The Exit - Presented By Flippa

This week on The Exit: Embark on an extraordinary journey with Adam Lippin. His path to success is a tale of passion and innovation, his story a testament to his ability to launch and thrive in diverse industries, achieving two incredible exits along the way. First, he introduced authentic Buffalo wings to New York City with Atomic Wings, expanding it to 33 locations and exiting to Dunkin Donut. Then came Cuddlist, a pioneering concept designed to combat loneliness in our modern lives. He transformed it into a network of practitioners who provided solace and connection to thousands, then he successfully exited. Now, he's working on Hear Me, an app for emotional support and peer connection to tackle loneliness and promote mental health. This episode holds invaluable lessons for aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs alike: it’s a celebration of relentless experimentation, and of commitment to following one’s passions, wherever they may lead. Adam Lippin is the founder and CEO of HearMe. Where they are striving to make mental health support accessible, affordable, and immediate. Adam launched HearMe in 2018 with the same core value that connection is a fundamental human necessity. Adam has expressed that he has experienced first-hand the profound impact of having a person there for him that shared his experience. So, at HearMe, they are seeking to recreate those extraordinary and life-affirming experiences at scale through the evidence-backed power of peer support. Prior to HearMe, Adam Co-founded Cuddlist, an international cuddle therapy service with over 10,000 trained practitioners. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlippin/ HearMe: https://www.hearme.app/ Cuddilist: https://cuddlist.com/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: Jaime’s journey into entrepreneurship began out of necessity. Dissatisfied with her corporate job, she left it all behind and began crafting products in her own kitchen. First it was Kombucha, then it was hot sauces. After finding out she was pregnant, Jaime’s focus shifted. She started creating skincare products for herself and her baby, eventually perfecting a natural deodorant recipe. She started selling her products at local markets, progressing to natural grocery chains. In just seven years, she secured placements in 30K major stores, reaching 30 countries and major retailers like Costco, Target, and Walmart. Then came an offer from Unilever. Tune in to discover how this exit unfolded, Jaime's remarkable journey of scaling her products from her kitchen, and the lessons she'd apply if given the chance to rewrite her entrepreneurial story. Jaime Schmidt is the founder of Schmidt’s Naturals, a brand known for modernizing natural personal care products and bringing them to the mainstream market. Under Jaime's leadership, Schmidt’s grew into a household name and after seven years was acquired by CPG giant Unilever. She is the author of Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own Terms, a personalized guide on how to put your business on the map, turning your passion into profit. Jaime is also an investor and co-owner at Color Capital,a fund that invests in consumer products and emerging technologies. She is cofounder of BFF, a brand and community that provides access and education in Web3 for women and other underrepresented groups. Schmidt’s Naturals: https://schmidts.com/ Supermaker: https://supermaker.com/book Color Capital: https://www.color.capital/ BFF: https://www.mybff.com/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: What do you do when you’ve spent years scaling your company with the goal of an exit but the acquiring company falls through? This is what happened to Greg Sloan who started his financial services business one year before the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). After getting through the GFC, Greg decided it was time to build the business rather than just surviving. He successfully grew the business over the next couple of years, but after some self-reflection he decided he wanted to plan his retirement which meant scaling his business with the goal of an exit. He received an external valuation of the business which was well below what he would consider selling for. He identified 12 key factors that he needed to improve in order to grow the value of the business, and by focusing on those factors, Greg doubled the businesses value in just three years. That was when he started talking to potential acquirers. Listen to find out how those conversations went and why finding a buyer was the toughest part of Greg’s exit journey. Greg Sloan is a serial entrepreneur who started his first business nearly 30 years ago. In the summer of 2006, he found himself at the peak of his professional career as a Vice President for Goldman Sachs, so he designed and presented a new role for his division. When his manager wouldn't accommodate this role change, he quit his job to launch a boutique tax and financial planning firm, Daniel Advisors. During the next thirteen years, Greg grew the practice from a handful of clients to a firm serving forty-five households and managing $110M of investment assets. In January 2020, he sold Daniel Advisors and formally retired as a personal financial planner after 25 years in the industry. He now serves other leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs integrating purpose-centered leadership and decision-making to grow their business and leave their mark. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregonpurpose/ Website: https://www.telosplans.com/ X (Twitter) @Gregonpurpose - https://twitter.com/gregonpurpose Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: Faced with the harsh realities of gender and racial discrimination in her career, Andrea, a lawyer by training, made a transformative decision to become an entrepreneur. Her initial venture aimed to empower women with the essential tools and resources needed to combat workplace discrimination. As Andrea continued her journey, she founded her own consulting firm, where she recognized a pressing need to establish a solution that would provide access to capital for underrepresented founders, particularly women and minority entrepreneurs. Listen to find out what exactly Cadence Cash does, how they are bridging the gap in funding, and how hard it truly is to access fund money when you are a woman. Andrea Inokon is a C-Suite Executive, Advisor, Lawyer, and Founder with over 20 years experience paving the way for women and minorities in the financial services and technology industries. As a Co-Founder and COO of Cadence Cash, a fintech platform focused on providing funding to underrepresented founders, as well as the Founder and CEO of The 1972 Project, a nonprofit organization focused on gender and racial equality in the workforce, Andrea is a magnetic leader who infuses creative, inclusion solutions into traditional industries and workplaces. Early in her career, Andrea recognized the opportunity to solve for inequity and prejudice in the workplace. With great passion and an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit, Andrea is committed to finding ways to educate and enable organizations to empower their employees. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-martin-inokon/ Website: https://cadencecash.com/ The 1972 Project: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-1972-project/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: Sergio Ribeiro, founder and CEO of Radiolife, has always thrived on embracing challenges. Armed with a computer science background, he embarked on an entrepreneurial journey after completing his education. His first business took shape in the telecom industry, driven by his realization of the stifling monopolization in the Brazilian telecom sector. Sergio’s perception of the internet’s potential led him to seize the opportunity to introduce a groundbreaking product that significantly slashed call costs by half. As the years rolled on, the company came across an incredible acquisition offer. Sergio and his team weren’t really prepared for an exit, but found it too compelling to decline… Listen to find out the intriguing story of this exit, gain invaluable exit preparation insights from Sergio himself, and explore how he is currently pioneering disruption in the diagnostic industry. Sergio Ribeiro brings a proven track record of success, marked by a successful exit in the Telecom sector. With a strong foundation in computer science and the distinction of holding two MBA degrees, Sergio possesses over 18 years of valuable experience in steering startups towards growth and innovation. As the Founder and CEO of Radiolife, he is on a mission to reshape the future of diagnostics, leveraging his diverse expertise to drive impactful change in the healthcare landscape. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergiosaribeiro/ X (Twitter) @Radiolifelabs: https://twitter.com/radiolifelabs Website: https://www.radiolifelabs.com/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: We have a very special returning guest, who was in the first ever episode of the show. Lara Morgan needs no introduction – she's an exceptional investor in the health and wellness sectors and a seasoned entrepreneur. We're catching up on her journey, discussing the gender gap in entrepreneurship, and diving into her most recent exit. Her entrepreneurial journey began in 1991, and after 17 years, she successfully exited her first company for a staggering £20 million. Lara now boasts an impressive portfolio of brands, and in this episode, she delves into the motivations behind her acquisitions, her decision-making process, strategies for nurturing and growing successful businesses, and much more. Plus, she imparts invaluable wisdom for female entrepreneurs seeking to bridge the gender gap in entrepreneurship. Lara Morgan is a British entrepreneur with a track record of delivering exceptional accelerated growth. Her investment strategy in wellbeing products primarily is pinned to improving life’s journey. Investing as a family office she has a portfolio of seven consumer services businesses which she works to drive sales, leadership and innovation. Lara founded her first business, Pacific Direct, in 1991 at the age of just 23. She quickly grew Pacific Direct into a specialist global supplier of luxury high end brands for five-star hotels. Seventeen years later, she sold Pacific Direct for £20 million. At Pacific Direct she was involved in multiple disciplines from luxury brand licensing, marketing, retail operations to commercial and private label development. She is actively engaged with various global non-profits as a board member or advisor. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laramorgan/ Twitter @iamlaramorgan: https://twitter.com/iamlaramorgan Website: www.laramorgan.co.uk Lara’s First Appearance on The Exit: https://flippa.com/blog/the-exit-podcast-solo-act-to-booming-business-with-lara-morgan/ Scentered: https://scentered.com/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: Delilah Panio has been in the capital markets for over 25 years, and since the very start of her career, she noticed that VC is a male-dominated industry. Disturbed by the glaring disparity in funding opportunities between women and their male counterparts, she has passionately dedicated herself to bridging this financial divide. Delilah's current mission revolves around narrowing the funding gap and furnishing founders with practical, purposeful guidance on securing aligned capital for their ventures. Tune in to gain profound insights into the world of venture capital, crowdfunding, and effective fundraising from a genuine industry expert. Delilah Panio is the Vice President of U.S. Capital Formation for Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) based in Southern California. In this role, Delilah advises U.S. companies on the opportunity to list and raise capital on Canada’s premier equity markets. Delilah is also the founder of Fortuna Funding which provides practical and intentional guidance on accessing aligned capital. She has developed a proprietary Investor Readiness Program for early-stage founders. She partnered with UBS and Coralus on Project Female Founder, a global investor ready accelerator for female founders. Delilah is currently Chair of the Funding Committee for Women Leaders of Octane and an Advisory Board Member for MAPLE Business Council (a trade organization between Canada and Southern California), WE Global (an innovation studio for women entrepreneurs), and TheAllyship (driving change for women in venture capital). She is an Activator for Coralus (formerly SheEO) and led the 2016 US launch for this financing vehicle for female and non-binary founders. Delilah is also the Co-Founder of We Are Enough, a non-profit that educates women on why and how to invest in women-owned businesses and/or with a gender lens, which will be launching a global campaign in late 2023. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delilah-panio/ Website: https://delilahpanio.com/ TSX - us.tsx.com Fortuna Funding - http://fortunafunding.biz/ We Are Enough - https://www.weareenough.biz/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: Brecht Palombo’s business was down 90% year-on-year after the Global Financial Crisis when he knew he had to find another way to make money. With one baby, and another on the way, Brecht was researching lender data in order to find new opportunities when the idea came to him. If he was wanting this information, surely others would too. He compiled the data into a PDF, and then sold this data to others. The first product was simple, but people were paying hundreds of dollars for the information so Brecht knew he was on the right track. He took the concept and grew it into a SaaS business with a subscription offering. From there the business grew and he saw it through to a 7-figure exit. Listen to hear Brecht’s exit story. Brecht Palombo bought his first business with a partner, the local bike shop, at 15 years old in 1989. In the first dot com boom Brecht sold software and training to small businesses and then to Fortune 1000 and government accounts. In 2009 he started Distressed Pro and BankProspector, which grew to be and still is the number one provider of contacts and non-performing loan and REO portfolio data while listing every bank and credit union in the United States. Brecht optimized that business using the EOS as guidance and then sold it for 7-figures. Brecht has been involved in the sale of more than $200MM in assets for private and institutional investors and creditors. Today, Brecht is on a mission to build and buy businesses while sharing everything he knows, and is still learning. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brecht/ Twitter @Brechtify : https://twitter.com/brechtify Website: https://brechtpalombo.com/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/exit For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: Sarah’s path to entrepreneurship has been one of many twists and turns, eventually leading her to co-found an investment fund with the goal of putting $1 Billion in the hands of female founders. At the age of nine, Sarah was working as a TV host in Malaysia where she learnt the value of earning a salary, self-promotion and an enterprise mentality. She took these skills with her through life, and after college, planned to become a M&A lawyer. But during an internship at a legal firm in Chicago, Sarah found herself gravitating towards the entrepreneurs she was working with to plan their exit strategies, rather than the legal work behind the deals. After exploring different opportunities and industries, Sarah found herself working in venture capital. It was here that Sarah saw the gender disparity in corporate leadership, so she decided to do something about it. Beyond The Billion was founded and today, Sarah has achieved the goal of putting $1 Billion dollars in the hands of female founders and business owners, including Canva and Everly Health, with no plans of slowing down. Listen to learn more about Sarah’s journey, and the advice she has for founders looking for funding. Based in Washington DC, investor & entrepreneur Sarah Chen-Spellings is Co-Founder of Beyond The Billion® (launched as The Billion Dollar Fund for Women®), the world’s first and largest global consortium of investors that have pledged to invest and are actively deploying beyond $1Bn towards women-founded companies. Previously, she was on the pioneer team of a corporate venture capital unit within a $13BN publicly traded Asian conglomerate, investing in later-stage biotechnology companies. Named Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and Forbes Under 30 VC, Chen-Spellings is a recognized strategist, speaker and commentator on venture capital, startups and women in leadership. She sits on multiple boards including 131 & Counting, a bipartisan effort encouraging more women to run for office in the US; and Lean In Malaysia, a platform accelerating women into leadership in Malaysia. She has been featured on Fortune, Forbes, Bloomberg, Der Spiegel and at the United Nations, and is a host on the podcast Billion Dollar Moves. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal/ Instagram @Sarahchenglobal : https://www.instagram.com/sarahchenglobal/ Website: https://sarah-chen.com/ Podcast: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes/ Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/product/first-access For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/

This week on The Exit: Maria Hedengren shares her passion for financial analysis and exit preparation, including preparing for an IPO. When Maria was the CFO of iZettle, a fintech company, she was tasked with preparing the business for an IPO. But one week before the business was set to IPO, they were acquired by PayPal. Maria’s career has seen her continue to work in the tech space with small, start-up businesses where she thrives on pace, innovation and fast decision making. Maria did go on to successfully take a mediatech company to IPO, and now she is a Venture Partner with Eight Roads who have $11BN in assets under management. Listen to find out what advice Maria has for entrepreneurs looking to exit or for investment advice to grow their businesses. Maria Hedengren has over 25 years of experience in leading roles within the tech sector, across both B2B and B2C, with highly data driven and rapidly growing companies who drive digital disruption. Her most recent operational roles include CFO of iZettle, a fintech company that was about to IPO but ended up acquired by PayPal, and CEO of the mediatech company Readly, that she IPO:ed in 2020. Nowadays she calls herself "pluralists" as she divides her time between several board seats and angel investments and she is also a Venture Partner with Eight Roads, a global venture capital firm backed by Fidelity with a presence in China, Europe, India and Japan, $11BN in AUM and over 300 portfolio companies. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-hedengren-94399414/ Instagram @maria_hedengren: https://www.instagram.com/maria_hedengren/ Website: https://www.booky.se/sv/profiler/maria-hedengren Flippa’s First Access: https://flippa.com/product/first-access For a Free Flippa Business Valuation: flippa.com/freevaluation -- 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/