Sometimes you have to step back and really look at your business the way a buyer would. Dustin Williamson brings that perspective as Managing Director of Houston for vcfo, shaped by his journey from small town West Texas to venture capital in Phoenix, and a variety of turnaround and exit experiences along the way. Key themes included: 1. Owner fallacies and unrealistic valuation expectations 2. Importance of buyer’s perspective in exits 3. Role of fractional CFO in SMBs 4. Turnarounds: value dri...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 46
When Idan Spizear immigrated from Israel, he started out cleaning carpets, quickly realizing that the real value was in genuinely caring for customers going through tough situations, not just fixing the problem at hand. By always looking for ways to add value—listening, being present, and helping homeowners feel calm through emotional disasters—he built a restoration business that thrives on empathy and human connection. Today, as the founder of 911 Restoration franchise, he focuses on empowerin...
Jun 03, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 42
John Martinka is all about relationships, whether he’s helping someone buy or sell a business or teaching new advisors about the industry. He believes no one wants to do business without a foundation of trust and mutual respect, and that marketing yourself is just as important as your technical skills. John’s experience—from concert promotion to years of M&A consulting in the Seattle area—taught him that creating authentic relationships, giving back through organizations like Rotary, and hel...
May 27, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Saul Cohen, drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey and the experience of watching his father navigate building and exiting a business, now specializes in helping business owners plan for successful exits and avoid common pitfalls. His work focuses on making sure entrepreneurs consciously decide whether they’re building a lifestyle business or an asset to sell, and then guiding them through the next steps—whether that’s careful tax planning, optimizing for risk, or preparing for acquisition...
May 20, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Tim Smith started out as a child actor and singer in New York City, then turned to business. He got the investing bug, started building his own wealth management and advisory firms, and over time became the founder of a boutique financial services platform with around 100 advisors and billions under oversight. Along the journey, he not only helped entrepreneurs prepare for their exit and long-term financial health but also became a real advocate for financial literacy, especially for creatives a...
May 13, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 42
M.C. Laubscher is a dynamic entrepreneur, investor, and best-selling author dedicated to empowering business owners through innovative wealth strategies. As the founder of Producers Wealth, he enhances financial well-being across the U.S., while his educational platform, Cashflow Ninja, has influenced over 7 million people globally. Renowned for his acclaimed podcasts and publications, M.C. shares valuable insights on financial independence and legacy-building, earning recognition from Entrepren...
Jan 07, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 41
With over 25 years of experience in electrical engineering, physics, and sales, Mike has tapped into the unique insights of how technology and process can revolutionize sales strategy. As CEO of Patter AI, he continues to champion these revolutionary tech-driven strategies that supercharge strategic sales and has been instrumental in the extraordinary growth of several high profile companies. These methodologies are now detailed further in ‘Sales Sucks’, his newest book, co-authored by friend an...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 40
Liz Steblay has been a wise mentor to thousands of self-employed professionals, helping them realize their dreams of becoming solo entrepreneurs. With decades of experience building her own solopreneur career, including founding a national talent agency that made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. twice , Liz has distilled the formula for solopreneur success down to six essential keys. As the bestselling author of Succeeding as a Solopreneur , published in partne...
Nov 26, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Justin Goodbread is a renowned entrepreneur, author, and business coach with over 30 years of experience in scaling and exiting successful businesses. Beginning his entrepreneurial journey at just 15, Justin learned early the transformative power of business ownership and financial independence. His impressive track record includes selling his last business for over $10 million within just 49 months, marking him as a top-tier expert in the business community. Justin's expertise is particularly v...
Nov 19, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 38
With over 21 years of experience as a CEO, Adam Coffey has led three major companies under private equity sponsors, mastering turnarounds and acquisitions. He's an author of bestselling books, like The Exit Strategy Playbook , and brings his wealth of experience to his consulting practice, guiding numerous entrepreneurs towards successful exits. Beyond his professional achievements, Adam cherishes personal growth and work-life balance, offering invaluable advice on building strong company cultur...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Seth Damski, the visionary behind Old City Investment Partners, curated an extraordinary event – the "Alpha on the Delta" conference. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill finance gathering; picture engaging discussions during the day and epic performances by The Rolling Stones at night. Quite a unique experience, right? "So if we're really doing our job right, you know, we've gotten to know our investors, you know, really well. Often over the course of years, if not decades." Key themes included: Ef...
Nov 05, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Cindy Carrillo is a dynamic entrepreneur and coach dedicated to supporting business leaders and entrepreneurs. From founding a pivotal backup care program to helping companies create boutique benefits, Cindy's career has been marked by a blend of strategic innovation and compassionate leadership. She's passionate about guiding others through change and transitions, offering a unique immersion coaching experience on her picturesque ranch in Colorado. Her book, "Finding Your Next," delves into ove...
Oct 29, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Adam House, a serial entrepreneur with seven businesses under his belt, knows the dedication it takes to build a thriving startup, often working 100-hour weeks. He advocates for running lean, believing economic constraints steer clear of poor decisions, and emphasizes the need for solid foundations and strategic vision over merely capital. Adam's personal journey took him from a successful exit at age 32 to fulfilling a lifelong dream in semi-pro basketball, only to return to business with renew...
Oct 22, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Surabhi Shenoy is a CEO Coach who helps ambitious tech founders scale their businesses and increase the value of their business to achieve lasting wealth. Her unique coaching approach blends personal and business transformation, drawing on her own experience as a 2x successful entrepreneur with multiple exits. Surabhi’s journey began in 2005 when she co-founded Tejora Technologies with her husband, Nitin. After his passing in 2017, she took full control of the business during a period of intense...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Former SBI CEO Matt Sharrers, renowned for guiding the firm to consecutive recognitions as one of America’s Most Admired Management Consulting Firms by Forbes, now focuses on empowering CEOs and advising private equity firms. After grooming his successor, he transitioned to coaching leaders through transformative phases. Matt’s latest mission centers on facilitating successful transitions for founder CEOs and accelerating scale for second CEOs, articulated in his impactful book, “The Second CEO:...
Oct 09, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 32
The nation’s top franchise coach and consultant, Adam Goldman, knows that even with well-paying jobs, there is one major problem in Corporate America: you can't pursue your own dreams while working for someone else. Franchising has allowed Adam, a father of three, to achieve his dreams. Over the past 9 years, Adam has helped hundreds of people to change their lives through franchise business ownership. He helps others find the right franchise for them and goes on to match them with the right opp...
Sep 24, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Brian Parks brings decades of expertise in both financial services and SaaS as the founder and CEO of Bigfoot Capital. Prior to Bigfoot Capital, he has honed his skills in various positions across companies, most notably as the co-founder of Brandfolder. Founded on the principles of stability, support, and partnership, Brian and Bigfoot Capital strive to be a lifeline for SaaS companies, improving their operational health to empower and drive growth. As a founder himself, Brian taps into his own...
Sep 17, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Eric Miller understands the complex emotions tied to wealth creation and management, especially for those in service-based businesses. His empathetic approach acknowledges the guilt and shame that can hinder financial success and the importance of overcoming these barriers for growth and sustainability. By guiding business owners to make deliberate financial decisions, he helps them build and preserve their wealth effectively. Eric's strategies emphasize proper compensation, investment in growth...
Sep 03, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Spencer Hilligoss is the CEO of Madison Investing - a real estate investment club with bespoke, curated real estate deals. Spencer founded Madison Investing with a singular mission: to help busy, successful professionals invest passively and secure their most valuable asset of all: Time. By partnering with in-market, vetted operators, Madison Investing has $2.3B in acquisitions, with over 20,000 units. Investors now have access to cash-flowing private real estate syndications and funds, allowing...
Aug 27, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Ryan Duffy is a seasoned entrepreneur who effortlessly leverages his extensive background in Hollywood and tech to drive innovation. He started with a small team at Vidme, ultimately cultivating a company philosophy that prioritized careful, methodical growth. Through numerous ventures, including pioneering an early NFT platform and founding the audio course platform Knowable, Ryan has faced and overcome countless challenges. Now at Medium, he continues to draw from his rich experience to naviga...
Aug 20, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Matt Rinkey is a wealth advisor and certified exit planner who specializes in helping entrepreneurs and real estate investors maximize their business value and achieve their financial goals. With a background in family office, hedge fund, and real estate, Matt brings a wealth of experience to support his clients in building the right strategies for wealth creation and life aspirations. Through his boutique team's comprehensive approach and flat fee model, Matt serves as a valuable resource for e...
Aug 13, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Lee is a value creation expert, a skill not commonly discussed when it comes to scaling and preparing for exits. I know you listeners would love to hear about his practical tools and insights on this. Lee is also a 2x bestselling author with over 30 years of experience in the business world and currently the CEO of Execute to Win . He has founded and led seven companies, including Able Aerospace, which he grew from two to 500 employees and 2,000 customers in 60 countries culminating in a 9-figur...
Aug 06, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Brad Baldridge is a financial advisor specializing in college planning, helping families navigate the complex landscape of college costs and financial aid. With a background in engineering, Brad transitioned into financial advising and found his niche in assisting clients with the increasingly challenging task of managing college expenses. He emphasizes the importance of individualized approaches to college planning, considering each student's unique needs, abilities, and career aspirations. Bra...
Jul 30, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Tommy Vincent is a dynamic entrepreneur with a rich background in sales, technology, and mental health businesses. Passionate about finance, his latest venture, Hub Analytics, focuses on automating repetitive accounting tasks and enhancing financial management for small businesses. By prioritizing customer feedback and maintaining a lean approach, Tommy aims to guide entrepreneurs in exit planning and achieving their financial goals. His journey from successful exits to innovative startups under...
Jul 23, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Michael Frew worked for two decades as an engineer, developer, and software architect on hundreds of consulting engagements with corporations, including Lockheed Martin’s Artificial Intelligence Labs, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, and FireEye/Mandiant. He received his B.S. and MBA in Business and Economics while studying in China, Hong Kong, and The Netherlands, as well as several post-graduate information security certifications. Following his corporate career, Michael pivoted to Acquisit...
Jul 16, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Joining us is Dr. Mark Stiving, a passionate advocate for empowering B2B organizations to win more business at higher prices by unlocking the secrets of their buyers’ minds. As a published author, beloved professor, and sought-after speaker, Mark shares invaluable insights on how to strategically price, package, and sell products based on the value they deliver. With a wealth of experience working with organizations of all sizes, he brings practical tools and simple concepts to help businesses u...
Jul 09, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Jonathan Baker heads up the M&A practice at Punctuation, a small advisory practice working exclusively with small to mid-sized independent marketing services firms. He has worked on dozens of deals both inside and outside the industry and brings a unique perspective as a fellow owner who has gone through the process himself. He graduated from Emory University's Goizueta Business School in 2005. His career began at a small boutique marketing strategy consultancy. There, he was able to do mark...
Jul 02, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Jenna Biancavilla is an award-winning entrepreneur, wealth advisor, and captivating public speaker whose life mission is to positively impact others. As the Founder and CEO of Pearl Capital Management, a holistic, fee-only fiduciary financial planning firm, she advises on over $180 Million of assets under management. At the core of her work, Jenna is relentless in supporting, educating, and uncompromisingly helping every client align their use of capital with their personal goals and philanthrop...
Jun 25, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Phillip Cooper has nearly three decades of experience in investment banking, commercial banking, and corporate leadership. He has worked with clients in the industrial, manufacturing, business services, oil and gas, restaurants, communications, transportation/airline, consumer/retail, and aerospace and defense sectors. He's seen market fluctuations impact deal volumes and business valuations and knows how to prepare owners for smooth transitions and successful sales. Through his work at Palm Tre...
Jun 18, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Jason Somerville is a seasoned entrepreneur and investment banking professional with nearly 20 years of experience in capital markets, M&A, strategic planning, business operations, and brand building. He is the Founding Partner of GW Partners. "I want to let the next owner do that. And I'm happy to kind of, we'll say, leave meat on that bone effectively for that new owner to go and do that." Key themes included: 1. Market Understanding and Strategy 2. Importance of Mentorship 3. Benefits of ...
Jun 11, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 17
