Alejandro Pérez bootstrapped Komet Sales, a cloud-based ERP and e-commerce platform for the floral industry, from his parents' house to a successful private equity exit, 18 years, 6 months, and 18 days later. No VC, no hype, no shortcuts. Just a guy who fell in love with an "unsexy industry" and built something real by creating value. In this episode, Alejandro and I go deep on what it takes to build a business the right way and walk away from it without losing yourself in the process. We talk about the six years he spent running an agency making no money, chasing money, before realizing money was the wrong goal. We get into the years bootstrapping Komet, the moment an acquirer told him his company was undervalued because he wasn't paying himself a real salary, and why he hired a banker for the sale when he didn't need to. We also talk about how he handed over his CEO title to an outside operator without feeling attached, why he put the majority of his exit into Bitcoin, and how two heart attacks reshaped his relationship with time and success. Alejandro has a pure abundance mindset. He's the most positive person I've ever met, and by the end of the conversation, you'll understand where that comes from. This is a conversation about building something quietly, selling it well, and staying unshaken no matter what happens. If you've ever wondered what a clean, grounded founder journey actually looks like, this one's for you. _______ (01:31) How he priced his classmates' papers at 14 (06:29) At 21, he just wanted to build, not monetize (07:35) Six years of chasing money before the reframe (08:35) How Komet Sales almost got named after a cleanser (15:00) Starting Komet after his divorce, at his parents' house (19:48) How long it took to find product-market fit (22:14) The acquirer call that changed how he paid himself (25:07) The dream number he never expected to get (27:04) The Vistage moment that changed how he saw his company (31:36) Deciding to sell during a mushroom trip in the Amazon (35:14) Why he hired a banker instead of selling directly (38:00) 18 years, 6 months, 18 days to sell (38:58) The Sunday test for loving your job (39:46) Life-changing money, then straight into Bitcoin (42:11) Why an abundance mindset made him more money (46:06) A year traveling the world with his son (48:22) The Bitcoin inheritance platform he's building next (50:38) Building for fun vs building to make payroll (53:04) The CEO lab coat and letting go of identity (54:44) Two heart attacks, converted into rocket fuel Show notes: Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host: Follow Melissa on LinkedIn where she shares stories & lessons from her founder journey weekly.Connect with Melissa at melissakwan.com and subscribe to 'your founder next door', Melissa's weekly newsletter on what it's like to build a company without an abundance of resources and friends in high places.Follow @themelissakwan on Instagram and YouTube where she shares short videos of business advice and other truth-bomb sound bites.This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar: Find out how you can turn pre-recorded videos into interactive experiences with chat so you can run your demos, onboarding calls, and training sessions on autopilot, 24/7, without being there. Hop into a demo at eWebinar.com, no salesperson required.
