•51 min
Jeffrey Deckman is a serial entrepreneur who bootstrapped 2 multi-million-dollar companies, several non-profits, and multiple political organisations. Despite his early dream of becoming a field operator in his dad’s industry, Jeffrey became a business owner and leader. However, after 15 years into his second business, Synet, he realised that it was time for him to exit. He shares his journey of leaving the business, how he sold it to his partners, and how he found fulfilment again afterward. Co...
May 22, 2023•52 min
Tom Jackobs went from being 40 pounds overweight to being at the helm of a very successful fitness centre within a decade. His transformation from cushy corporate to SME was both mental and physical as he learned what to do – and what not to do – as a small business owner. After growing the business to $600k in annual revenue, Tom sold Body3 Personal Fitness to transform into the next stage of his life as the Impact Pilot. He now helps entrepreneurs generate more income through better sales stra...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 3 min
The hardest job in business is being in middle management, according to this episode’s guest. With people above and below you, you’re stuck in a sandwich trying to create change. For Mark Janes, he realised he was spending his career building great businesses for other people when he decided he should do it for himself. As a company builder and highly successful entrepreneur, Mark has grown and exited three businesses, including ConnectedYard, which he grew to a value of 20x initial investment b...
Apr 24, 2023•49 min
To be successful in a business you must be passionate about the problem you’re solving. This advice comes from 3-time serial SaaS/DaaS entrepreneur, CEO, Board Director, and tech executive, Alexander Rink. His most recent exit was to the tune of 8-figures after coming on and pivoting 360pi from a consumer comparison platform (B2C) to a market intelligence platform for retailers (B2B). Along the way, Alex maintained a Net Promoter Score in the 40-60% range and an annual recurring revenue retentio...
Apr 10, 2023•55 min
There are four questions an entrepreneur needs to ask themselves. With more than 25 years of entrepreneurship and business management experience, Ian Silverberg boils down every business decision and every interaction with his clients to these four questions and considers them the throughlines between buying, growing, and selling a business. In this episode, you’ll walk away with a four-question framework for defining your purpose, elevating your impact, and unlocking both personal and professio...
Mar 27, 2023•41 min
Ryan Niddel has the Midas Touch. He’s the leading authority on improving revenue of companies by improving EBITDA through increased operational efficiency, lean manufacturing principles, and more. In fact, in one 2.5 year period, he successfully tripled the revenue of more than 5 companies, adding an extra $950M in valuations. Ryan’s passion for growth is balanced by a natural curiosity and humility that allows him to create the processes necessary to proceed. Learn his top tips for scaling in t...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Interested in trends shaping the B2B tech space? Not sure whether you should invest in video or in an AI-based content creation tool? Curious to see how ChatGPT is going to overthrow your current workflows? Tune into this episode of the Buy Grow Sell podcast and learn from marketing technology expert, Josh Sweeney. As a digital disruptor, Josh Sweeney is a seasoned entrepreneur whose relentless drive has given him the platform to build big ideas, and even bigger companies. You’ll learn how to ha...
Feb 27, 2023•57 min
Bryan Clayton went from mowing lawns to owning a lawnmowing business to owning a lawnmowing services app. He started mowing lawns in high school before turning it into a 150+ person company that turned over $10M a year in annual revenue. After selling it, and finding himself emotionally adrift, Bryan decided to beat the Ubers and the Marketplaces of the world and build an app for his industry before someone else did. The result was... a lot of hard work, but he shares some valuable lessons aroun...
Feb 20, 2023•56 min
Jonathan Jay has bought, grown, and sold businesses in publishing, digital marketing, adult education and coaching, and preschool education. His M.O.? Strategically acquire and then sell to strategic acquirers in turn. Some of his highlights include: Making 48 business acquisitions to create the 4th largest group in his sector in under three years Buying a digital marketing business for £1 and selling it for £1.3M later Purchasing a competitor in just five days Tune in for a host of lessons on h...
Feb 13, 2023•58 min
Gary Guseinov has spent his career successfully buying, growing, and selling businesses. As the founder of CyberDefender and the CEO of RealDefense where he acquires other cybersecurity companies, Gary has a proven playbook of making profitable business decisions. His experience on every side of the transaction process means he has a lot to share with entrepreneurs whether they’re building their first business or moving into acquisitions to accelerate their growth. Tune in and learn his framewor...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Most entrepreneurs dream of selling to a Fortune 500 Company. However, how many entrepreneurs build a business that a Fortune 500 Company would want to buy? Aaron Walker, at the ripe old age of 27, exited his pawn shop business to Cash America for 7 figures. After nine years of paying himself an $18,000 annual salary so he could pour the money back into the business, Aaron found himself on the other side of those once-in-a-lifetime exits most entrepreneurs seek. But his story comes with a lesson...
Jan 30, 2023•46 min
From an early age, wherever Zain Hasan saw problems, he wondered how he could fix it. Entrepreneurship was in his DNA, from selling ready-made chicken sandwiches as a kid to growing three successful businesses – and disrupting the health insurance system in America along the way. After a botched acquisition, Zain knew there was much to be improved in the world of mergers and acquisitions, so he set out to challenge the status quo. Through rapid growth and accolades, he led his firm through being...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr
While the rest of her MBA class were starting projects they thought would change the world, Angela Mader was developing a fitness journal. That journal, fitbook®, went on to challenge the status quo in the fitness industry with its strong branding around real people, realistic expectations, and healthy inspiration. What started out as a passion project ended up in over 16,000 retail stores around the world, became a national bestselling item in Target, catapulting a wellness business that develo...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Stuart Crane spent 20 years developing his software company that digitised patient records for the healthcare industry. He and his business partner started out on floppy disks and ended up with $44M cash in their pockets twenty years later. This episode explores how they developed a winning idea, grew market share, and built a profitable business model within its first year of operations. Tune in for the key ingredients that created a scalable SaaS business model that sold for 9x EBITDA. Connect...
Jan 09, 2023•51 min
Ken Burke is a serial entrepreneur, thought leader, sought-after speaker, mentor, and author. He joins us on the Buy Grow Sell podcast to discuss the growth and exit of his ecommerce software platform, MarketLive. Bootstrapped in 1995, Ken talks about how he pivoted to a fully operational SaaS business, managed challenging relationships with VC funders, and overcame all the usual roadblocks to become a market leader for 20+ years. When Ken did sell, it was for a life-changing $100M. Learn all ab...
Dec 12, 2022•46 min
Nicky Senyard never ran a tech company before, had no experience generating new markets, and didn’t know how she would fare as a CEO. Yet she sold her house in Australia, moved to Canada, bootstrapped her affiliate marketing company, Income Access, and broke even in just 9 months. From then, she grew her business from 3 employees to 90 over 14 years, servicing over 25,000 affiliates, and then secured a $40M exit in 2016. Her story is an authentic look at what it takes to be a leader and how to s...
Nov 28, 2022•51 min
JL Needham has bought, grown, and sold multiple businesses over the past few years with most of his career spent in big tech with Adobe, Google, and Amazon. From helping brands grow in Amazon’s marketplace ecosystem to renovating businesses he acquired to pass over to the next long-term owners, JL operates with a growth mindset. His journey has taken him from one side of the negotiation table to the other as he grew and sold his business venture, Valence, then shifted over to acquiring, flipping...
Nov 21, 2022•52 min
Anson Sowby’s hard work and business acumen had created a successful creative agency that was churning out award-winning work for some of the biggest brands in the world. But the business hit a limit. He and his co-founder realised that in order to scale up to the next level and take on bigger clients with bigger budgets, they would need to access external capital. When they started working with the right advisors who helped them position the business for investment and introduced a CFO, the bus...
Nov 14, 2022•45 min
A successful business doesn’t always have to be the flashiest one. Take Jean-Eric’s farm clean-up business, which nailed the simple need that farmers had in the Prairies of Canada. They wanted scrap farm equipment off their property and Jean-Eric’s team was able to recycle it at scale. A true win-win for all parties involved. But as the business grew, new challenges arose, including a partnership breakdown. The latest episode of the Buy Grow Sell podcast provides some fascinating insight into ho...
Nov 07, 2022•59 min
