Most founders don’t fail because their idea is bad.
They fail because the business outgrows the systems and the founder burns out before clarity arrives.

In this episode of Build a Business Worth Buying, Aaron Alpeter sits down with Jaz Fenton and Jamil Bhuya, founders behind multiple ventures across restaurants, ecommerce, and digital services, to talk candidly about:

• The hidden costs of “growth at all costs”
• Why profit, not hype, is the real right to exist
• What building Shopify taught them about iteration at scale
• When optimism helps and when it becomes dangerous
• How to design a business that gives you options instead of traps

This is a grounded conversation about systems, self-awareness, and why the best businesses feel intentional, not heroic.

🎧 Listen if you’re building, scaling, or questioning whether the business you’re growing is actually the one you want to live with.

What does it really take to scale a global business without losing control, blowing up costs, or breaking your supply chain?

In this episode of Build a Business Worth Buying, host Aaron Alpeter sits down with Holger Carlsson, who spent nearly 25 years helping shape procurement and supply chain strategy at IKEA, before leading operational resilience efforts at the United Nations.

Holger shares hard-won lessons from operating at massive scale—where small decisions ripple across thousands of suppliers, millions of products, and global markets. This conversation goes beyond theory into the real systems, constraints, and values that enable resilient, cost-efficient growth.

You’ll learn:

• How IKEA uses deliberate constraints to drive better decisions
• Why scenario planning is essential as complexity increases
• The origin of roles like IKEA’s “gatekeeper” and why they matter
• How to simplify operations without sacrificing speed or standards
• What happens when forecasts go wrong—and how strong systems recover
• How trust, incentives, and values shape long-term supplier relationships

Whether you’re a founder, operator, or supply chain leader, this episode delivers practical insights you can apply immediately to build a business that scales—and is truly worth buying.

On today’s episode, host Aaron Alpeter sits down with Kelcey Lehrich, co-founder and co-CEO of 365 Holdings, a firm renowned for acquiring and transforming direct-to-consumer companies with a focus on durable, high-quality brands.

Dive into Kelcey’s journey from scrappy, seller-financed service businesses to building a diversified portfolio of thriving e-commerce brands. You’ll get a candid look at how the team evaluates acquisitions, values supply chain and operational moats, and the realities behind growth projections and “dream” exits. Whether you’re prepping your business for sale or want deeper insights into the post-acquisition playbook, this conversation will help you rethink strategy, understand what buyers are really looking for, and make smarter decisions for your next big move.

On this episode of BwB, host Aaron Alpeter sits down with Arash Farin, founder and CEO of Centerstone Capital, to dive deep into the world of high-stakes acquisitions and what it really takes to build a business worth buying. With nearly 15 years of experience at the Sage Group and roles at Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, and Lehman Brothers, Arash Farin brings a wealth of real-world insights from the frontlines of M&A, private placements, secondary transactions, and more.

Together, they unpack how deal dynamics shift when the stakes move from $100 million to $2 billion, what founders often overlook when trying to position themselves as a “big deal,” and the tell-tale signs that separate a truly differentiated business from just another marketing play. You’ll get actionable advice on M&A prep, capital strategy, the nuances of secondary transactions, and what buyers are zeroing in on across industries––from consumer to healthcare, sports, and entertainment.

n today’s episode, host Aaron Alpeter sits down with Neil Twa, founder and CEO of Voltage Holdings and host of the High Voltage Business Builders Podcast. With nearly two decades spent building, scaling, and successfully exiting Amazon FBA businesses, Neil Twa brings a wealth of knowledge right to the intersection of Amazon’s powerful infrastructure and entrepreneurial ambition.

You’ll hear how Amazon—and the entire ecommerce landscape—has evolved, why Amazon is still one of the smartest platforms for incubating new brands, and why the future belongs to those who can think “direct to machine” in an agentic AI world. Neil Twa shares his playbook for finding high-potential products, building moats around your brand, and scaling up to exit, including real stories from his own portfolio.

Aaron Alpeter sits down with Nick Papanicolaou—a founder, investor, and former head of M&A at Pernod Ricard—to unpack the art and science of building consumer brands in the highly regulated world of beverage alcohol. Nick brings a rare perspective, having journeyed from early-stage entrepreneurship to corporate M&A, and back again as a founder and investor. Together, they dive into what truly sets a business apart when acquirers come calling: from founder empathy and exit-readiness, to retention rates, integration playbooks, and understanding nuanced regulatory hurdles. If you’re craving advanced, actionable insights on scaling, vetting, and preparing brands for acquisition—especially in tough industries—this episode delivers. Tune in for stories from both sides of the deal, lessons on de-risking your growth, and the secrets to building a business buyers actually want.

Aaron and A.J. dive into the transformative concept of "making good trouble" in business: challenging the status quo, fostering innovative thinking, and balancing ambition with humility. From the importance of self-care as a founder to building resilient operating systems and cultures that can thrive independently of their founder, you’ll hear real strategies for turning audacious ideas into sustainable, high-value businesses.

A.J. unpacks how her experience at Google X shaped her approach to innovation—emphasizing experimentation, rapid learning through discreet signals, and the power of letting go when the signals are not right. You’ll learn why the healthiest cultures reward curiosity and critical questioning, and how even small businesses can adopt an R&D mindset to accelerate meaningful impact.

Aaron Alpeter sits down with Emily Reeves, VP of Capital Solutions at Bridge, to dig deep into the smart use of debt for growing, scaling, and prepping your business for a successful exit. Emily brings her extensive expertise in capital markets and private credit—especially in the CPG sector—to unpack some of the most nuanced questions founders face: How do you decide when debt is a strategic tool versus a dangerous liability? What signals does debt send to potential acquirers? And how can you leverage it to maximize valuation without risking the fundamentals of your business?

On this episode of Build a Business Worth Buying, host Aaron Alpeter sits down eith the powerhouse co-founders behind Athena Advisory Collective. Unlike the typical VC-backed founder stories, Cristy and Aggie specialize in helping female founders of agencies, service firms, and bootstrapped businesses build and exit on their own terms.

You'll hear why non-VC paths can be more sustainable—and potentially more lucrative—than the venture route, and learn exactly what makes a service business truly valuable and sellable. The conversation dives deep into topics like securing recurring revenue, designing bulletproof contracts, getting the founder out of day-to-day operations, and creating a turn-key business ready for a smooth exit. Cristy and Aggie also share candid insights on supporting women founders, the psychological hurdles around selling a “passion project,” and the importance of knowing your numbers.