054: 10-Figure Exits & Demystifying Private Equity with Nick Bradley

Nick Bradley, known as 'The Exit Guy,' helps entrepreneurs and investors scale via M&A to create high-value exits.

Over the last decade, he has built, bought, and sold 26 businesses with a combined valuation of $5.2 billion. He's been the CEO of 7 different companies, ranging in size from 15 to 400+ employees.

Today, Nick shares what he's learned in managing over 100 acquisitions, including the ins and outs of private equity, negotiating exits, and navigating powder-keg boardrooms.

We talk about Nick's journey from an 18-year-old fitness trainer to leading a $2.3 billion deal to his eventual decision to quit the world of private equity entirely.

You'll also hear about how Nick used ultramarathons to train his mind for the boardroom, how he prepares companies for a sale, and how to sell a business without going through investment banking.

Key Takeaways with Nick Bradley

• The evaluation steps Nick takes when helping founders position and negotiate exits.
• Nick's 2 requirements for business owners who want to grow and scale quickly.
• How Nick sells businesses without going through investment banking.
• Why Nick believes PE firms place too much emphasis on financials when evaluating a company (and the areas they don't consider enough).
• Strategically tweaking your emotional state to align yourself with the outcome you want.
• The potential risks PE firms take when replacing the original founder with a scale-up CEO.
• Nick's equation for driving exponential growth for any business.
• The 2 types of entrepreneurs Nick sees and where each type excels.
• The internal dynamics of private equity that led to Nick leaving the industry.
• The interplay between endurance training and winning in business.
• How attending all of Tony Robbins' events for a year transformed Nick's way of thinking and gave him the tools to achieve new levels of success.

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