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An Entrepreneur’s Journey to a Sale
An Entrepreneur’s Journey to a Sale
Have you ever wondered what the entrepreneurship journey looks like? There are a lot of components! Today we’re going to be talking to Kelly Caldwell. Kelly is a successful entrepreneur who started with a wildlife science degree and working in a zoo and ended up growing her business to $25 million in revenue and then sold it to a public company. She’s got a great story, and you won’t want to miss it!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The entrepreneurial process is different for each of us, this is true. However, there are some core similarities all entrepreneurs share: we start with a passion to do or fix something, discover a niche for it and then exploit that opportunity in the best way possible.
Meet Kelly Caldwell, co-founder of AK Environmental, who saw the opportunity to delve into the niche market of environmental assessments (predominantly for the energy industry), and who managed to have a successful exit from her company 12 years later. So how did she do it?
Develop the Right Relationships
As with all great entrepreneurs, Kelly recognized her limitations. She entered into a partnership with her friend Amy who had strengths in the areas Kelly did not — Amy did sales and client retention, all the business-building stuff, and Kelly tackled the financial side. Each was incredibly happy with this setup since it played to their natural talents and interests and kept them working together.
To top that off, they had excellent communication. Throughout their entire business relationship, they kept the communication lines open for everything from run-of-the-mill business issues to more complex conversations about future development and exit planning. Amy, for example, was ready for retirement after the ten year mark; Kelly was ready to exit the company, but unsure if she would continue working after or not. The two of them had open and honest conversations about the situation and came to the mutual decision of selling their company — provided they could find the right buyer.<
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By Arkona - Intentional GrowthAn Entrepreneur’s Journey to a Sale
Have you ever wondered what the entrepreneurship journey looks like? There are a lot of components! Today we’re going to be talking to Kelly Caldwell. Kelly is a successful entrepreneur who started with a wildlife science degree and working in a zoo and ended up growing her business to $25 million in revenue and then sold it to a public company. She’s got a great story, and you won’t want to miss it!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The entrepreneurial process is different for each of us, this is true. However, there are some core similarities all entrepreneurs share: we start with a passion to do or fix something, discover a niche for it and then exploit that opportunity in the best way possible.
Meet Kelly Caldwell, co-founder of AK Environmental, who saw the opportunity to delve into the niche market of environmental assessments (predominantly for the energy industry), and who managed to have a successful exit from her company 12 years later. So how did she do it?
Develop the Right Relationships
As with all great entrepreneurs, Kelly recognized her limitations. She entered into a partnership with her friend Amy who had strengths in the areas Kelly did not — Amy did sales and client retention, all the business-building stuff, and Kelly tackled the financial side. Each was incredibly happy with this setup since it played to their natural talents and interests and kept them working together.
To top that off, they had excellent communication. Throughout their entire business relationship, they kept the communication lines open for everything from run-of-the-mill business issues to more complex conversations about future development and exit planning. Amy, for example, was ready for retirement after the ten year mark; Kelly was ready to exit the company, but unsure if she would continue working after or not. The two of them had open and honest conversations about the situation and came to the mutual decision of selling their company — provided they could find the right buyer.<