Most people think private equity means gutting companies and squeezing margins.

Neal Cobb is proving them wrong.

After raising over $20 million and scaling his delivery startup to 100,000 drivers before selling to 7-Eleven, Neal could have retired. Instead, he's building something that challenges everything we think we know about private equity.

At Equity X, they're acquiring legacy businesses and turning them into employee-owned enterprises. No quick flips. No cultural destruction. Just long-term value creation where employees actually benefit from the success they help create.

In this DealQuest conversation, Neal shares how he went from running dice games in high school to building a white-label delivery empire to reimagining what private equity can be. His insights on partnerships, timing deals, and betting on people over ideas will change how you think about business growth.

Neal's approach reveals what happens when you prioritize people and culture alongside profits.

This is a perfect listen for business leaders exploring acquisition strategies and sustainable growth models.

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FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/nealcobb

• • •

FOR MORE ON NEAL COBB
https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-cobb-4a4084179/
www.equityx.co

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

 Eighty percent of business owners have eighty percent of their net worth locked in their business.

But only twenty percent of businesses survive to see their tenth birthday.

This conversation will change how you think about building enterprise value forever.

Scott Beebe didn't just build a successful consulting practice...

He proved that the secret to enterprise value isn't your product, your market, or your marketing.

Scott is the founder of Business on Purpose and certified exit planning advisor who has helped hundreds of business owners liberate themselves from chaos while building sellable assets.

In this DealQuest Podcast episode, I sat down with Scott to uncover the real drivers of enterprise value and why most businesses fail the ultimate test.

In our conversation, we explored:

And much more!

Whether you're planning an exit in two to three years, building for long-term growth, or struggling with operational chaos, this conversation provides actionable frameworks for immediate implementation. 

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/scottbeebe

• • •

FOR MORE ON SCOTT BEEBE
Company: https://www.businessonpurpose.com
Assessment Tool: https://www.businessonpurpose.com/healthy
Books: "Let Your Business Burn" and "The Chaos Free Contractor"

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Most business leaders believe they need significant capital to pursue growth deals.

This assumption limits their strategic options.

The reality is that dozens of deal structures are available to businesses of every size, yet most entrepreneurs only explore a fraction of what's possible.

From acqui-hires that appear to be acquisitions but are actually strategic hiring initiatives, to licensing agreements that generate ongoing revenue, to joint ventures that create value for all parties involved.

This episode of the DealQuest Podcast explores the full spectrum of deal opportunities:
• The crucial distinction between mergers and acquisitions and why it matters for your strategy
• How to structure transactions with zero upfront capital requirements
• Why licensing represents the most underutilized revenue opportunity for many businesses
• Employee retention strategies that function as internal deals
• And much more

Essential listening for business owners seeking to understand their complete range of strategic growth options.

• • •
FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/languageofdeals
• • •

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
http://coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Hikari Senju did something different. While everyone else was chasing VCs, he built Omneky to millions in revenue first.

After seeing AI generate art at MIT, this Harvard CS grad knew the future. But when investors didn't bite in 2018 ("AI is vaporware," "advertising is too competitive"), he didn't give up. He bootstrapped.

Two years. Living hand-to-mouth. Building real revenue.

His philosophy: "Build a company that deserves capital."

The result? When he finally raised money, he had leverage. He was selecting partners, not begging for checks.

Three insights from our conversation that reinforce critical deal principles:

From selling art to grandma at 7 to serving Fortune 100s with AI.

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/hikarisenju

• • •

FOR MORE ON HIKARI SENJU
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hisenju/
Omneky: www.omneky.com

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Most real estate developers think they need institutional investors or private equity to scale their projects.
Ryan Andrews proved you can raise millions locally while building stronger community connections.

Here's what makes this approach powerful:
His $8 million fund is 80% local investors who show up to city council meetings advocating for his projects.

These aren't just silent money partners.

They're community champions.

When your investors live in the community, they care about getting it right.

"We've had investors showing up at city council meetings, advocating for the projects, and giving public testimony. And like, it gives you a really different kind of investor." - Ryan Andrews

We'll dive deep into this (and so much more) in this episode of the DealQuest Podcast:
• Systematic approaches to local capital raising
• Building investor relationships in small communities
• Scaling through developer partnerships nationwide
• Creating attainable housing that communities actually want

Perfect for: Real estate developers, entrepreneurs seeking community-driven growth strategies, and business leaders looking for alternatives to institutional capital.

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/ryanandrew

• • •

FOR MORE ON RYAN ANDREW
Ryan Andrew's LinkedIn
Hiatus Homes
Email: [email protected]

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Most business leaders think scaling requires massive capital investment.

But what if I told you companies are scaling from 7 to 9 figures through strategic partnerships instead?

That's exactly what this business scaling expert has been doing for the past decade.

Through systematic partnership frameworks and strategic deal-making.

And guess what? His approach started when he was just 13 years old, creating partnership deals to expand beyond his local market.

"Why am I limiting myself to my school? Why don't I actually find people in other schools who I can work with?"

That one systematic question became the foundation for scaling multiple companies to nine-figure revenue.
Here's what surprised me: This expert has customers in Europe and Africa but has never done business development in those markets.

How? Strategic partnership systems that systematically refer qualified customers.

We'll dive deep into this (and so much more) in this episode of the DealQuest Podcast!

If you're ready to scale your business beyond organic growth using proven partnership frameworks, this conversation provides a systematic blueprint.

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/nahedkhairallah

• • •

FOR MORE ON NAHED KHAIRALLAH
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khairallahnahed/
https://organizedchaos.fyi
Email: [email protected]

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Most entrepreneurs think M&A and capital raising are the only "real" deals.

They're missing 90% of the opportunities.

In this DealQuest solo episode, I break down the full spectrum of deal types that can solve virtually any business challenge:

The truth? There's a deal for virtually every business problem.

You just need to know what's possible.

Perfect for: Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to grow through strategic partnerships rather than traditional funding.

• • •
FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/dealforthat
• • •

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
http://coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Most entrepreneurs think raising VC money means they've "made it."

But Tom Dillon learned something different during his years in investment banking and running a PE-backed company.
After analyzing countless deals and experiencing the pressure firsthand, he discovered that VC money comes with a specific expectation: IPO-level returns.

"For a lot of VCs, they kinda look at things in terms of roulette table. They really need one of those to hit big."
The problem? Most successful businesses exit through M&A, not IPOs.

So if you're building a profitable company that could sell for $20-50M in a few years, VC funding might actually work against you.

Tom now helps founders as a fractional CFO, matching funding strategies to realistic business goals rather than chasing the biggest check.

In this episode, we explore:
• Why thinking multiple rounds ahead is crucial for any capital raise
• Alternative funding sources that align with M&A exits
• The growing trend of buying your first business instead of starting one
• How to set realistic valuation expectations
• The mindset shifts that separate successful founders from those who struggle

Perfect for entrepreneurs evaluating funding options and business owners planning exit strategies.

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/tomdillon

• • •

FOR MORE ON TOM DILLON
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomdilloncfa/
https://fracfinance.com/

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Georgi Feidler shared some incredible stats with me... Over 50% of small businesses are owned by Baby Boomers. 60% of those have zero succession plan.

That's billions in wealth transfer happening right now and most of it is going to be messy.

Georgi has spent 20+ years helping founders navigate this transition. Her approach isn't just about finding buyers - it's about building businesses that can actually survive without their founders.

The brother/sister case study she shared shows how creative structuring can cut transition time from years to months.
Perfect for business owners planning exits or anyone working with Boomer-owned businesses.

Georgi is the founder of Hire, Train, Aspire and a seasoned leader with 20+ years of experience who's helped scale companies from small teams to organizations with over 68,000 employees through IPOs, mergers, acquisitions, and capital raises.

In this episode, she breaks down how to overcome the "tribal knowledge problem," build confidence in your team to run without you, and create succession plans that work for both internal and external transitions.

We talked about business exits, succession planning, and freedom, the kind that comes from building something bigger than yourself.

So if you're a business owner thinking about your exit strategy or a Baby Boomer founder wondering how to preserve your legacy, you'll want to hit play on this one.

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/georgifeidler

• • •

FOR MORE ON GEORGI FEIDLER
Georgi Feidler's LinkedIn
Hire, Train, Aspire

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
Corey Kupfer's LinkedIn
Corey Kupfer's Website

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Attention entrepreneurs: If you think working 80+ hour weeks makes your business more valuable...
the data says otherwise.

This conversation will change how you think about business building forever.

James Brown didn't just sell his business for multiple cash offers he proved that less owner involvement equals higher business value.

James is the founder of BizTech Guru, a business consultant who transformed his own accommodation business over many years from requiring 120-hour work weeks to just 30 minutes of monthly involvement. After surviving multiple economic challenges including the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19, he eventually sold the business with 7 offers, 3 of which were cash.

In this episode, he exposes the shocking truth about why 80% of businesses aren't sellable, reveals his exact automation playbook, and shares the mindset shifts that create truly passive income.

We talked about business automation, but not the tech-heavy complicated kind.

We talked about remote team management, but not the micromanagement nightmare kind.

And we talked about exit preparation, the kind that actually increases your quality of life WHILE building value.
This completely changed my perspective on what makes businesses valuable.

Perfect for: SaaS founders, service business owners, e-commerce entrepreneurs, and anyone building for eventual exit.

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/jamesbrown

• • •

FOR MORE ON JAMES BROWN
James Brown's LinkedIn
BizTech Guru Website

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
http://coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!