Connor Tomkies: Aftermath of an Exit: Healing, Reflecting, and Progressing Forward
Apr 4, 2024
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Connor Tomkies, founder of SupportNinja, shares his exit journey and preference for buying businesses. Topics include selling a company, lessons learned, Operator Equity, EOS system, managing creative impulse, dealing with sudden wealth, and reflections on ego and success.
Connor prioritizes buying established businesses for growth post-exit, emphasizing leadership and product-market fit.
Supporting extended family members with exit wealth brings the most joy and fulfillment to Connor.
Deep dives
Corner's Experience with Exiting Support Ninja
Corner talks about the challenges he faced prior to selling his global talent acquisition firm, Support Ninja, and the reasons behind his decision to exit. He explains how the need for a partner to scale the business further and the changing dynamics among partners influenced the exit process.
Approach to Buying Businesses vs. Angel Investing
Corner discusses his preference for investing in established businesses over angel investing, highlighting the importance of supporting companies with solid leadership and product-market fit to accelerate growth.
Impact of Exit Wealth on Family Support
Corner recalls the most rewarding aspect of his exit wealth, which was being able to financially support his extended family members. He explains how providing assistance to family members with health issues and housing was a fulfilling use of his financial resources.
Navigating Post-Exit Challenges and Imposter Syndrome
Corner shares insights on dealing with post-exit challenges, including imposter syndrome and the process of finding a new identity. He reflects on the journey of growth and the evolving definition of success as he transitions into new ventures like Operator Equity.
Connor Tomkies. He spent 8 years growing and selling SupportNinja, his global talent acquisition firm. Now he focuses on buying great businesses to scale them for exit. This episode delves into Connor’s exit experience, why he prefers to buy a significant portion of a business over angel investing, and how helping out his extended family members turned out to be the most rewarding use of his exit wealth.
Timestamps:
00:00:00: Intro
00:01:16: Welcome
00:01:26: The sale of Support Ninja
00:02:42: The experience of selling a company
00:03:08: Lessons learned from selling the company
00:09:48: The start of Operator Equity
00:10:10: How Operator Equity works
00:12:01: Explanation of EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System)
00:14:22: Experiences with EOS and why it was chosen
00:17:01: Ambitions for Operator Equity
00:17:15: Why Operator Equity was started
00:18:11: Personal love for inception and growth of a company
00:19:27: Investment in mature companies
00:20:33: Managing the creative impulse with mature companies
00:21:11: Beginning of Operator Equity journey
00:21:26: Looking ahead: The future of Operator Equity
00:22:15: Reflections on the impact of ego in business
00:23:04: The notion of fleeting success and the value of the journey
00:23:43: The struggle of self-identity post exit
00:26:13: The evolution of thoughts about money and wealth
00:28:24: The challenges and fears related to sudden wealth
00:31:06: Caution around extending financial security to others
00:31:45: Uncertainty in defining personal success after exit
00:33:22: The impact of financial success on personal relationship
00:35:45: Thoughts on sense of purpose post business exit
00:37:55: Avoiding guilt through conscious actions in business
00:39:56: Managing imposter syndrome and motivation
00:43:02: Expectations and understanding of success from parents' perspective
00:43:55: Discussion about stepping down and operator equity
00:44:23: Thoughts on raising future children and entrepreneurship
00:45:35: Talks on operator equity and investments
00:47:24: Inquiry over work-life balance
00:48:42: Question on personal legacy
00:49:50: Conclusion and best wishes for future projects
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