Michael Donovan was the founder of a content business he sold after three years. Now he’s the Project Manager of Acquia, the world's only open digital experience company that empowers the most ambitious brands by providing them with one central hub from which to create, manage, deliver, and optimize content-driven experiences across any and all digital channels. Michael has over 10 years of experience in technology and project management, supporting some of the world's most popular products.   In this episode… Do you plan to venture into the content site business? What do you need to do to build and grow a sellable business?  Michael Donovan knows the ins and outs of starting and building a content site. What began as a side hustle to secure his family financially, scaled to over $40,000 a month in revenue. After three years, he decided to sell it. Michael shares the challenges he encountered during his first offer and how he managed to exit with a high six-figure sale in his second attempt.  In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley sits down with Michael Donovan, Project Manager of Acquia, to discuss the journey of building, scaling, and exiting his content site business. Michael shares the process of building and selling his content site business, his first potential SBA buyer, why he had to list the business a second time, and the emotional process of selling a business.

James Tennant is the Founder of Converge, a content amplification firm for B2B businesses. He has over 12 years of experience helping B2B companies and organizations of all sizes in various industries create and share great content to educate, inspire, and bring value to their audiences. James offers a range of editing and copywriting services to improve the overall quality of any written materials companies might circulate. He is also the co-host of The Barndoors and Banjos Football Podcast. In this episode… Do you want to reach a bigger audience using content you’ve already created? How can you consistently get your content in front of the right people? According to James Tennant, creating great content is not enough to build trust, authority, and brand awareness. Promoting it makes the difference because the right people will consume it, and a well-promoted average piece of content outperforms poorly promoted first-class content. James shares how he helps B2B businesses with content amplification to reach a bigger, broader audience consistently.  In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Pat Yates sits down with James Tennant, Founder of Converge, to discuss promoting and amplifying content to reach a larger audience. James talks about what to consider when creating and promoting content, Converge’s content promotion process, and the best type of content to help you engage with more audiences. 

Stacey Roberts, Owner of New You Health and Wellness, talks about her journey of buying, growing, and selling her content site. She discusses due diligence, financing, scaling, exiting, and managing aftersale life. The hosts also discuss building a team, transitioning from offline to online, managing and monetizing a content site, and the impact of COVID on income and monetization plans.

Jon MacDonald is the Founder and President of The Good, a conversion rate optimization firm that has achieved results for some of the largest online brands, including Adobe, Nike, Xerox, Verizon, and Intel. The Good helps brands understand their website visitors' clicks and movements and how to use that data effectively to convert more of them into buyers. Before The Good, Jon was the Interactive Development Manager at XPLANE and the Founder and Interactive Director of JonnyMac Interactive. In addition to authoring Opting in to Optimization and Stop Marketing, Start Selling, Jon regularly contributes to publications, including Entrepreneur and Inc. He is also an active committee member in industry associations and peer groups such as the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). In this episode… Are you an e-commerce brand struggling to increase online sales? How can you convert more website visitors into buyers? Many e-commerce brands have great products or services but low sales because they lack a clear path to realizing their website's potential. Jon MacDonald, an expert in driving conversion rates, explains how brands can optimize their websites to increase revenue. When you have a lot of visitors to your e-commerce store, but they're not converting into buyers, Jon recommends having a professional help you understand and track the visitors' clicks and movements and how they're navigating your site. Once you know where and why people are dropping off in the sales funnel, you can improve your site's efficiency and use the existing traffic to increase conversion rates and drive sales. In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley and Pat Yates sit down with Jon MacDonald, Founder and President of The Good, to discuss how to convert your site’s visitors into buyers. Jon explains why 98% of your website visitors don’t buy from you and why, tips for improving conversion rates without offering discounts, the importance of user testing, and how smaller brands can optimize their sites.

Steven Weigler is the Founder and Managing Partner of EmergeCounsel, a company that specializes in protecting business assets and intellectual property for entrepreneurs worldwide. Before his work at EmergeCounsel, Steven was the Founder, CEO, and General Counsel of ScholarCentric, a groundbreaking educational technology startup. With extensive entrepreneurial and legal experience, Steven specializes in intellectual property, general business counsel, and information technology law. His overriding objective is to provide legal counsel for people with evolving businesses. In this episode… Running a thriving business consists of many moving parts, especially for entrepreneurs starting, growing, or exiting a company. It's important to retain legal counsel to help protect the business no matter what stage your brand is in. Many entrepreneurs think a business attorney is unnecessary, but they are essential to help you mitigate risk and protect your interests. With over 30 years in the legal arena, Steven Weigler says that growing or selling an online business is complex enough, and getting sound legal advice is crucial. He also recommends hiring counsel to help with your governing documents, protect your brand from copycats and knockoffs, and increase its value during an exit. When you have adequate legal counsel with a background in business who has your interests in mind, business transitions will be much smoother, and you can proceed confidently.  In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley sits down with Steven Weigler, the Founder and Managing Partner of EmergeCounsel, to discuss how entrepreneurs can legally prepare to grow or exit a business. Steven explains the value of hiring an attorney for your business, the legal issues entrepreneurs need to “button up” as they begin the exit process, how EmergeCounsel's TotalTM® program helps people with trademark services, and the counsel he provides for entrepreneurs.

Shane Sams is the Co-founder and CEO of Flipped Lifestyle, a firm that teaches people how to find financial freedom and gain control of their time by starting an online business membership using The Flipped Lifestyle Blueprint. Shane and his wife figured out how to make their entire living online, and now they help other people do the same. He is a blogger, information marketer, speaker, and host of the Flipped Lifestyle Podcast. Before Flipped Lifestyle, Shane was a high school football coach and social studies teacher and created an elementary education business that sold for over $1 million. In this episode… Are you tied down with a job that doesn’t provide the income you need to create the lifestyle you want? Would you like a business that frees up your time so you can spend it with your family while generating the income you need to achieve total financial freedom? Shane Sams and his wife worked as full-time teachers, not making the money or having the flexibility they wanted. After being denied permission to leave work and tend to an emergency in his son’s life, Shane decided to make a change so something like this would never happen again. That’s when Shane and his wife went into business for themselves, eventually quitting their jobs. They were yielding high incomes without being chained to traditional employment. Figuring out a business model that could be replicated, they now help others overhaul their lives to create a better family-oriented and secure financial future. In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley sits down with Shane Sams, Co-founder and CEO of Flipped Lifestyle, to discuss how they've flipped their lives and become family-oriented entrepreneurs. Shane shares his entrepreneurial journey, how he and his wife were able to quit their jobs and spend quality family time while achieving financial freedom, and the business model they use to help others do the same.

Brad Wayland is a Business Advisor at Quiet Light, a brokerage firm that helps online business owners execute successful exits. As a thriving entrepreneur, he has almost 20 years of experience marketing and operating online businesses. Starting in 2003, Brad helped create an online custom t-shirt company that became a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Later, he started building other e-commerce businesses and investing in existing companies. Over the last 10 years, Brad has constructed, purchased, or sold more than 30 web properties. Chris Wozniak is a Business Advisor with Quiet Light and the Founder of The George Ryan Group, LLC. He began his career as the Founder, Business Broker, and Mergers and Acquisitions Intermediary of Lesdon & Associates Business Brokers LLC.  Through his work representing hundreds of sellers and being a member of the International Business Brokers Association, Chris has earned accreditations of Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary and Certified Business Intermediary. He also earned the Board Certified Broker designation as a member of the Texas Associations of Business Brokers, the Broker-Dealer license issued by the Texas State Securities Board, and the Real Estate Broker license issued by the Texas Real Estate Commission. In this episode… Amidst the evolving business world, what do entrepreneurs need to know to keep up and stay ahead?  The pandemic drastically changed business as usual, especially in the M&A space. Brad Wayland and Chris Wozniak discuss the changes to be mindful of in buyer behavior, multiples, lending, and interest rates in e-commerce, SaaS businesses, and content sites. What are their recommendations for maneuvering and flourishing amid these shifts? In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley and Pat Yates sit down with Brad Wayland and Chris Wozniak, Business Advisors with Quiet Light, to discuss the evolution of business and the effects of the changes since 2021. They share their insights and recommendation in many areas, including what e-commerce businesses generate the most profit, what multiple to look for in an M&A, and how the lending market has altered.

Steve Chou is a highly recognized influencer and speaker in the e-commerce space. As a serial entrepreneur, he founded My Wife Quit Her Job LLC, an educational blog and podcast that teaches entrepreneurs how to sell physical products online. The blog has been featured in Forbes, Inc., and The New Your Times, among others, and the podcast is a top 25 Apple Podcasts marketing show.  As the Co-founder of Bumblebee Linens, he sells customizable handkerchiefs and linens for special occasions. In addition, Steve is the Co-founder of Sellers Summit, a conference that Entrepreneur magazine and CPC Strategy Inc. have lauded as one of the top e-commerce events in the business.  In this episode… A lot of people dream of becoming an entrepreneur. If you want to start and run a thriving business, putting your family first is essential. So how do you find that balance? Serial entrepreneur Steve Chou says most entrepreneurial advice comes from single men or women without outside responsibilities. He discovered entrepreneurs running multimillion-dollar companies who have families, don’t spend quality time with them. It’s also not uncommon for these entrepreneurs to be stressed out or burned out. That's when Steve decided to write a book to share how people can start a business that allows them to quit their jobs and achieve financial freedom without sacrificing family and what matters most. In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley sits down with Steve Chou, Founder of My Wife Quit Her Job, to discuss tips for being a family-first entrepreneur. Steve talks about his journey writing The Family First Entrepreneur and why he wrote it, tips for achieving a work-life balance, how to start a business with a family-first approach, and how he navigates running two seven-figure companies without sacrificing family time.

Josh Hadley is the Founder and CEO of an eight-figure e-commerce business called Hadley Designs. Hadley Designs is an online graphic design boutique where customers can choose, design, download, and print home decor and invitations. Josh is also an e-commerce business consultant and the host of the eComm Breakthrough Podcast, which is dedicated to helping brands exceed eight-figure profits. Before starting Hadley Designs and eComm Breakthrough Consulting, Josh graduated with an MBA from the Lassonde New Venture Development program at the University of Utah. Josh then took his talents to Dallas, where he honed his business, marketing, and project management skills as an executive for American Airlines. In this episode… Are you struggling to scale your e-commerce brand? What can you learn from an expert who has grown his brand to an eight-figure business?  According to Josh Hadley, growing an e-commerce brand is challenging. It's a space that has millions of competitors, so business owners must be innovative to differentiate themselves and flourish in the market. Josh shares his journey from 2016 to now and how he has grown his brand to an eight-figure business on Amazon — from product selection and team building to the challenges he had to overcome. In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley and Pat Yates sit down with Josh Hadley, Founder and CEO of Hadley Designs, to discuss the process of growing an e-commerce brand to an eight-figure business. Josh talks about the experience of having his spouse as his business partner, how they built their e-commerce brand into an eight-figure Amazon business, tips to manage products and scale, and how they developed an outstanding team.

For 28 years, Doug Pick was the Founder and CEO of Hearos, a global company specializing in the development and manufacturing of innovative foam earplugs. It was a self-financed, vertically integrated, global consumer packaged goods company that he successfully exited to private equity. Doug is now the Founder and CEO of DAP Ventures and focuses on empowering delightfully disruptive brands to intelligently grow, avoid painful pitfalls, and achieve extraordinary outcomes. In this episode… Many people dream of becoming entrepreneurs, but only a few know how to become prosperous entrepreneurs. So what can you learn from someone who has built up a business for over two decades and successfully exited? With only $15,000 in savings, Doug Pick decided to start his ear plugs business — one that he could control. He made countless mistakes and faced many challenges in the process, but with time, he successfully grew and scaled the company into a multimillion-dollar business. He now shares his journey and lessons learned from startup to exit.  In this episode of the Quiet Light Podcast, Joe Valley sits down with Doug Pick, Founder and CEO of Hearos, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey of growing and exiting a business. Doug shares his story of founding Hearos, tips for creating an outstanding product, how to thrive in the e-commerce space, and advice for entrepreneurs planning an exit.