M&A Talk: #1 Podcast on Selling a Business Case Study – Lessons Learned From Selling Multiple Tech Companies
Jun 14, 2022
Ryan Buckley, a serial tech entrepreneur and former CEO of MightySignal, shares his journey of launching and selling tech companies. He discusses the challenges of scaling businesses and navigating financial difficulties. Listeners gain insights into 'parallel entrepreneurship,' where he encourages employee innovation while managing multiple ventures. Buckley also highlights the importance of programming knowledge in tech sales and offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasizing a growth mindset and strategic decision-making.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Early Screenwriting Software Pivot
- Ryan Buckley co-founded the first web-based screenwriting software before Google Docs existed.
- They spent about three years and realized the target market wasn't willing to pay enough to sustain the business.
Market Limits Quality Content Scaling
- The market for high-quality, curated content marketing was not willing to pay enough to sustain growth.
- This prevented scaling Scripted profitably despite significant investment in sales and marketing.
Scripted's Troubled Exit Story
- Scripted had to negotiate a bailout with private equity to pay off $2 million debt after venture funding dried up.
- This led to a $2 million sale, covering debt but disappointing many early investors.