The Exit - Presented By Flippa

• The Three Curves of Exit Timing: Paul Pappageorge's Strategic Framework

  Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- In this episode of The Exit: Paul Pappageorge, founder and CEO of Ashland Capital Advisors, shares valuable insights from over two decades of helping business owners plan and execute successful exits. After selling his own company in 2004 and making numerous mistakes, Paul developed a passion for guiding entrepreneurs through this complex process. Paul explains the meticulous exit planning process his firm uses, starting with understanding value drivers and realistic valuations based on industry comparibles. He discusses the differences between financial and strategic buyers, noting that strategic acquisitions are rarer but potentially more lucrative when entrepreneurs can articulate their unique market position. Paul frames optimal exit timing as the intersection of three curves: the business lifecycle, personal wealth accumulation goals, and personal life stage. His key advice: regularly revisit exit planning to gain control and ultimately exit on your own terms. For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit. -- Paul Pappageorge is the Founder and CEO of Ashland Capital Advisors. Paul is a Certified Exit Planning Expert known for his thoughtful approach to business. His 30+ years in business started in public accounting and migrated to business ownership, successful exits, and now helping others to do the same. Paul has been designated as a home care industry expert by Business Brokerage Press, a leading publisher in the brokerage sector. Website: https://ashlandcapitaladvisors.com/ Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppappageorge/ -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

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• Realistic Exit Expectations: Mike Oleksak's Valuation Wisdom

  Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- In this episode of The Exit: Mike Oleksak, Executive Director at Exit Planning Exchange, shares insights from his extensive experience helping business owners prepare for successful exits. After starting his career in finance and management consulting, Mike co-founded the first chapter of Exit Planning Exchange in 2007, creating a network that now spans 22 chapters nationwide. He discusses the importance of bringing together diverse advisors—from accountants and attorneys to consultants and financial planners—to help business owners navigate the complex exit process. Mike emphasizes starting exit planning 3-5 years in advance to properly prepare financials, address management succession, and establish realistic valuation expectations. Mike also examines current market trends, including the increased involvement of private equity firms in acquiring middle-market businesses and how market conditions like interest rates affect timing and valuation. For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit. -- Mike Oleksak’s experience covers finance, consulting and sales, with Bank of Boston, Thomson Financial, Trek Consulting, and State Street. He co-founded the Exit Planning Exchange (XPX) an organization with 20 chapters across the U.S. XPX is a business association for advisors to privately held businesses on growth and exit strategy. Mike was a co-founder of and worked 10 years at Trek Consulting where, as both a management consultant and a coach, he worked with clients to grow their businesses, tell their story better to raise financing, attract investment and acquirers. Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoleksak/ Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoleksak/ Free Range Thinking Website: https://www.freerangethinking.com/ -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

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• Exit Ready Operations: Dawn Andrews' Business Systems Approach

  Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- In this episode of The Exit: Dawn Andrews, CEO of Free Range Thinking, shares valuable insights on building systems that increase business value at exit. Drawing from her background in an entrepreneurial family, Dawn discusses how proper processes and documentation are critical for attracting buyers and commanding higher valuations. Dawn also addresses specific challenges female founders face during exits, highlighting the need to overcome both external underestimation and internal self-doubt through meticulous preparation and confident storytelling. She advises founders to decide on their exit timeline years in advance to shape current operations and stresses the importance of maintaining clear communication with all stakeholders during the process. Her key advice to her past self: "take risks and be messy" rather than seeking perfection. For more details and insights from her entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit. -- Dawn Andrews is the Founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking, a boutique Business Strategy Consultancy that enables entrepreneurs to lead their businesses with unwavering confidence, intelligence, and passion. She’s an executive leadership coach, growth strategist, and acclaimed trainer and speaker. Her work includes collaborations with Maria Shriver, Shriver Media, and leading Women’s History Month programming for global pharmaceutical titan AbbVie. She’s also the host of the She’s That Founder podcast, like your morning coffee, but for your soul and career ambitions. As the Female Leadership Accelerator (FMxLA) founder, she’s committed to amplifying the influence of the next generation of female leaders to make their reverberations felt in their communities, in the US, and across the globe. Dawn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freerangethinking/ Free Range Thinking Website: https://www.freerangethinking.com/ -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

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• From $1.8M Seller to Educator: Ben Zogby and Flippa University

  Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- In this episode of The Exit: Ben Zogby, head of Flippa University, shares his journey from chemical engineer to successful entrepreneur, highlighting how he launched HighStrike, a trading education community that he sold on Flippa for $1.8M, after starting eight failed ventures. Ben discusses how he grew HighStrike through Instagram marketing, evolving from manual engagement to working with influencer networks, before selling through Flippa in 2022. After being told by a competitor in 2020 that his business wasn't sellable, Ben spent two years systematizing operations, ultimately attracting three competing offers that increased the sale price by $300,000. Now leading Flippa University, an educational platform for buyers and sellers of online businesses, Ben emphasizes the importance of early exit preparation and proper business tracking from day one. Drawing from his experience both selling and buying businesses on Flippa, he aims to help others achieve successful exits and acquisitions. His key advice to his past self: take every venture seriously from the start, rather than waiting for success to implement proper business practices. For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit. -- Ben Zogby started a trading platform subscription business as a solo, bootstrapped founder in 2018. After growing the business for 5 years and experiencing what it's like becoming an entrepreneur, Ben felt that it was time to take some chips off the table. Ben emphasizes that Flippa helped him find a buyer for his business, valued at $1,800,000. The sale was his introduction to digital asset M&A, which has become his career. In Flippa University, Ben will walk you through the whole process of buying and selling from his experience having done both at a high level. Check Out Flippa University: https://university.flippa.com/ Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-zogby-9178692a4/ Check Out Flippa’s Data Insights Tool: https://flippa.com/data-insights -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

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• From Nail Polish to $100M Exit: Tracy Holland's Beauty Journey

  Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- In this episode of The Exit: Tracy Holland, founder of Inner Fifth and Goodwill Brands, shares insights from building and selling Hatch Beauty, a company that co-created beauty brands with retailers. Starting with scented nail polish in her 20s, Tracy developed deep retail relationships that led to founding Hatch Beauty in 2009. She discusses the challenging journey of taking the company to market twice – first pulling it off at $50 million revenue when realizing rapid growth would soon hit $80 million, then successfully selling at nearly $100 million with 18% EBITDA margins. Tracy emphasizes crucial lessons about exit planning, including having upfront discussions with partners about exit strategy, carefully managing information exposure during the sales process, and understanding the differences between strategic and private equity buyers. She also stresses the importance of letting the market determine valuation rather than setting price expectations prematurely. For more details and insights from her entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit. -- Tracy Holland is a founder, investor, board member, and entrepreneur who is an authority on beauty and wellness with a global track record of incubating and launching brands. Tracy has dedicated her career to creating new brands and success stories by spotlighting innovation, amplifying authentic and celebrity voices in beauty and personal care, and nurturing promising talent, especially other women entrepreneurs. Websites Mentioned In The Episode: https://innerfifth.com/ - https://goodwillbrands.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyholland/ Check Out Flippa’s Data Insights Tool: https://flippa.com/data-insights -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

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