Cubicle to CEO

Run a business that takes appointments? Use code 'CEO' at ⁠https://glossgenius.com/cubicletoceo⁠ for 50% off your first two months of a premium plan.

This is a free preview of a paid episode (53 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo ⁠

What does it look like to sell your company and keep the CEO seat? After eight years self-funding and running Parker Management, Lindsay Nead sold her talent agency to legacy production company, Propagate Content, in an eight-figure deal.

Lindsay breaks down the full process: 12 strategic conversations, a final number that nearly doubled her target, and a combo deal of cash up front, earnout, and equity she shared with her leadership team. She also explains how Parker has seen a 30% year over year growth since the acquisition.

All of this is impressive, but the biggest takeaway from this case study is that the strongest position in any acquisition isn't the highest bid on the table. It's walking in without needing to take one.

Connect with Lindsay:

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can do everything right in your business and still stall at the same level, and Farya Barlas says the reason usually has nothing to do with your strategy. A Chartered Psychologist and trauma expert with 23 years of clinical experience, Farya hosts the From Trauma to CEO podcast and created The Method™, the first framework to bring clinical, trauma-informed psychology into business growth.

Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Run a business that takes appointments? Use code 'CEO' at https://glossgenius.com/cubicletoceo for 50% off your first two months of a premium plan.

This is a free preview of a paid episode (50 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo

Most acquisition stories only give you one side of the deal. Today’s case study shares the POV of both buyer and seller. Julie Ball built Sparkle Hustle Grow, a subscription box for women entrepreneurs, and sold it in a 90-day deal. Carol Gavhane bought SHG in 2022 and eventually rebranded as Arrivée this year, a quarterly box built on the belief that rest is a strategy, not a reward.

In this kickoff to our acquisition series, Julie shares how her business wasn't built to sell, so she spent months trimming the fat and building SOPs before listing with a business broker. The valuation ran 2 to 3X annual profit, and Carol bought at list price plus an inventory addendum, financed through a traditional bank loan rather than an SBA loan.

Julie and Carol share how they worked together to create a win-win deal and what the other side of the sale looks like, four years later.

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Carol:

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most business owners write off Black Friday because they assume it means offering heavy discounts their margins can't absorb. However, Stephanie Paradiso calls Q4 "spendy season" and argues the opposite: some of her clients earn 50% of their annual revenue in these months, without relying on discounts.

Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (1hr 15min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo

This week, Ellen and our producer Sabrina sit down for a subscriber-led Q&A, answering the questions premium subscribers submitted in subscriber-only group chat. From taking the show behind a paywall and restructuring to a leaner team, to angel investing, imposter syndrome, and protecting a life outside of business, Ellen shares the candid, behind-the-scenes answers listeners were curious to know.

Want YOUR questions answered in a future Q&A episode? Join Ellen and the community as a premium subscriber before the price increases!

Links mentioned in the episode:

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI can write a hundred emails in a minute, and your audience will scroll past every one. Prerna Malik has spent 15 years writing words that make people buy—minus the sleaze, the fake countdowns, and the "only 2 spots left" theatrics. As the conversion strategist behind Profitably Yours (formerly Content Bistro), she blends buyer psychology with AI and has taught close to 1,000 business owners to sell more while working less.

In this bonus episode, Prerna breaks down why most AI-written copy is costing you sales, the buyer-brain test every piece should pass before you hit send, and how she turned that test into Copy Quality Guard, a free Claude Skill that runs the sales psychology for you. Faster copy isn’t the goal. Copy that converts is, and that comes from writing for the buyer's brain instead of an algorithm.

Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (55 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo

What happens to your IP when it’s published under someone else’s name? Adrienne Dorison built the operations frameworks behind Clockwork—a book that’s sold more than 300,000 copies—yet her name never made the cover. Then a solo seven-figure consultant when author and later business partner Mike Michalowicz began interviewing Adrienne for his book in 2016, their collaboration eventually turned into a years-long partnership and a multi-million dollar company and brand, Run Like Clockwork.

This case study explores the before, during, and after of a major business partnership involving shared IP. Adrienne gives us full transparency into the negotiation process and financial structure of how her and Mike shared the Clockwork IP, as well as the untangling of assets and IP after dissolving their partnership recently to launch her own brand, Level11 Leaders.

Connect with Adrienne:

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ellen Mackenzie built a booked-out social media agency, then deliberately burned it down. The six-figure client roster she'd spent years filling had become the thing she wanted out of, so she dismantled it on purpose and rebuilt around a model where 1:1 client work is now optional.

Founder of Dishing Up Digital, Ellen runs a multi-six-figure business from Auckland, New Zealand, stacking digital products, a flagship coaching program, a small mastermind, and brand partnerships with Canva, Rella, and Logitech. That mix has grown to 1,300+ students, a 50,000+ subscriber YouTube channel, and an 11,000-person email list.

In this episode, Ellen breaks down what each income stream actually generates, why she'd rather run a hybrid business than a pure agency or a pure course model, and where a fully-booked service provider should start when their own success begins to feel like a trap.

Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (44 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo ⁠

When a copycat company rips off your IP, sometimes the best course of action isn’t to challenge them, but rather to spotlight them. Sounds counterintuitive, but that’s exactly the approach that created an explosive marketing campaign for Ceres Chill, the original breastmilk chiller.

In today's case study, founder and inventor Lisa Myers breaks down Ceres Chill's Dupe Drop: a campaign inviting customers to trade in knockoff chillers for the real thing. The results speak for themselves: the campaign reached 72,000 people (75% of them brand new to Ceres Chill), over 900 dupes were traded in, and Ceres Chill saw an 80% jump in orders — all accomplished organically.

Lisa didn't out-lawyer her competitors. She out-marketed them, and let their own knockoffs do her selling for her. To continue our series on leveraging IP in your business, this episode is a reminder that your IP isn’t just a legal shield, it's a growth lever.

Connect with Lisa:

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A former architect turned marketing strategist, Hope Trory swapped blueprints for business systems, but her collaborative thinking stayed the same. As founder of HOPEWORKSDESIGN, she built her signature ACE Framework around a simple bet: social media hustle isn't the only path to visibility. Instead, she leans into podcast guesting, workshops, and what she calls "collaboration stacking." 

That approach helped one architecture client generate more than $800K in new revenue opportunities without a single ad campaign. In this episode, Hope breaks down what collaboration stacking actually looks like, why it beats treating partnerships as one-off wins, and the alternative visibility strategies available to anyone exhausted by constant content creation.

Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you enjoyed today's episode, please:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices