Growth + Exit

Susan Kearney and Heather Bennett
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Management

This is the Growth + Exit Podcast, where owners of privately held, middle-market companies talk about founding, scaling, and exiting their businesses successfully.

  1. 6d ago

    How To Use AI To Grow Your Business — Without Ever Putting People Second

    Andy Crestodina is the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Orbit Media Studios, an award-winning digital agency. With over 20 years of experience in analytics, SEO, content strategy, AI, and website optimization, he is widely recognized as a leading expert in the marketing industry. Andy has written over 500 articles on content strategy, SEO, AI, social media, and analytics, and is the author of Content Chemistry. In this episode… Starting a business or growing an existing one often comes with the question of how to make the most of limited resources while achieving meaningful results. Many entrepreneurs wonder where to focus their time and energy to create a lasting impact. What strategies help small- to mid-sized businesses grow effectively without burning out? Andy Crestodina, a digital marketing and content strategy expert, suggests focusing on measurable actions that directly influence outcomes. He recommends leveraging AI to understand your audience better, such as generating personas or analyzing visitor behavior, and prioritizing improvements to your existing web pages to optimize conversions. By taking small, deliberate steps to enhance client engagement and communication, leaders can generate more value with fewer resources while building a scalable foundation. In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett chats with Andy Crestodina, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Orbit Media Studios, about building sustainable businesses through digital strategy. Andy shares the origin story of his company, the importance of early hires and delegation, and actionable advice for improving web conversions and lead generation.

    44 min

  2. Jun 10

    How To Lead With Authenticity

    Lynda Ellis is the CEO of Capitol Concierge, a leading provider of corporate, residential, and commercial concierge services. She joined the company in 1998 and later purchased it in 2007, guiding its growth into a nationally and internationally recognized service brand serving more than one million people worldwide. Lynda has received multiple industry honors for her visionary leadership and community involvement. She has also been appointed to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council, where she advocates for small‑business interests with policymakers. In this episode… Entrepreneurship demands persistence, adaptability, and a willingness to tackle challenges head-on. Leaders must find ways to stay motivated while guiding teams through uncertainty. How can business owners navigate high-stakes decisions while maintaining focus and resilience? Lynda Ellis, an experienced business leader and strategist, emphasizes the importance of leaning into challenges rather than avoiding them. She suggests framing obstacles as opportunities for growth, building a strong support network, and empowering employees to take ownership of their work. Lynda encourages entrepreneurs to maintain daily rituals that foster clarity and focus, helping leaders manage personal and professional responsibilities effectively. By integrating these practices, leaders can turn complex problems into actionable solutions and cultivate a motivated, engaged team. In this episode of Growth + Exit, Susan Kearney chats with Lynda Ellis, CEO of Capitol Concierge, about leadership and growth strategies. Lynda discusses her early career lessons in management and service, strategies for staying motivated and seeking new challenges, and her approaches to community engagement and giving back.

    44 min

  3. Jun 3

    Disrupting Hospitality: How To Run Successful Restaurants and Music Venues

    Robert Gomez is the Owner of Beat Kitchen, a popular Chicago live music venue and restaurant known for its blend of food, drinks, and nightly performances. With over 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, he has operated other venues in the Chicago area, including Subterranean, Underbar, and Bar Sol. Beat Kitchen has expanded to three locations, including two on Navy Pier. In this episode… Restaurants and live music venues can be hubs of creativity, community, and culture, but they require more than just a passion for food or music to sustain. From staffing challenges to balancing multiple revenue streams, running a hospitality business demands strategy, resilience, and adaptability. How can owners navigate these complexities while staying true to their vision? Veteran Chicago restaurateur and multi-concept venue owner Robert Gomez has built thriving businesses in this demanding industry. He emphasizes starting from the ground up, observing operations before launching a business, and cultivating resilience when managing people and events. Robert also highlights the importance of leveraging equity, understanding market trends, and maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing customer behaviors. In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett sits down with Robert Gomez, Owner of Beat Kitchen, to discuss building a resilient hospitality business. Robert talks about navigating early operational challenges, shares strategies for booking and promoting live music, and discusses hiring and developing staff to handle diverse, high-pressure environments.

    41 min

  4. May 27

    How To Be Outrageously Successful in Business From a Master Vistage Chair

    Mikki Williams, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, is an international speaker, storyteller, author, and executive speech coach. She holds both the Certified Speaking Professional designation and the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame honor, a combination held by fewer than 1% of professional speakers worldwide. Recognized by Meetings & Conventions magazine as one of the country's favorite speakers, Mikki is also an award-winning Vistage speaker and Chair. Known for her "Be Outrageous" philosophy, she helps leaders and audiences communicate with authenticity, humor, and impact. In this episode… Building a business means learning when to push forward, when to adapt, and when to let go. The most successful leaders don't just rely on strategy; they develop the self-awareness to trust their instincts, create meaningful relationships, and stay open to reinvention. How can entrepreneurs build that kind of resilience while continuing to grow? Professional speaker and executive coach Mikki Williams says they do it by embracing change, staying authentic, and listening deeply before making decisions. She encourages leaders to be decisive, build accountability into their teams, create rituals that strengthen connection, and listen to mentors while trusting their own instincts. Growth comes from pairing confidence with curiosity and structure with humanity.  In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett chats with Mikki Williams, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, about reinventing yourself in business. Mikki discusses embracing risk and change, coaching CEOs through Vistage, and becoming a viral digital content creator at 82.

    42 min

  5. May 20

    Turning Customer Feedback Into Startup Growth

    Catherine Connelly is the Founder and Fractional Head of Marketing at Connelly Ventures, LLC, a marketing advisory firm that helps entrepreneurs and growing teams build scalable, practical marketing strategies. As an entrepreneur, marketing leader, speaker, and author, she co-founded myYearbook as a teenager and helped grow it into The Meet Group, a NASDAQ-listed social dating and livestreaming company. During her time at The Meet Group, Catherine led brand strategy and marketing through mergers, acquisitions, and rebrands before the company was acquired for $500 million in 2020. In this episode… Building and exiting a company takes focus, adaptability, and the ability to keep listening when the market shifts. For founders navigating growth, fundraising, leadership, and exit decisions, how can you stay grounded while making choices with incomplete information? Catherine Connelly's answer, drawn from her experience as an entrepreneur and startup leader, is to stay close to the people you serve and keep your decision-making anchored to a clear goal. She emphasizes listening to customers, translating feedback into informed product decisions, and resisting the urge to chase every new trend or tool before gaining strategic clarity. Catherine also encourages founders to ask for help, learn from others who are a few steps ahead, and build small habits that create momentum and resilience.  In this episode of Growth + Exit, Susan Kearney sits down with Catherine Connelly, Founder and Fractional Head of Marketing at Connelly Ventures, LLC, to discuss building, scaling, and exiting a community platform. Catherine shares how she used customer feedback to shape product strategy, scaled after reaching one million users, and navigated the stress of a $500 million exit.

    48 min

  6. May 13

    An AI Entrepreneur Explains the Difference Between Being a Builder Versus a Sustainer

    Kathleen Perley is the Founder and CEO of AdaIR, an AI intelligence platform for capital market communication. She is a linguist-turned-entrepreneur and an AI thought leader focused on making advanced technology practical for business leaders. Before AdaIR, Kathleen founded DemystifAI, an AI consulting and education firm, and DECODE, a healthcare digital transformation agency that grew to $17 million in annual revenue before being acquired. She is also a Professor and AI Advisor at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business, where she teaches AI strategy, generative AI applications, and implementation. In this episode… Scaling a business often requires founders to balance momentum with discipline. The same instincts that help a company grow can eventually create complexity, risk, or dependency if they're not paired with structure. How can entrepreneurs build, scale, and prepare for an exit without losing sight of what makes the business valuable? Kathleen Perley's answer is to know when to shift from merely building your business to intentional leadership. As an entrepreneur and AI advisor, she emphasizes the importance of narrowing your niche, creating repeatable operating systems, and surrounding yourself with partners, investors, and advisors who expand your thinking. Kathleen also recommends transferring a portion of your profits into personal investments, protecting cash flow, and planning early for tax and exit implications. Sustainable growth depends on focus, structure, and the willingness to ask for help before the pressure hits. In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett sits down with Kathleen Perley, Co-founder and CEO of AdaIR, to discuss building, scaling, and exiting a company. Kathleen shares how she founded DECODE, what she learned from hiring and leadership, and why EOS, cash planning, and the right advisors are crucial before a sale.

    48 min

  7. May 6

    Growing and Selling a Wholesale Business

    Rob Stepen is a Certified Business Performance Advisor at Insperity, a leading human resources and business performance solutions company. With decades of experience as a business owner, he helps organizations improve efficiency, accelerate growth, and drive revenue. Outside of Insperity, Rob serves on nonprofit and academic advisory boards and supports initiatives that foster entrepreneurship and local engagement. In this episode… Business growth often introduces new challenges: hiring the right people, navigating expansion opportunities, and adapting to unexpected market shifts. So how can leaders make informed decisions at each stage without losing momentum? According to seasoned operator and strategic advisor Rob Stepen, it starts with understanding that every stage of growth demands intentional choices. He stresses building a people-first organization by hiring adaptable, customer-focused individuals and addressing misalignment quickly when people are in roles that aren't the right fit. Rob also recommends aligning acquisitions and partnerships with long-term strategy rather than short-term gains, while staying focused on what you can control. Disciplined decision-making and strong team alignment sustain growth over time.  In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett talks with Rob Stepen, Certified Business Performance Advisor at Insperity, about scaling and exiting a business. Rob explains how to hire and structure teams during rapid growth, evaluate acquisitions and mergers strategically, and navigate the challenges and lessons learned from selling a company.

    34 min

  8. Apr 29

    Venture Capital Explained and Why You Should Invest in Women-Owned Businesses

    Julie Castro Abrams is the CEO and Chair of How Women Lead, a national network of executive women dedicated to advancing gender equity, expanding board representation, and increasing access to capital for women-led companies. As an entrepreneur, investor, and gender and racial justice advocate, she has spent her career building women-owned businesses and creating economic opportunities for women. Outside of How Women Lead, Julie is the Managing Partner of How Women Invest, a venture capital firm focused on funding women founders and empowering women investors. Her work has helped shape policy and business practices, including efforts to increase diversity on corporate boards and support thousands of women entrepreneurs. In this episode… Building a business isn't just about having a great idea — it's about understanding how capital shapes your growth, your decisions, and your long-term outcomes. Many founders underestimate the pressure that comes with venture capital or the preparation required to earn investor confidence. So how should entrepreneurs think about funding — and where are the biggest overlooked opportunities for investors today? Julie Castro Abrams, a venture capitalist and longtime advocate for women entrepreneurs, explains that success starts with clarity — both in identity and strategy. Founders should only take on capital when absolutely necessary, as it can introduce pressure, higher expectations, and a potential loss of control. At the same time, Julie highlights a major market gap: Women-led companies consistently deliver strong returns yet receive a fraction of venture funding. Her advice to both founders and investors is to focus on fundamentals — understand the metrics, know the market opportunity, and confidently position for growth — while recognizing the untapped potential in backing women-owned businesses. In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett talks with Julie Castro Abrams, CEO and Chair of How Women Lead and Managing Partner at How Women Invest, about venture capital and leadership in women-led companies. Julie shares what investors look for in founders, how to prepare for funding, and why investing in women-led businesses presents a significant opportunity.

    49 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

This is the Growth + Exit Podcast, where owners of privately held, middle-market companies talk about founding, scaling, and exiting their businesses successfully.

Information

  • Creator
    Susan Kearney and Heather Bennett
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Growth + Exit (c) 2025
  • Show Website
    Growth + Exit

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