DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer

Corey Kupfer
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Why do some companies grow by leaps and bounds while others only inch forward? Simple. They embrace Deal-Driven Growth in addition to organic growth! DealQuest is where you learn how to strategize, prepare for, find, and complete deals to grow your company faster. Listen in as host Corey Kupfer takes you behind the scenes with some of the world’s most fascinating deal-savvy business leaders. This is the one place where they can share openly the secret to deals they have done (or failed to do) and the issues, opportunities, benefits, pitfalls and lessons learned. Here you learn first-hand all about: Powerful deals that require little capital, mergers, acquisitions, and tuck-ins, Joint ventures, partnerships, and strategic alliances, licensing, raising capital and onboarding key employees, negotiating, structuring, finding, valuing, closing and integrating deals. Don’t be the one at the table who doesn’t grasp the power of Deal-Driven Growth!

  1. Episode 402: Building a Transferable Business and Surviving the Exit with Nate Collins

    6D AGO

    Episode 402: Building a Transferable Business and Surviving the Exit with Nate Collins

    From buying into a mismanaged family business on his mother's advice to selling at an incredibly high multiple to a PE-backed acquirer, Nate Collins shares how he built a transferable licensing company, what the post-exit "liminal period" really looks like, and why personal well-being is a greater predictor of company success than the reverse. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Nate Collins, a former CEO who managed a successful exit of his international theatrical licensing company to a large PE-backed music licensing company. Nate now works as a financial advisor and certified exit planning advisor at Raymond James, helping business owners, CEOs, and their families navigate exits both financially and emotionally. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN In this episode, you'll discover why switching from cash to accrual-based GAAP accounting early creates enormous buyer confidence, how cloud-based systems reduced licensing time from four weeks to four hours, and what makes a business truly transferable. Nate explains the "liminal period" that researchers have identified in post-exit CEOs, why feelings of worthlessness can persist for years even with significant wealth, and why a Dutch study found that personal well-being is a greater predictor of company success than the reverse. NATE'S JOURNEY Nate's path to business ownership started with a phone call from his mother. A privately held theatrical licensing company owned by about 16 different families had shares available. His mother owned some from her mother, and she told Nate he needed to buy in. By any professional investment standard, it made no sense. No dividends. An overpaid CEO. No reinvestment in the business. But he trusted his mother, the price was low, and he bought in. About eight years later, the existing CEO had to be fired, and Nate stepped into leadership. He had been working in private equity and investment banking on the capital markets side and held an MBA, but none of that fully prepared him for the CEO role. He describes himself as a CEO operator, not a CEO salesperson, someone who looked at the org chart upside down and focused on supporting the rest of the team rather than being the public face. Over eight to nine years, Nate transformed the company. He oversaw roughly a 97% attrition rate while rebuilding the team, switched to accrual-based GAAP accounting on his CFO's advice, and invested in a cloud-based tech stack that made the company fully remote in 2012, two weeks before Superstorm Sandy knocked out power in lower Manhattan. The company reduced licensing time from over four weeks to under four hours. When it came time to sell, the buyer, a music licensing company roughly ten times larger, adopted the entire tech stack for its own future growth. The company sold at what Nate describes as an incredibly high multiple. Then the real challenge began. THE LIMINAL PERIOD Nate references research by South African researchers who identified the "liminal period," the time between leaving one chapter and finding the next, marked by feelings of worthlessness, confusion, and depression. Nate experienced it for three to four years, with stretches where he would sleep only three or four hours a night, flooded with anxiety. He had significant money in the bank, was an expert in financial planning, and was still convinced he would be living out of the back of his car with his family in ten years. He talks about purpose, community, and identity as the elements that collapsed overnight. A business coach later helped him add a fourth dimension, health. Together, these capture what disappears when you sell. The purpose of supporting a team every day. The community of colleagues. The identity of being CEO. And the health foundation that gets undermined when income shifts from a regular paycheck to capital you don't know how to relate to. KEY INSIGHTS Exit readiness and operational excellence are the same pursuit. Nate didn't build cloud systems or switch to GAAP accounting to sell. He did it because he hated putting out fires. Every improvement that made the business better to run also made it dramatically more transferable and valuable. Purpose comes from relevance, not soul-searching. The advice to "go find a purpose" is too abstract. What works is finding where you are relevant to others, where your presence is improving someone's life. Personal well-being predicts company success. A Dutch study found that personal well-being was a greater predictor of company success than the reverse. Business owners who wait until after the exit to invest in their own health are leaving both fulfillment and business performance on the table. Wealth management has three legs, not one. Tax strategy and asset protection are as critical as investment management, especially for business owners whose wealth is concentrated in a single illiquid asset. Build community and purpose outside your business while you still have it. The people in your business will forget you existed the day after you sell. Relationships and meaning outside the company are how you avoid the worst of the liminal period. Perfect for business owners planning exits, entrepreneurs thinking about transferability, and founders who worry about what comes after the sale. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/natecollins FOR MORE ON NATE COLLINS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-collins/ Company: https://www.raymondjames.com/founderwealthstrategies/events  FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:03:23] - Introduction and bio [00:07:05] - First deal, buying into a family-owned licensing company on his mother's recommendation[00:09:19] - Transforming the company with 97% attrition and building a dynamic team[00:14:03] - How theatrical licensing works, from school plays to international tours [00:18:52] - Switching to accrual-based GAAP accounting and the impact on buyer confidence [00:20:25] - Cloud systems, surviving Superstorm Sandy, and reducing licensing time from four weeks to four hours [00:25:30] - Written processes and procedures as a transferability driver [00:30:04] - Being a CEO operator versus a CEO salesperson [00:32:12] - The liminal period, post-exit depression, and the smallest violin problem [00:36:08] - Losing purpose, community, and identity overnight after the sale [00:41:04] - Finding purpose through relevance to others [00:45:51] - Dutch study linking personal well-being to company success Guest Bio Nate Collins is a former CEO who managed a successful exit of his international theatrical licensing company to a large PE-backed music licensing company in 2019. The company was a mid-market business with roughly 100 employees and mid-eight figures in revenue. Before becoming CEO, Nate worked in private equity and investment banking. He now works as a financial advisor and certified exit planning advisor at Raymond James, helping business owners, CEOs, and their families with tax mitigation, estate planning, financial planning, and preparation for life after exit. He runs a quarterly business exit planning workshop and is completing a workbook to guide business owners through the exit process. Host Bio Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes Dave Hersh: The Psychology Behind Successful Exits (referenced in this episode for the "smallest violin" concept around post-exit struggles) Episode 366 - Jodi Hume: Founder Exits and the Emotional Journey Behind Major Business Decisions Episode 328 - Richard Manders: Post-Exit Transitions and Finding Purpose After Selling Your Company Episode 302 - Laurie Barkman: Preparing for a Successful Exit with Business Transition Insights Episode 330 - Pete Mohr: Building Enterprise Value and Exit Readiness Keywords/Tags post-exit depression, liminal period, exit planning, business transferability, CEO identity crisis, company valuation drivers, personal well-being business success, accrual-based accounting, exit readiness, licensing business model, sell your business preparation, post-sale anxiety, purpose after exit, mid-market exit, roll-up acquisition, business systems documentation, cloud-based operations, wealth management entrepreneurs, tax strategy business owners, certified exit planning advisor

    48 min
  2. Episode 401: Protecting Cross-Border Deals from the Inside Out with Stephanie Pimentel

    APR 29

    Episode 401: Protecting Cross-Border Deals from the Inside Out with Stephanie Pimentel

    From the Bronx to 17 years of boots-on-the-ground relationships across Latin America, Stephanie Pimentel shares the workforce governance, cultural alignment, and regulatory pitfalls that quietly cost U.S. companies millions in cross-border deals, and the proprietary audit system she built to catch them before capital is deployed. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Stephanie Pimentel, founder and CEO of Lumena Global Advisory, a boutique firm specializing in Latin American market entry, cross-border workforce strategy, and expansion risk management. With an executive background in multinational operations and human capital leadership, she has advised U.S. companies, private equity groups, and growth-stage founders on structuring compliant, scalable operations across Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and beyond. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why treating Latin America as a single market is one of the most expensive assumptions a company can make. How workforce governance and cultural misalignment destroy deal value after close. Why standard due diligence falls short for cross-border transactions. How a single misclassified hire in Brazil can trigger a $250,000 government charge per employee. Why an employer of record is a testing tool, not a long-term strategy. And how to assess whether your leadership team is actually ready to execute across borders. STEPHANIE'S JOURNEY: Stephanie grew up in the Bronx and started her career as an HR coordinator at $11.75 an hour in New York. She moved into telecommunications, then logistics, where work with ports pulled her into cross-border trade. Over the next 17 years she built direct relationships across Latin America at every level, sitting down with CEOs and spending time with people running daily operations on the ground. That range of experience, combined with degrees in human resource management and forensic psychology, shaped a perspective most advisors in the space do not have. KEY INSIGHTS: Latin America is not one market. Legal structures for hiring differ dramatically between Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, and applying a uniform approach creates compliance gaps before operations even begin. Culture is an operational variable. As Stephanie puts it, "Culture is how decisions get made when no one's watching." Cultural friction begins while the ink is still wet, drives up turnover, and burns capital before it shows on any spreadsheet. Brazil's hiring penalties are severe. A misclassified hire triggers government fees of $250,000 per employee, including mandatory benefits like a lunch stipend that do not exist in the U.S. framework. Standard due diligence is not enough. Latin America requires what Stephanie calls "due diligence on the due diligence." Domestic processes do not surface what matters in each specific country, and that gap closes only after the deal is signed. Expansion readiness has four components: financial strength, operating system robustness, compliance maturity, and leadership team readiness. Strong financials without a prepared leadership team are not enough. Smaller companies can and should expand internationally. Stabilize domestic revenue first, document your operating model, and expand in layers rather than leaps. Perfect for business owners considering Latin American expansion, operators managing post-acquisition integration across borders, and advisors working on international transactions. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/stephaniepimentel FOR MORE ON STEPHANIE PIMENTEL: Website: https://lumenaglobal.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lumena-global-advisory/ FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps: [00:02:28] - Introduction: Stephanie Pimentel's credentials and Lumena Global Advisory [00:09:04] - Case study: post-close, the operation is bleeding cash and the workforce is misaligned[00:10:59] - The five-pillar, 40-question proprietary audit system that grades expansion readiness [00:15:51] - Culture as an operational variable: why it burns capital before it shows on any spreadsheet[00:27:30] - Due diligence on the due diligence, vetting intermediaries, and building a compliant foundation[00:36:55] - The four components of expansion readiness and what makes a leadership team actually ready[00:44:14] - Freedom: earning the real seat at the table Guest Bio: Stephanie Pimentel is the founder and CEO of Lumena Global Advisory, advising U.S. companies, private equity groups, and growth-stage founders on compliant, scalable expansion across Latin America. A Dominican-American executive with degrees in human resource management and forensic psychology, she brings 17 years of on-the-ground relationships and compliance expertise to cross-border transactions across Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and beyond. Related Episodes: Episode 324 - Sejal Lakhani-Bhatt: Cybersecurity and Technology Due Diligence in M&A: Learn how overlooked technical and compliance gaps can create major liability in transactions, and what buyers and sellers need to assess before close. Episode 350 - Tom Dillon: Business Valuation and the Realities of Exit Planning: Explore how operational health and structural preparation directly shape what a company is worth when it goes to market. Episode 329 - Cliff Nonnenmacher: Structuring Deals and Managing Complexity in Transactions: Understand how experienced deal practitioners approach structural challenges that arise when moving deals across complex environments. Keywords/Tags: Latin America expansion, cross-border deals, workforce governance, international M&A, expansion due diligence, market entry Latin America, cross-border workforce strategy, cultural alignment international business, employer of record, post-acquisition integration, compliance Latin America, deal due diligence international, Brazil hiring compliance, Mexico Colombia Brazil expansion, Latin America operational risk, expansion readiness, cross-border transactions, international deal strategy, workforce compliance, Lumena Global Advisory

    42 min
  3. 400 Episodes, One Mission: The Story Behind DealQuest with Corey Kupfer

    APR 22

    400 Episodes, One Mission: The Story Behind DealQuest with Corey Kupfer

    Nearly 8 years, 400 episodes, and close to 30,000 monthly listens: Corey Kupfer shares how the DealQuest Podcast started as a solution to a real business problem, what the guest relationship strategy actually produces for a professional services firm, and why most podcasters quit before the compounding effect kicks in. In this milestone episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer hands the mic to his law firm partner Brian Meegan for a candid look inside nearly eight years of podcasting. Corey is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making experience, and the creator of the DealQuest Podcast. Brian Meegan is Corey's partner at Kupfer Law and a longtime member of Entrepreneurs' Organization, where the two originally met. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: How a frustration with staying connected at scale led to a podcast now generating close to 30,000 listens per month, why the guest relationship is more valuable than the listener base for a professional services business, what "pod fade" is and why more than 85% of podcasts never reach 15 episodes, and the distinction between born dealmakers and situational dealmakers and why it matters for entrepreneurs who think deals aren't for them. ORIGIN STORY: The podcast started as a business problem. As the law firm grew, staying genuinely connected with clients, referral sources, and industry partners at scale became impossible. Authority marketing offered a path. An Entrepreneurs' Organization event in New York, where Gimlet Media founder Alex Bloomberg spoke candidly about starting a podcast company, made the medium click. The show launched in 2018 as Fueling Deals, rebranded to DealQuest about a year and a quarter in, and settled into the format it holds today: a defined open, a defined close, and everything in between is open conversation with no pre-prepared questions. KEY INSIGHTS: The three-part value model for a professional services podcast covers staying top of mind with your existing network, credibility and searchability when a prospect googles you, and actual search-driven client acquisition. All three have produced meaningful results for the DealQuest practice. The guest relationship is the most underestimated asset. Of approximately 300 guest interview episodes, the direct business and referrals from those guest relationships have outweighed what came from the broader listener base. The relationship starts from a place of value creation because the first thing Corey does is give guests access to a meaningful audience. Pod fade is real. More than 85% of podcasts don't reach 15 episodes. Corey's posture from the start was either commit to hundreds of episodes or don't start. Pick a medium you're genuinely energized by, because the energy in the conversation is not replicable with a format you find grinding. Born dealmakers and situational dealmakers are both real. People who treat dealmaking as an exclusive talent tend to opt out before they try. Deals can be learned, and there are structures where risk is easily managed. That's the premise behind Corey's talk called There's a Deal for That: any business challenge or opportunity has a potential deal solution worth at least considering. Perfect for entrepreneurs and business owners considering whether a podcast makes sense for their business, professionals thinking about authority marketing strategy, and dealmakers curious about what nearly 400 conversations about deals has taught someone with 35 years of deal-making experience. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/episode400 FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:03:35] - The origin: Authority marketing, the scale problem, and why a podcast [00:06:45] - The Gimlet Media moment: How Alex Bloomberg's story made podcasting click [00:11:51] - Fueling Deals becomes DealQuest: The rebrand and format evolution [00:14:50] - Growth from 60-80 listens to close to 30,000 per month [00:18:26] - The lurker phenomenon: Why public engagement undercounts your real reach [00:20:28] - The three-part value model for a professional services podcast [00:23:06] - The guest strategy: Why guest relationships outperform listener reach [00:28:50] - Memorable guests and the deal stories that stuck [00:38:31] - Born dealmakers vs. situational dealmakers [00:44:05] - Final advice: Pick your medium, go deep, and commit for the long term   Related Episodes Episode 327 - Solocast 71: Authority Marketing and How a Podcast Drives Deal-Driven Growth Episode 331 - Solocast 72: Deal-Driven Growth Strategy for Business Owners Episode 339 - Solocast 74: Equitizing Key Employees and Succession Planning Strategies Episode 351 - Solocast 77: Deal Structures and Strategic Growth Planning Keywords/Tags: DealQuest Podcast 400 episodes, authority marketing podcast, podcast for business development, deal-driven growth, professional services podcast strategy, B2B podcast strategy, staying top of mind at scale, guest relationship strategy, pod fade, Corey Kupfer, dealmaker mindset, born dealmakers situational dealmakers, business podcast milestone, there's a deal for that, Fueling Deals DealQuest rebrand, entrepreneur podcast strategy, M&A podcast, business growth through deals

    41 min
  4. Episode 399: From Dot-Com Survivor to Fractional CFO with Salvatore Tirabassi

    APR 15

    Episode 399: From Dot-Com Survivor to Fractional CFO with Salvatore Tirabassi

    From dot-com survivor to fractional CFO, Salvatore Tirabassi shares how his venture capital and private equity background enables him to deliver PE-grade financial strategy to founder-owned businesses, why the AI bubble looks fundamentally different from 2000, and how unit economics analysis should drive every growth-stage debt decision. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Salvatore Tirabassi, a seasoned CFO who also brings a 15-year background as a partner in growth equity and venture capital funds. Sal is the founder of CFO Pro Analytics, where he delivers comprehensive financial strategy, modeling, analytics, and capital raising services to founder and family-owned businesses in the $3 million to $100 million revenue range. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN In this episode, you'll discover how the venture capital and private equity landscape evolved from a barbell structure into today's multi-tiered capital ecosystem, why the AI bubble debate is fundamentally different from the dot-com era based on where risk sits in the markets today, and the unit economics framework Sal uses before any client takes on debt to fuel growth. You'll also learn why most founder-owned businesses need practical capital like receivables financing and SBA loans rather than venture funding, and what the private credit market and AI-driven hiring shifts could mean for Main Street businesses. SAL'S JOURNEY Sal grew up playing basketball in competitive New York City high school leagues before moving through consulting and business school into venture capital in August of 1999. Seven months later, the dot-com bubble burst. While most investors fled, his fund doubled down on the companies they believed in. His first deal was a company called Gomez, a SaaS business before anyone used the term, with clients like Amazon paying subscription fees to measure customer web experience. Gomez ultimately sold for approximately $350 million around 2008. Sal continued doing growth equity deals in tech-enabled services before moving to the operating side as a CFO, merging his investor experience with operational expertise into a fractional CFO practice built specifically for founders and family-owned business owners. KEY INSIGHTS Having sat on the investor side as a partner in growth equity and VC funds, Sal builds his clients' financial infrastructure to the standard that institutional capital partners expect. His firm serves three segments on a nationwide basis. Long-term fractional CFO partnerships with founder-owned businesses priced on a fixed basis, investment banks prepping companies for sale on three-to-six-month engagements, and private equity funds needing to upgrade post-acquisition finance operations. On the AI bubble, Sal argues that in 2000, investment banks took small companies with no revenue public, giving individual investors venture capital-level risk exposure. Today that speculative risk sits in private markets. If a correction comes, it will likely show up in private assets rather than devastating public markets. Of the top 20 S&P 500 companies from 2000, only Microsoft remains in the top 20 today. Sal is also watching how AI will reshape hiring for knowledge-based organizations that need to balance automation with talent development, and whether the private credit market could create downstream pressure on Main Street businesses. Perfect for founders weighing different types of capital, business owners who know their financial infrastructure needs an upgrade, and anyone who wants a grounded AI bubble perspective from someone who survived the dot-com crash. Episode Highlights with Timestamps:[00:03:37] - Introduction and Sal's credentials [00:04:55] - Childhood basketball dreams in NYC [00:07:18] - Starting in VC in August 1999 and the dot-com crash  [00:12:45] - Evolution of the VC and PE landscape over two decades [00:20:34] - From investor side to operator side as a CFO [00:26:28] - Practical forms of capital for founder-owned businesses [00:31:22] - Unit economics analysis and modeling the J-curve [00:36:16] - AI bubble versus dot-com bubble [00:42:06] - AI's impact on hiring and the private credit question [00:46:46] - Nine fundamental business models across every industry [00:52:00] - Freedom as time with family and opportunity for the next generation Related Episodes:Episode 350 with Tom Dillon explores fractional CFO work from a complementary angle, including when companies should avoid venture capital and what alternative funding sources might serve them better. Episode 326 with Herman Dolce covers raising capital in shifting markets and how technology cycles create winners and losers, connecting directly to Sal's observations about the private credit market. Episode 370 with Gerry Hays examines VC access and launching companies during the dot-com era, offering a founder's perspective that complements Sal's investor-side view. Guest Bio:Salvatore Tirabassi is the founder of CFO Pro Analytics, a fractional CFO firm serving founder and family-owned businesses in the $3 million to $100 million revenue range. He brings a 15-year background as a partner in growth equity and venture capital funds, with 20 years of expertise in strategic forecasting and capital management. His team operates primarily from the New York City area with remote capabilities nationwide. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/salvatoretirabassi FOR MORE ON SALVATORE TIRABASSI:Website: https://cfoproanalytics.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stirabassi/ FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Keywords: fractional CFO, venture capital, private equity, dot-com bubble, AI bubble, capital raising, founder-owned business, growth equity, debt financing, unit economics, SBA loans, private credit, business models, exit planning

    42 min
  5. Episode 398: Building a Business Partnership That Lasts with Leah and Becca Wiser

    APR 8

    Episode 398: Building a Business Partnership That Lasts with Leah and Becca Wiser

    From printing a pitch deck in 8th grade to accidentally raising their first angel investment, building a 100,000-person wellness app with no salary for five years, and pivoting into a web design business that has launched over 100 sites, Leah and Becca Wiser share what it takes to build a business partnership that holds up under real pressure. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Leah and Becca Wiser, twin sisters and co-founders of A Wiser Website, a concierge web design and brand strategy firm for service-based businesses. Having founded three companies together in the digital space, they bring a hard-earned perspective on co-founder dynamics, capital raising without a formal process, and knowing when a chapter has run its course. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: In this episode, you will discover why the most effective first pitch is often a conversation, how twins with completely different working styles built a co-founder structure around those differences, and why defined boundaries between personal and professional time are operational infrastructure, not just personal preference. Leah and Becca explain the brownie split trap that quietly erodes partnerships, how five years of building a free app with no salary led to a stronger second business, and why asking for advice instead of money produced their first investment. LEAH AND BECCA'S JOURNEY: Leah and Becca Wiser grew up in South Florida surrounded by women who built businesses from scratch. Their mother, grandmother, and aunt Jennifer, who started a jewelry company in her child's playroom, all modeled entrepreneurship as a natural path. At 12, Leah and Becca were joining their aunt at trunk shows, watching hands-on client relationships drive sales. They have never held standard jobs. Their first real deal came in 8th grade, when they printed a full pitch deck to convince their parents they were responsible enough for cell phones. The idea came from watching TED Talks, which their parents required before any screen time. Watching others present and persuade translated, without them recognizing it yet, into a natural instinct to negotiate with preparation. THE CO-FOUNDER DEAL: Being identical twins did not insulate Leah and Becca from co-founder friction. About four years into their first major company, they questioned whether continuing made sense. Their solution was what they call business therapy, working with coaches who gave them language for their different working styles and a structure for honest communication. Leah tends toward detail, design, and execution. Becca handles client relationships, operations, and the outward-facing work. Once named and understood, those differences became their competitive advantage rather than their friction point. KEY INSIGHTS: The brownie split traps business partnerships. When co-founders begin tracking contributions the way children measure whether a brownie was cut perfectly in half, the focus shifts from outcomes to optics. Value comes in waves. A partnership built on flexibility and mutual trust outlasts one where each side keeps score. Asking for advice produces investment faster than asking for investment. When Leah, Becca, and their younger sister Hannah began developing Wumaze in 2017, they went to two people they knew for guidance on a rough early idea, not for funding. Those people saw their passion and invested. As Corey noted in this episode: when you ask for money, you get advice, and when you ask for advice, you get money. Defined containers for personal and professional time protect both. Leah and Becca live and work together in Washington, D.C. Without explicit structure around when it is business time and when it is sister time, both suffer. These are not personal accommodations. They are the structural boundaries that make the partnership sustainable. Pivoting is not failure when the evidence supports it. After five years building Wumaze with no salary and growing its community to over 100,000 users, Leah and Becca recognized it was time to move on. The skills they built during that period transferred directly into A Wiser Website.   FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/leahandbeccawiser FOR MORE ON LEAH AND BECCA WISER: Website: https://www.awiserwebsite.com/ Instagram: @AWiserWebsite  FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:11:17] - Introduction: Leah and Becca's background and the twin entrepreneur story [00:12:57] - First deal: The 8th-grade pitch deck for cell phones [00:19:20] - Why business partnerships are deals, and why they are not easy [00:23:08] - The brownie split analogy and the trap of tracking equal effort [00:30:19] - Wumaze: the mental health app started from college dorm rooms [00:41:34] - Five years, no salary, and the monetization challenge of a free app [00:45:40] - Recognizing when a chapter has completed its course [00:51:59] - Visionary and integrator: how their differences became their advantage [00:56:59] - What freedom means: Leah on giving freely, Becca on being present Guest Bio: Leah and Becca Wiser are identical twin sisters and creative partners who help service-based businesses take their brands and websites to the next level. With over 100 websites launched, they are strategic partners for companies looking to attract high-end clientele, generate quality leads, and turn their websites into powerful sales tools. They are also co-founders of Wumaze, a free emotional well-being app for women featured on Forbes, NBC, and CBS that grew to over 100,000 users. They operate A Wiser Website together. Host Bio: Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description: Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes:Episode 366 - Jodi Hume: Founder Exits and the Emotional Journey Behind Major Business Decisions: Explore the psychological dimensions of stepping away from a company you built and what founders need to prepare for beyond the transaction. Episode 350 - Tom Dillon: When NOT to Take Venture Capital Money: Discover alternative funding sources and how to evaluate whether outside capital is the right fit for your business model. Episode 330 - Pete Mohr: Building Enterprise Value and Exit Readiness: Learn the foundational steps for building a business positioned to grow and, when the time comes, exit on your own terms. Social Media Follow DealQuest Podcast: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ Website: https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Keywords/Tags:business partnership, co-founder dynamics, twin entrepreneurs, angel investment, capital raising, business pivot, web design strategy, service-based business, brand strategy, entrepreneurial journey, women entrepreneurs, co-founder relationship, visionary integrator, bootstrapping, mental health app, website as sales tool, entrepreneurship

    47 min
  6. Episode 397: Achieving 97% Client Retention in Practice Transitions with Jerry Blakely

    APR 1

    Episode 397: Achieving 97% Client Retention in Practice Transitions with Jerry Blakely

    From buying his first practice from a trusted friend to achieving 97% client retention when selling his own 700-client firm, Jerry Blakely shares the emotional strategies that make RIA practice transitions succeed when so many others fail. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Jerry Blakely, a CFP and financial advisor with over 40 years of experience in the wealth management industry. Jerry has been on both sides of practice transitions and now consults RIA firms on helping selling advisors pass client relationships to buying advisors with maximum retention. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN In this episode, you'll discover why buying a practice means buying client relationships and what happens when those relationships fail to transfer. Jerry explains why selling advisors without clear exit timelines struggle to complete transitions, how a one-year in-office handoff with joint client meetings dramatically increases retention, and what he discovered when consulting practices that had never told their clients about the sale. You'll also learn why keeping key staff provides crucial continuity and how authentic storytelling creates the emotional anchors that keep clients from leaving. JERRY'S JOURNEY Jerry's first deal came through a close friend he met at Life Underwriters Association meetings. Gordon was older and ready to retire. They compared notes, realized they had extremely similar practices, and decided to use the same appraisal firm and even the same attorney. Everyone says not to do that, but the trust between two friends made the deal work. Gordon physically moved into Jerry's office for one year. They met personally with every single client together in what Jerry calls a "great big handoff routine." Most of those original clients were still with the practice when Jerry sold it himself ten years later. KEY INSIGHTS When you do a buy-sell agreement in wealth management, you're buying client relationships. If those relationships don't stick, you've bought a distressed asset and the buyer won't have money to pay the seller. Both parties have skin in the game to make the emotional transfer work. Having a targeted exit date changes everything. Jerry wanted to be out by age 70. He told clients directly, "Don't get mad at me, but I'm getting old." They understood because they were living similar life stages. Jerry's practice manager had been with him for 20 years and remained six more years after he sold. Clients who went through five different advisor changes stayed because they could still call the familiar person at the front desk. One advisor Jerry consulted couldn't tell clients she was retiring because she felt guilty about her success. Once she realized clients would celebrate her dream of building a cabin on a lake, she developed a script and moved forward within three weeks. Perfect for financial advisors planning succession, RIA firm owners acquiring practices, and any business leader where client retention drives enterprise value. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/jerryblakely FOR MORE ON JERRY BLAKELY:https://www.cffp.edu/who-we-are/jerry-blakely FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Episode Highlights with Timestamps:[00:12:28] - Introduction and Jerry Blakely's background as a CFP with 40+ years of experience [00:13:45] - What Jerry wanted to be as a kid and surrogate father figures in marching band[00:14:28] - First deal with Gordon and the trust-based approach to practice acquisition[00:17:04] - The one-year in-office transition with joint client meetings [00:18:12] - Getting hired as a consultant and discovering why other acquisitions struggled[00:27:44] - Why Jerry sold his practice and having a targeted exit date of age 70 [00:30:48] - Visiting offices where sellers had never told clients about the transition [00:35:05] - "Don't get mad at me, but I'm getting old" and authentic communication[00:37:24] - The 97% retention rate reveal [00:41:09] - The practice manager as anchor and why continuity matters [00:49:36] - The advisor who felt guilty about retiring [00:53:49] - The $5 million client whose father owned ski resorts [00:59:23] - What freedom means to Jerry Guest Bio:Jerry Blakely was a successful CFP and financial advisor for over 40 years. He bought practices and sold practices during that time, achieving approximately 97% client retention when he sold his own 700-client firm. He now consults RIA firms on helping selling advisors pass client relationships to buying advisors with maximum retention. Host Bio:Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. He is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description:Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, and strategic alliances, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Related EpisodesEpisode 339 - Solocast 74: How G2 and G3 Advisors Impact M&A Outcomes in Wealth Management Episode 350 - Tom Dillon: Understanding Business Valuation and What Buyers Should Evaluate Keywords/Tags:RIA practice transition, client retention, financial advisor succession, wealth management M&A, practice acquisition, advisor transition consulting, exit planning, CFP succession, buy-sell agreement, advisor retirement, emotional anchoring, practice continuity

    47 min
  7. Episode 396: Do You Actually Want to Be a Deal Maker with Corey Kupfer

    MAR 25

    Episode 396: Do You Actually Want to Be a Deal Maker with Corey Kupfer

    From year-end deal crunches to honest conversations about risk tolerance and self-knowledge, Corey Kupfer makes the candid case for why deal making may not be for every entrepreneur, and what it actually takes if you decide it is. In this remastered DealQuest solocast, host Corey Kupfer draws from his own experience managing multiple year-end closings while stretched thin to walk through three reasons why deals may not align with every business leader's goals or temperament, and how the flip side of each reason reveals the roadmap for those who do want to pursue deals. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN In this episode, you'll discover why even experienced deal teams face periods of all-encompassing intensity, how risk tolerance shapes whether and how you pursue deals, and why some entrepreneurs are better served by doubling down on organic growth. Corey explains how the CPR tool from his Authentic Negotiating book can help you assess whether deals belong in your growth strategy, and why the distinction between born deal makers and situational deal makers matters. THE HONEST CASE FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT Corey acknowledges the counterintuitive nature of a deal-making advocate telling listeners they might not want to be deal makers. But the premise is grounded in something he returns to throughout his work. Self-knowledge matters more than ambition. The decision to pursue deal-driven growth should come from clarity about what you want, not from external pressure or assumptions. He connects this to the CPR tool from his Authentic Negotiating book, which stands for Context, Purpose, and Results. The CPR framework applies as powerfully to the question of whether deals should be part of your growth strategy as it does to any specific negotiation. Corey also previews his dealmaker retreats, which will begin with visioning work before any deal strategy is discussed. KEY INSIGHTS Deal work is periodically all-encompassing. Corey shares his experience managing multiple year-end closings while sick, with his team stretched. He walks through disclosure schedules in asset purchase deals, where sellers must provide representations and warranties covering contracts, employees, regulatory matters, and taxes. Getting these wrong risks breach and potential indemnity obligations. Risk tolerance is a prerequisite. Every successful deal maker has deals that fail or underperform. Corey shares a live example of risk-averse buyers requesting protections that could burden his client. If deals going wrong would affect your sleep or health, the personal cost may outweigh the benefit. Your highest and best use may not include deal making. Some entrepreneurs generate exceptional results through organic growth. Adding deals could dilute their greatest strength. Corey compares growth diversification to a diversified stock portfolio but notes you can hire the right team to handle deals while you focus on your strengths. Being a deal maker is not binary. There are situational deal makers who evolve into the role because the timing aligns, an opportunity appears, or their mindset shifts. The question is whether this is the right time for you. Perfect for entrepreneurs weighing whether deal-driven growth aligns with their goals, business owners considering M&A or partnerships, and anyone interested in an honest self-assessment framework before committing to a deal strategy. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/beadealmarker FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ Website: https://www.coreykupfer.com/  Episode Highlights with Timestamps:[00:02:12] - Solocast opens with the counterintuitive premise of why you should not be a deal maker [00:04:53] - Why deal work can be all-encompassing and the demands of year-end closings[00:06:32] - Disclosure schedules in asset purchase deals and why they matter [00:10:25] - The reality of pushing through fatigue and intensity [00:11:57] - The inherent risk of deal making and why some deals will always fail [00:14:01] - Live deal example with risk-averse buyers requesting protections and guarantees[00:14:54] - Organic growth as an alternative path and when deals become a distraction [00:15:53] - Superpower and highest and best use [00:18:25] - Self-knowledge as the foundation and the CPR tool from Authentic Negotiating[00:19:00] - Dealmaker retreats and why they start with visioning [00:21:02] - What it takes to be a deal maker and the concept of situational deal makers Host Bio:Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description:Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes:Episode 326 - Herman Dolce: How People Around You Filter Advice Through Their Own Risk Tolerance Episode 330 - Pete Mohr: Building Enterprise Value and Exit Readiness Episode 323 - Holiday Solocast: Year-End Completion and Clearing Exercise for EntrepreneursEpisode 324 - Sejal Lakhani-Bhatt: Entrepreneurial Mindset, Vulnerability, and Authentic Leadership   Keywords/Tags:deal making mindset, risk tolerance in deals, deal maker self assessment, organic growth vs acquisitions, deal-driven growth strategy, entrepreneur risk tolerance, when not to do deals, self-knowledge in business, authentic negotiating CPR tool, situational deal makers, disclosure schedules, highest and best use, deal-driven growth

    24 min
  8. Episode 395: Building Exit-Ready Businesses with Marty Fahncke

    MAR 18

    Episode 395: Building Exit-Ready Businesses with Marty Fahncke

    From grassroots soccer parks to $600 million exits, Marty M. Fahncke reveals why every dollar of EBITDA sacrificed for tax savings costs you seven on a multiple, how the build versus buy decision needs a reality check, and why a business fully prepared to sell is the best business to own. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Marty M. Fahncke, CMAA, who has helped hundreds of businesses scale to over $1 billion in combined revenue and executed nearly $500 million in M&A deals. He is the founder of Westbound Road, an M&A advisory firm specializing in digital businesses in the $5-50 million range, and author of Boomer Sells the Business: A Step-by-Step Guide to Cashing Out and Living Large. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: In this episode, you'll discover why the build versus buy analysis fails when founders underestimate timelines and costs, and why opportunity cost is often the biggest expense that never appears in spreadsheets. Marty explains how combining marketing expertise with M&A strategy creates advantages most advisors lack, the costly trade-off between profit maximization and tax mitigation that saves twenty cents but costs seven dollars on a multiple, and why operational decisions like CRM selection or staffing structure can kill deals worth millions. You'll also learn how the Who Not How philosophy transforms into a powerful acquisition playbook, why SaaS founders who turned down $50 million in 2021 are accepting those valuations were an anomaly, and how authority marketing through podcasts generates clients who arrive ready to sign without sales conversations. MARTY'S JOURNEY: Marty grew up in the mountains of Utah wanting to be either a forest ranger or join the military. Neither path worked out, and he ended up on the entrepreneur path instead. Even as a teenager, he showed entrepreneurial instincts, selling water purifiers and vacuums and running a bicycle rehab business at age twelve. M&A was completely off his radar until he and some friends started a soccer training product company. They took a truly grassroots approach, setting up canopies at local parks every weekend where kids played soccer. Marty had his children demonstrate the product while he sold to parents. Those park sessions taught them exactly what messaging resonated. Marty used those insights to create a marketing campaign that got the product onto QVC in the United States and Japan. Just eighteen months in, they received an unsolicited $1.5 million offer from a private equity firm buying their proven QVC sales channel. His next deal flipped the approach. Instead of building from scratch, Marty and a partner combined two competing businesses, each doing $1.5-2 million in revenue. By eliminating competition and consolidating operations, they scaled from under $4 million to $30 million in two years. That company eventually became part of a $600 million exit through a reverse merger. After that exit, Marty built a personal portfolio of businesses. In 2019, he focused on M&A full-time. When 2020 hit, he saw opportunity in the chaos. He reached out to companies about selling, and economic uncertainty generated many yes responses. When businesses weren't right for his portfolio, sellers asked if he knew other buyers. He started triangulating deals, brought in partner Becky, and launched Westbound Road in 2020. They focus exclusively on digital businesses between $5 and $50 million, including e-commerce, SaaS, publishing, marketing agencies, and virtual professional services. The firm is intentionally small at five people but highly specialized. THE MARKETER'S EDGE: Marty brings a rare combination of world-class marketing expertise and deep M&A experience. Most advisors excel at one or the other, rarely both. He is a marketer at heart and applies marketing principles to M&A strategy. This matters because organic growth drives valuation multiples. Buyers pay premiums for demonstrated growth momentum, often adding an extra turn or two on exit multiples. Marty sees both sides of the equation, knowing how to build marketing systems that drive organic growth and how to structure deals that accelerate inorganic expansion. KEY INSIGHTS: The build versus buy decision requires brutal honesty. Marty sees unreasonable optimism every time founders analyze whether to build or acquire. His rule: double the timeline, triple the costs. Even then, most analyses miss opportunity cost. What revenue will you lose spending years building? What market share will competitors capture while you're distracted? These costs rarely appear in spreadsheets but are often the most expensive part of the build decision. The Who Not How philosophy becomes an acquisition playbook. When something needs to be done, don't ask how you can learn it yourself. Find someone already better at it and acquire them. Marty applied this when a bookkeeping firm asked for growth help. Instead of consulting fees, he negotiated equity, brought marketing expertise and clients, they tripled revenue, and everyone won when they sold. Profit maximization beats tax mitigation. Every dollar of EBITDA sacrificed to save taxes saves twenty cents but costs seven dollars on a multiple when you sell. When Marty shows clients this math, they immediately shift strategies. This insight often represents millions in additional exit value. Begin with the buyer in mind. Westbound Road identifies upfront who will buy your business and why, then builds the business to suit those buyers. Every decision from CRM selection to staffing structure gets evaluated through one lens: how will this impact deal viability at exit? Minor operational choices can kill deals worth millions. A client built operations entirely on offshore VAs with impressive margins, but many buyers walked away. To command their target multiple, they needed to onshore roles and add W-2 employees. Another business chose a non-standard CRM. An acquirer walked away because integrating it created too much friction. That preference cost millions. The SaaS valuation bubble is being accepted as an anomaly. In 2021-2022, founders got $50 million offers for businesses worth $12 million today. Many refused, expecting the market to stay hot. Marty shows them the charts: the market returned to historical norms, and eighteen months was a bubble. Those founders are finally accepting realistic valuations. Authority marketing creates pre-sold clients. When prospects ask questions, Marty's team sends time-coded podcast links. Prospects listen to full episodes, then more episodes, and arrive ready to sign without sales calls. His first ChatGPT client found Westbound Road via AI recommendation, watched three episodes, and asked where to sign. A business fully prepared to sell is the best business to own. The best practices for creating enterprise value that commands premium multiples are the same practices that make a business pleasurable to operate. Clean financials, reduced owner dependency, autonomous systems, and strategic structure benefit owners whether they sell or not. Perfect for business owners in the $5-50 million range planning exits, entrepreneurs considering M&A advisory relationships, and anyone interested in combining marketing expertise with deal-making to build and sell businesses. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/martyfahncke FOR MORE ON MARTY FAHNCKE: Website: https://westboundroad.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martyfahncke/ FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Episode Highlights with Timestamps[00:06:48] - Introduction: Marty Fahncke's credentials and experience [00:08:38] - Childhood dream of being a forest ranger in the mountains of Utah [00:11:12] - Early entrepreneurial ventures: bike rehab business at age twelve [00:11:30] - First major deal: grassroots soccer product to QVC and $1.5 million exit[00:23:36] - Eliminating competition through collaboration instead of competing [00:23:36] - Who Not How philosophy applied to M&A and acquisition strategy [00:24:09] - Build versus buy analysis and unreasonable optimism trap [00:28:52] - Combining marketing expertise with M&A strategy as unique advantage [00:31:08] - Starting Westbound Road advisory firm during 2020 disruption [00:33:37] - Focus areas: $5-50M digital businesses, e-commerce, and SaaS [00:34:09] - Exit planning gap: helping founders understand what they have [00:47:13] - Beginning with the end in mind: identifying buyers before building [00:48:01] - Offshore VA staffing structure as deal-killer example [00:48:30] - Non-standard CRM selection costing millions in lost deal value  [00:50:36] - A business fully prepared to sell is the best business to own [00:53:23] - Freedom defined: making impact on entrepreneurs and participating in exits[00:57:32] - Authority marketing: podcast content creating pre-sold clients [01:01:00] - First ChatGPT-originated client story Guest Bio:Marty Fahncke, CMAA is a seasoned marketer and dealmaker with over 35 years of business experience and over 25 years in M&A. He has helped hundreds of businesses scale to over $1 billion in combined revenue and executed nearly $500 million in M&A deals. His first deal was selling a grassroots soccer product business for $1.5 million. His second deal combined a $2 million company with a $1.5 million company and built it to $30 million in revenue in two years. Since then, he has been involved in deals from $5 million to $600 million. He is the founder of Westbound Road, an M&A advisory firm specializing in digital businesses between $5 and $50

    44 min
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Why do some companies grow by leaps and bounds while others only inch forward? Simple. They embrace Deal-Driven Growth in addition to organic growth! DealQuest is where you learn how to strategize, prepare for, find, and complete deals to grow your company faster. Listen in as host Corey Kupfer takes you behind the scenes with some of the world’s most fascinating deal-savvy business leaders. This is the one place where they can share openly the secret to deals they have done (or failed to do) and the issues, opportunities, benefits, pitfalls and lessons learned. Here you learn first-hand all about: Powerful deals that require little capital, mergers, acquisitions, and tuck-ins, Joint ventures, partnerships, and strategic alliances, licensing, raising capital and onboarding key employees, negotiating, structuring, finding, valuing, closing and integrating deals. Don’t be the one at the table who doesn’t grasp the power of Deal-Driven Growth!

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