Bob Falahee’s Founder’s Journey: 15 years Building SunPro Motorized Awnings & Screens from Day 1 to a Strategic Exit Masters in Small Business M&A

In this episode, we interview Bob Falahee, the recently exited founder of SunPro Motorized Awnings & Screens.  
Bob’s entrepreneurial origin story starts in Michigan, where he was a sales leader for a semi-truck trailer manufacturer. Bob and his family left behind the cold winters of Michigan for Florida, where he founded SunPro with $36,000 in seed capital. He went on to expand SunPro from a local retractable awning business to a wholesale manufacturing leader in the category. 
The conversation reviews SunPro's founding story, its strategic growth and his daughters' pivotal involvement on the finance and retail sides of the business. We also dive into the mind of the founder on the exit process.  When did Bob start thinking about exiting?  What drove his timing and thinking?  How did he start learning about what goes into a successful exit? Bob recounts the impact of cultural fit in selecting an investment banker and walk through how he thought about strategic succession planning and M&A preparation. 
Discussion points: 

Bob’s first exit from a successful Michigan semi-trailer business 
Family relocation to Florida and the search for a small business 
Turning a partnership with a local awning business into a new company