9 Figure Exits

Doug Foley
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Entrepreneurship

Conversations with operators who built and exited $50M+ businesses and the dealmakers who fund them. Real numbers. Real playbooks. Real lessons from the people who built 9 Figure Exits.

Episodes

  1. Jul 23

    S1 | E2: What Sellers Get Wrong About Private Equity | Eric Wiklendt

    A private equity buyer of manufacturing companies tells sellers what actually moves the multiple, how to spot founder dependency in one question, and why closing a deal is the start of the work, not the end. Most operators spend their careers trying to reach the buy side of the table. Eric Wiklendt lives there. As a Managing Director at Speyside Equity, he buys lower-middle-market manufacturing companies, and in the debut episode of Nine Figure Exits he tells Doug Foley exactly how a disciplined buyer thinks. They get specific. Eric explains what owners get wrong about private equity (and why a strategic buyer, not a PE firm, is the one more likely to restructure), the single question that reveals whether a business runs on systems or on one person, and the philosophy that names his whole approach: close is not completion, it's commencement. He breaks down why the industry is splitting into small focused funds and giant generalists, what Speyside looks for, and the three things every first-time seller should do before going to market, including why a good investment banker is worth their weight in gold. If you own a manufacturing, trades, or services business and you will one day sell it, this is the buyer's side of the conversation you rarely get to hear. In this episode: What owners get wrong about private equity vs. corporate M&AThe business life cycle and the right CEO for each stageSpeyside's human capital assessment frameworkThe three-week vacation test for founder dependencyWhat makes a management team investable"Invest in what you know" and Eric's path from the shop floor to the deal tableWhy close is commencement, not completionThe bimodal private equity industry and why ego multiples rarely holdHow to pick a partner and a banker, and the 18 to 24 month runway to a closeGuest: Eric Wiklendt Managing Director at Speyside Equity, a value-focused buyout firm investing in lower-middle-market manufacturing ($50M to $500M revenue). Website: https://speysideequity.com · LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericwiklendt Host: Doug Foley Founder of Nine Figure Exits, CEO of Foley Media, Managing Partner at 528 Partners, and bestselling author of AI Sales Engine. Nine Figure Exits is a curated community for $20M to $200M operators in manufacturing, trades, and services who are building toward exit. Talent. Capital. Growth. AI. Apply at https://9figureexits.com Disclaimer: All expressions of opinion in this podcast are subject to change without notice and are not intended to be a forecast of future events or results. There is no assurance that any trends discussed will continue or that any projections will be met.

  2. Jul 23

    S1 | E1: Build a Business That Runs Without You | Jason Swenk

    Jason Swenk built and sold an agency. He breaks down the five shifts from operator to owner, the real multiples service businesses sell for, and the exit traps that quietly cost founders. They get specific. Jason walks through his five identity shifts from Operator to Owner, why most founders stall before they ever become truly ownable, and how he learned to delegate outcomes instead of tasks. He shares the real multiples he used when his firm bought roughly ten agencies (why anything under $1M in EBITDA is often worth just 1 to 2x net profit, and why $1M to $3M trades at 4 to 6x), the two things he would never do again in a sale, and the client-concentration red flag that scares off every buyer. He also makes the case that AI will not replace the operators who build real systems, only the ones who think a single prompt replaces expertise. And he closes with the advice he would give his younger self, standing at the base of the mountain. If you are building toward an exit, this one is a playbook. In this episode: The five shifts: Operator, Manager, Architect, CEO, OwnerWhy the business that needs you is the one you can't sellThe 1-3-1 method for getting your team to stop bringing you problemsReal EBITDA multiples for service businesses, and how deals get structuredBroker incentives, earnout traps, and qualifying the buyer as hard as they qualify youClient concentration and the other quiet valuation killers"Build to sell, but plan like you'll never sell"Why AI rewards operators who build systems, not the ones who buy tools Guest: Jason Swenk Founder of Agency Mastery, author of Operator to Owner, and host of the Smart Agency Masterclass podcast. Website: https://jasonswenk.com · Book: Operator to Owner Host: Doug Foley Founder of Nine Figure Exits, CEO of Foley Media, Managing Partner at 528 Partners, and bestselling author of AI Sales Engine. Nine Figure Exits is a curated community for $20M to $200M operators in manufacturing, trades, and services who are building toward exit. Talent. Capital. Growth. AI. Apply at https://9figureexits.com

  • 2 Episodes

About

Conversations with operators who built and exited $50M+ businesses and the dealmakers who fund them. Real numbers. Real playbooks. Real lessons from the people who built 9 Figure Exits.

Information

  • Creator
    Doug Foley
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Doug Foley
  • Show Website
    9 Figure Exits