The Deal Podcast

He borrowed $500 for a computer, started in his bedroom, and quickly learned he wasn't a remote worker. What made the leap work was everything he learned first.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner at FA Mergers, sit down with Todd Schoeffler, founder of Schoeffler Energy Group, a Lafayette, Louisiana land services firm for oil, gas, and midstream companies. Todd shares why he spent more than a decade mastering land work before starting his own company, how the Haynesville Shale boom let him prove his team could operate at scale, and why bringing his wife in as CFO freed him to focus on business development. He also shares the negotiation habits of a career landman and what it takes to build a people business in a feast-or-famine industry.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Why he learned his craft before hanging his own shingle
- Starting from a bedroom with a borrowed $500 computer
- Why the land business is a training ground for deal makers
- How the Haynesville Shale boom built his track record
- Bringing his wife in as CFO and dividing the work
- Leaving it at the office in a husband-and-wife business
- Negotiating with the holdout: "he who speaks first flinches"
- Building a people business in a feast-or-famine industry
- Why to bet on yourself while you're young enough to fail

🤝 Connect with Todd Schoeffler:
🌐 https://segland.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-schoeffler-22b5a832/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk.
🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

"Would I put my brother or son on this crew?" When his family's oil field construction company was growing faster than its crews could safely keep up, Brennan Castille made that question the hiring rule, and rebuilt the culture around it.

Host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner of FA Mergers, sit down with Brennan Castille, Chief Talent Officer of DMR Technologies, a U.S. drone manufacturer building its first full-scale plant in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Brennan traces a career built on the people side of growth: joining his father's company after a family leveraged buyout, recruiting top superintendents to turn around its safety record, scaling a staffing company's branch model, and now building a workforce for jobs that have never existed in Louisiana. Jude breaks down how LBOs work, and Brennan shares how culture, recruiting, and lean growth fit together.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Joining the family business through a leveraged buyout
- The "brother or son" test for every job and every crew
- Recruiting top talent to rebuild a safety culture
- Leadership lessons from Red Lerille
- Scaling a staffing company with a lean branch model
- What an LBO is and why buyers use leverage
- Why he joined DMR Technologies
- Lafayette as a talent hub for advanced manufacturing
- Building a workforce pipeline with community colleges
- Growing lean through a John Deere dealer network

🤝 Connect with Brennan Castille:
🌐 https://dmrdrones.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennancastille/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/
🌐 https://famergers.com

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers advises lower-middle-market business owners on preparing for and navigating a sale. Start the conversation at https://famergers.com

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

What do you do when the organization you work for asks you to do something you won't do? For Dr. Damon Cudihy, the answer was to leave a hospital job and build his own practice.

Host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner of FA Mergers, sit down with Dr. Damon Cudihy, an OB/GYN who has run a private practice in Lafayette, Louisiana for more than 13 years. After four years as an employed physician in Pennsylvania, Damon reached a point where staying meant compromising his Catholic convictions, so he moved his family south and started his own business. He explains how small compromises add up over a career, why being told "you can't" became the spark for his calling, and how faith shaped every business decision since. It's a candid conversation about conscience, risk, and building something on your own terms.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Choosing medicine as a calling, not a paycheck
- From FSU and UF to a first job in Pennsylvania
- Incrementalism: how small compromises add up
- The moment he knew it was time to leave
- Going from employee to practice owner
- The night a mentor told him "you can't"
- Why "you can't" motivates entrepreneurs
- Trusting God with the business and the finances
- Community and accountability for leaders

🤝 Connect with Dr. Damon Cudihy:
🌐 https://www.acadianaobgyn.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-cudihy-010a2326/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/
🌐 https://famergers.com

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers advises lower-middle-market business owners on preparing for and navigating a sale. Start the conversation at https://famergers.com

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

Elise Colomb was a nurse, a pharma rep, and a stay-at-home mom who sold art for fun. Then a friend saw her paintings and said, "We need to put these on products."

Host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner of FA Mergers, sit down with Elise Colomb, Co-Founder, Designer, and Creative Director of Sorority and Sisterhood, the hand-drawn luxury pajama brand she built with co-founders Virginia and Kait. With zero outside investors, the three funded the business from their own earnings and reinvested every dollar back in. Elise explains how university and sorority licensing works, how royalties shape pricing, why every new product must clear a margin bar before it launches, and how three founders run a nationwide wholesale brand with no staff. It's a candid look at bootstrapped growth, faith, and knowing when to take the leap.

🎯 What We Cover
- From nursing and pharma sales to founder
- Turning hand-drawn art into a product line
- Self-funding a business with zero investors
- How university and sorority licensing works
- Pricing around royalties and rep commissions
- Killing ideas that don't make the margin
- Three co-founders, no staff, a national rep network
- The Good Morning America moment
- Faith, family, and the leap of faith

🤝 Connect with Elise Colomb
🌐 Website: https://sororityandsisterhood.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecolomb/
👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Sorority-and-Sisterhood/100090936670055/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/
🌐 FA Mergers: https://famergers.com

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers advises lower-middle-market business owners on preparing for and navigating a sale. Start the conversation at https://famergers.com

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast
🌐 Website: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 Joshua Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

What happens to everything you've built after you sell — and after you're gone? Two Catholic foundation leaders share how owners turn a lifetime of work into a legacy that lasts.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner at FA Mergers, sit down with Monica Zuschlag, Board Chairman, and Margaret Trahan, Executive Director, of the Catholic Legacy Foundation of Acadiana. Monica shares the calling that led her to help launch the foundation, and Margaret draws on two decades leading United Way of Acadiana. Together they explain how donor-advised funds, endowments, and family legacy plans work, why stewardship starts long before an exit, and how faith-aligned investing keeps a family's values intact for generations. A practical conversation for owners and the advisors who guide them.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Stewardship vs. ownership: rethinking what you've built
- How legacy giving connects to selling a business
- Donor-advised funds, endowments, and foundations explained
- Two widows, one endowment, and the widow's mite
- Why generosity is a lifestyle, not an event
- Family legacy plans and naming the next generation
- Values-aligned investing under USCCB guidelines
- Building guardrails that outlast you
- Why saying yes to your life's mission matters

🤝 Connect with Monica Zuschlag & Margaret Trahan:
🌐 https://www.catholiclegacyfoundation.org/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicazuschlag/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-trahan-7426a49/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk.
🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-deal-podcast/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

Landing a two-year contract felt like a win. Aaron Travasos saw a deadline: "We have one to two years to replace this customer."

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner of FA Mergers, sit down with Aaron Travasos, P.E., Principal at Gregory Consulting and Controls in Lafayette, Louisiana. Aaron left a steady engineering career during the COVID slowdown to join a partner's firm, and together they grew it into a team with its own managers and business development. He shares why relationships are the real product in a project-based business, how partners divide roles, why an anchor client is a countdown clock, and what leading a team demands. It's a candid look at the employee-to-owner leap, grounded in faith, family, and keeping good jobs at home.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Leaving employment to become an owner during COVID
- Why joining a partner beat going solo
- Managing the feast-or-famine cycle of project work
- Why a big client starts a replacement clock
- Operating agreements and dividing partner roles
- Leadership: take the bullets, give the credit
- Faith, prayer, and handling anxiety as an owner
- A question left behind by his father, Marvin Travasos

🤝 Connect with Aaron Travasos:
🌐 https://www.gregorycc.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-travasos-p-e-098863118/

🤝 Connect with Host Joshua Wilson:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/
🌐 https://famergers.com

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk.
🔗 https://famergers.com

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-deal-podcast/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson | Network Director Trisha Goddard

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

She built her app with one end in mind from day one: get acquired. And she did it while owning 100% of the company and raising two kids under two.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-hosts Scott Shea and Jeremy Beyt sit down with Kelly Hebert, VP of Design & Media at Robert Hebert Media and co-founder of Project Dryve, a navigation app built to solve the messy, real-world problem of finding food and stops along a route. Recorded at ThreeSixtyEight in Baton Rouge, Kelly walks through the five-year journey of bootstrapping a tech startup: validating the idea through customer discovery, resisting feature creep, surviving three full rebuilds, and keeping a clear exit goal in view the entire time. It's a candid look at founder resilience, staying true to a core value proposition, and building a company designed to be acquired.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Why an acquisition was the goal from the very first build
- How customer discovery validated the idea before a line of code
- Resisting feature creep to protect the core value proposition
- Bootstrapping while keeping 100% ownership
- Surviving three rebuilds and a $4,000 forced restart
- Balancing motherhood and the founder grind
- The TestFlight-to-App-Store approval gauntlet

🤝 Connect with Kelly Hebert:
🌐 https://www.roberthebertmedia.com/about-us
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyehebert/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Scott Shea:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/

🙏 Special thanks to our Co-Host Jeremy Beyt, CEO of ThreeSixtyEight, for hosting The Deal Podcast's Baton Rouge Podcast Tour.
🌐 https://www.threesixtyeight.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-beyt/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk.
🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

Curious what your business is worth? Request your free valuation at famergers.com

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

He built Lego-verifying software with his daughter and an AI chief of staff named Carl who texts his wife. Justin Obney has strong opinions about what founders keep getting wrong.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Justin Obney, CEO of Obney AI, for a candid conversation on how business owners should actually think about artificial intelligence. Recorded in Baton Rouge at ThreeSixtyEight, the discussion cuts past the hype to a simpler frame: AI is just systems that execute your intent. Justin unpacks what AI transformation really means for organizations, why the fear of job loss reflects a "finite mindset," and how founders can use these tools without drowning in endless tinkering.

🎯 What We Cover:
- What AI actually is — and how to explain it to anyone
- Why "AI makes people more capable, not less necessary"
- The finite-mindset trap behind AI job fear
- How organizations become AI-enabled and AI-native
- Why founders should "pick one tool and go"
- Operationalizing intent — the real point of AI systems
- What an "agent" is, in plain English
- Building personalized software vs. enterprise systems
- Raising kids in an AI world without losing the human touch
- The skills that matter most: systems thinking and communication

🤝 Connect with Justin Obney:
🌐 https://www.obney.ai/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinobney/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Scott Shea:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/

🙏 Special thanks to Jeremy Beyt, CEO of ThreeSixtyEight, for hosting The Deal Podcast's Baton Rouge Podcast Tour.
🌐 https://www.threesixtyeight.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-beyt/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk.
🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

Curious what your business is worth? Request your free valuation at famergers.com

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

33 years behind the microphone in Baton Rouge — and a master class on how college sports quietly became one of the biggest deal-making machines in America.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, hosts Joshua Wilson and Scott Shea sit down with Charles Hanagriff — veteran sports broadcaster, co-host of "Live at Lunch" on 104.5 ESPN, and the voice of Eagle 98.1 Gameday for over two decades — recorded on the Baton Rouge Podcast Tour. Charles unpacks how sports betting, NIL, revenue sharing, and the transfer portal reshaped college athletics, and why private equity is now circling conferences and programs. From a $125,000 wager that cost a coach his job to the $50M football roster, he ties the business of sports to the deal-making world business owners know.

🎯 What We Cover:
- How sports betting changed what fans watch — and how leagues track every wager
- The transfer portal as a free-agency bidding war for 18-year-olds
- NIL, revenue sharing, and the $20.5M cap schools already blow past
- Why staying in college now pays more than going pro for most players
- Private equity's move into conferences — and the control that follows
- Building audience trust over 33 years — and why honesty wins
- Storytelling lessons from Omaha, Katrina, and Hurricane Andrew

🤝 Connect with Charles Hanagriff:
🌐 https://www.louisianasports.net/personnel/charles-hanagriff/
🏢 https://www.guarantymedia.com/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Scott Shea:
💼 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/guests/scott-shea/

🙏 Special thanks to Co-Host Jeremy Beyt, CEO of ThreeSixtyEight, for hosting The Deal Podcast's Baton Rouge Podcast Tour.
🌐 https://www.threesixtyeight.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-beyt/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction?
FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk.
🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast:
🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

Curious what your business is worth? Request your free valuation at famergers.com

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

He got told no 2,000 times before Wall Street said yes. Rip Reeves cold-called his way off a borrowed New York City phone book — and four decades later runs the company whose magazine first taught him the business.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, recorded on the Baton Rouge Podcast Tour, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Rip Reeves, CEO of Institutional Investor and former CIO of AEGIS Insurance Services. Rip walks through how global capital actually moves — the allocator-manager ecosystem, why insurance companies, endowments, and family offices invest so differently, and the convergence of public, private, and wealth markets. A candid masterclass for anyone on the GP side of private equity asking whose door to knock on for capital — plus the grit and mentorship behind a 40-year career.

🎯 What We Cover:

• The borrowed phone book and 2,000 cold-call origin story
• How allocators decide where capital flows
• Why insurance, endowments, and family offices invest differently
• The Yale endowment model: equities, fixed income, alternatives
• Fee compression and the shift toward private markets
• Why single family offices now move like institutions
• The convergence of public, private, and wealth markets
• Knowing what you are — and what you're not

🤝 Connect with Rip Reeves: 🌐 https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rip-reeves-1b725717/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Scott Shea: 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/

🙏 Special thanks to our Co-Host Jeremy Beyt, CEO of ThreeSixtyEight, for hosting The Deal Podcast's Baton Rouge Podcast Tour. 🌐 https://www.threesixtyeight.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-beyt/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction? FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk. 🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast: 🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

Curious what your business is worth? Request your free valuation at famergers.com

Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. 

Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services.

Let's Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/

To Contact Us, Please Visit:
https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/