The Deal Podcast

He cashed out everything during the pandemic — left a guaranteed paycheck to raise $30M and buy a bank that didn't exist yet. Five years later, it's quadrupled.

In this episode, recorded live in Baton Rouge on our Louisiana Podcast Tour, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Scott Gaudin, President & CEO of Currency Bank. Scott traces his path from folding towels and parking cars under Nick Saban at LSU to acquiring a community bank charter and building it into a $260M concierge business bank owned by 143 shareholders. It's a story about mentorship, "the process," and the math of buying, growing, and selling banks in the lower middle market — for founders, family operators, and the advisors who guide them.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Why he left a secure role to raise $30M and buy a bank during COVID
- The "acquire a charter" strategy vs. starting a bank from scratch
- How 200+ Zoom meetings built a 143-shareholder base
- The economics of buying a $62M bank at 15x earnings
- Choosing your own boss — and getting a "PhD" in banking
- Buying and selling branches: the b1BANK and Commercial Capital deals
- Why he treats employees as the asset in every acquisition
- Acquisition lending for advisors and insurance books of business
- Lessons on mentorship, confidence, and serving your community

🤝 Connect with Scott Gaudin:
🌐 https://www.currency.bank
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-gaudin-56606760

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

🙏 Special thanks to Venue Host Jeremy Beyt, CEO of ThreeSixtyEight, for hosting our 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/

Should you grow your business or protect it? The answer depends on one number — and most owners don't know theirs.

In this episode, Joshua Wilson and co-hosts Scott Shea (FA Mergers) and Jeremy Beyt (CEO, ThreeSixtyEight) sit down with Ben Vance, CPA, Director at Faulk & Winkler, who brings nearly 20 years in business valuation, transaction advisory, and family office work. Ben unpacks the difference between "playing offense" and "playing defense" with enterprise value, why the legacy bill-by-the-hour CPA model leaves owners exposed, and how starting the exit-planning process seven years out beats scrambling at the ninth hour. A candid, operator-level conversation on selling your business, deal readiness, and building value that survives due diligence — from the Baton Rouge Podcast Tour.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Offense vs. defense: when to grow value and when to protect it
• The "windshield vs. rearview mirror" shift every owner needs
• Why the bill-by-the-hour CPA model fails growth-minded owners
• Organized planning vs. controlled chaos in a sale process
• The add-backs owners don't realize they're sitting on
• How buyers actually value people vs. systems
• Why most deals die — and how early prep keeps them alive
• Using AI to build a real-time data room and Q of E model
• Reading momentum: when to take chips off the table
• Preparedness as a founder's superpower

🤝 Connect with Ben Vance: 🌐 https://fw-cpa.com/

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

🙏 Special thanks to Co-Host Jeremy Beyt, CEO of ThreeSixtyEight, for hosting our 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 a national construction firm out of a town of fewer than 1,000 people — then sold it without feeling like he sold out.

In this episode, Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Lenny Lemoine, founder of LEMOINE, the Louisiana services company he and his brother Tim grew from a family lumberyard into a 1,500-person leader in building, infrastructure, and disaster response. Lenny walks through decades of building enterprise value: the early hard-bid years, the choice to drop hard-bid work to protect culture, the Bernhard Capital Partners deal that let him scale through M&A, and a succession where the organization chose his successor. A candid talk on relationships, grit, and building people over buildings — for any lower middle market owner weighing an exit.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Starting a commercial construction company where none existed
- Why bonding and liquidity are the lifeblood of the business
- Walking away from hard-bid work to build a relationship-driven model
- The Bernhard Capital Partners deal and scaling through acquisition
- "Selling without selling out" and protecting company culture
- The weight of leading thousands of employees and their families
- Running a year-long, employee-driven succession process
- Why relationships are the real engine behind every deal

🙏 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/

🤝 Connect with Lenny Lemoine:
🌐 https://1lemoine.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-lemoine-66465054/

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

💼 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/

What separates the PE firms that build lasting companies from the ones that destroy them? Jeff Koonce says it comes down to one asset that never shows up cleanly on a balance sheet.

Jeffrey Koonce is a Partner at Bernhard Capital Partners, a Baton Rouge-based services and infrastructure-focused private equity firm with more than $6 billion in AUM. A recovering CPA and former tax attorney at Phelps Dunbar, Jeff joined BCP as General Counsel and has been part of the firm's growth from its first fund close through its fifth. Co-host Scott Shea and special guest co-host Jeremy Beyt, CEO of ThreeSixtyEight, join Joshua Wilson for this conversation recorded live at ThreeSixtyEight's studio in Baton Rouge.

🎯 What We Cover:

• What private equity actually looks for beyond EBITDA and cash flow
• Why the highest offer rarely wins in a founder-owned deal
• How BCP uses a "blueprint" strategy before approaching any target
• Why safety records are a leading indicator of service company quality
• The role of culture in buy-and-build platform success
• Why founders who roll equity almost always outperform on the back end
• How BCP managed 23 portfolio companies through reporting and technology
• The difference between a PE firm and a family office
• Why brand and goodwill matter even in industrial M&A
• What Jeff asks every founder at the deal table

🤝 Connect with Jeffrey Koonce: 🌐 https://www.bernhardcapital.com

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

🤝 Connect with Jeremy Beyt | ThreeSixtyEight: 🌐 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/

Erik Billet and Jude David built a family office that's done 12 acquisitions in five years — without outside investors, without a fund clock, and without ever planning to flip a single company.

In this episode, Erik Billet, CFO of Kin Capital Partners and CEO of Stately Doors and Windows, joins Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner at FA Mergers, to walk through how a two-man partnership grew into a multifamily office acquiring lower middle market businesses. Erik shares the operating playbook behind their model — why they evaluate 1,000 companies to buy one, why control matters more than capital, why the Buffett model beats the Koch brothers' model for them, and how a late-night phone call turned into one of the best deals of their career.

🎯 What We Cover:
- Why a family office beats traditional PE for lower middle market acquisitions
- The acquisition filter: 1,000 deals reviewed for every one bought
- Why control investments matter more than passive capital
- The Buffett model vs. the Koch brothers model
- Red flags in lower middle market financials
- Why three-year PE hold periods destroy good companies
- Succession and the family-business question every acquirer must ask
- Building a CFO function across a portfolio of companies
- The deal that closed a year after the offer

🤝 Connect with Erik Billet:
🌐 https://kincp.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikbillet/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA:
💼 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

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/

What happens when a buyer looks at your business and says, "The owner is too involved — we can't pluck him out"? That's the moment your exit value collapses. And it's the moment Jeff Martin has spent a career helping founders avoid.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA and Managing Partner at FA Mergers, sit down with Jeff Martin — serial entrepreneur, four-time exiter, and founder of Company Growth Academy. Jeff shares hard-won lessons from building and selling companies across real estate, paramedical services, and DNA testing (where he was a true first mover in the franchising space). Today, Jeff coaches second-generation owners and founders running service-based businesses in the $1M–$5M range, helping them push past the development stage into real growth — and building companies that are actually sellable. Jeff, Joshua, and Jude unpack owner dependency, the value-first mindset, the difference between a business and a company, and why the biggest obstacle to growth is almost always the person at the top.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Why business strategy starts with exit strategy — not two years before close
• The "value first" mindset and why revenue and profit follow
• How to spot the choke points buyers will use to devalue your company
• Owner dependency, customer concentration, and other risk factors that crush multiples
• The four stages of company development — and where most owners get stuck
• Why "build a business to sell a company" beats "build a business to sell"
• The vacation test: what really happens if you disappear for 90 days
• Coaches vs. consultants vs. advisors — and why every operator needs one
• Lessons from being a first mover in DNA testing franchising
• How to develop your team so the company can outgrow you

🤝 Connect with Jeff Martin: 

🌐 https://www.companygrowthacademy.com/ 

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/companygrowthtv/ 

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@CompanyGrowthTV

🤝 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

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 spent over two decades as a full-time Catholic minister. Then four kids, a tight bank account, and a global pandemic forced a pivot that would reshape everything.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA and Managing Partner at FA Mergers, sit down with John Ray Perkins, a top-producing Realtor with Keller Williams Realty of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana. After 20+ years in youth and parish ministry at St. Peter's in Carencro and St. Pius X, John Ray launched a real estate side hustle in late 2019 — just months before COVID redrew the map. Six years in, he's running a growing team and rebuilding his business as a system, not a job.

This is a story about identity, calling, provision, and the shift from operator to owner — told through the lens of a guy who walked it.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Why he left full-time ministry after 20+ years — and the surrender moment that opened the door
• Hustling through financial pressure with four kids and "more month than money"
• How COVID reshuffled both careers in the same six months
• The Costco conversation that became a six-year client relationship
• Selling a service in a relationship-driven market without leading with religion
• The mindset class that rewired how he thinks, talks, and parents
• "You have a high-paying job — not a business" — the wake-up call from his coach
• Building systems, processes, and models so the business runs without the operator
• How he vets seller motivation before taking a listing
• Why he changes coaches when he hits a plateau — and how to find the right one
• Quality Time Remaining: the framework Jude uses with founders weighing an exit
• Why the best businesses to sell are the ones that don't need to sell

🤝 Connect with John Ray Perkins: 

🌐 https://johnrayperkins.kw.com/ 

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyheyitsjohnray/ 

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/user/johnrayperkins

🤝 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

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/

What does it take to scale a plaintiff's law firm to 17 attorneys across three offices — without losing the mission, the culture, or your sanity? Blake David has done it, and he's still trying cases.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson sits down with Blake R. David, founding partner of Broussard, David & Moroux in Lafayette, Louisiana, alongside co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner at FA Mergers — and Blake's younger brother. Blake is one of the most decorated trial lawyers in the country: ranked #3 on the 2026 Top 10 Louisiana Super Lawyers list out of more than 22,000 attorneys, four-time recognized lead counsel on Top 100 jury verdicts, board-certified in Civil Trial Advocacy, and a Trial Advocacy professor at the LSU Law Center. He's also an active operator — co-owner of Titus Crane Services and Stately Doors & Windows — and a force in Louisiana economic development as past Chair of the Louisiana Board of Regents.

This conversation pulls back the curtain on the business behind the practice: how Blake grew from two lawyers and a stack of files to a 17-attorney firm, why he implemented EOS, how he selects cases (and why he turns down 19 out of 20), and what it really takes to be a credible operator inside a courtroom and a boardroom.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Why "excellence is a habit" became the firm's operating principle
• How EOS transformed a high-performing firm into a scalable one
• The mentorship model that built every senior partner at the firm
• How Blake evaluates a case the way an investor evaluates a deal
• Building a referral-driven business without billboards or mass advertising
• Lessons from his biggest verdict — and the loss that humbled him right after
• Investing alongside his brother Jude across crane, door, and millwork businesses
• Why the Louisiana Board of Regents matters to anyone investing in the state
• The Litany of Humility and what it teaches founders and dealmakers
• Why honesty wins the long game in trials, deals, and partnerships

🤝 Connect with Blake David: 

🌐 https://bdm.law/ 

⚖️ https://justiceobtained.com/

🤝 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

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/

What if the smartest move before your liquidity event isn't talking to your banker — it's talking to a community foundation?

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea sit down with Missy Andrade, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA), to unpack one of the most overlooked tools in middle market dealmaking: the community foundation. Missy leads a 26-year-old organization stewarding more than $253 million in assets across roughly 1,000 component funds, working alongside CPAs, attorneys, and wealth advisors to turn liquidity events into multi-generational legacies. From donor-advised funds and complex asset gifts — appreciated stock, real estate, mineral rights, art collections, even ownership of operating companies — to the conversation founders should be having before they sign an LOI, Missy walks through how community foundations function as a strategic partner for entrepreneurs, families, and the advisors who serve them.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How community foundations actually work (and why they're like "a bank for donors")
• Why CPAs send clients to community foundations before a sale closes
• The case for charitable planning before liquidity — not after
• Donor-advised funds vs. private foundations: when each makes sense
• How a billion-dollar Baton Rouge company was transferred to a community foundation
• Complex asset gifts: stock, real estate, mineral rights, IP, art, and more
• Donor intent and how to protect a founder's legacy across generations
• The G2 and G3 succession question every fund holder should ask
• Why the most successful philanthropists are obsessive — and team-builders
• Trust-based philanthropy and why neutrality is a community foundation's superpower

🤝 Connect with Missy Andrade: 

🌐 https://www.cfacadiana.org/ 

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/missy-bienvenu-andrade-81363b65/ 

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

💼 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/

Mark Weber made $12,000 his first year in business. He never hired an employee. Three decades later, he's built a portfolio across life insurance, real estate, and mortgage lending — all on strategic partnerships and commission-only hustle.

Mark Weber is a serial entrepreneur, inventor, and CEO of Mark Weber Enterprises — a multi-layered company spanning real estate, investments, insurance, and mortgage lending. In this episode, Mark sits down with host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, Managing Partner at FA Mergers, to break down the "eat what you kill" operating model that's carried him through 30+ years of entrepreneurship without a single W-2 employee. From his first $28,000 townhouse in 1994 to co-inventing the GreatCatch soft hands trainer (licensed to Cutters Gloves and SKLZ, now sold globally), Mark shares how strategic partnerships, faith-led discernment, and old-fashioned grit built a durable boutique business — and what the next generation of dealmakers needs to hear.

🎯 What We Cover:

• The eat-what-you-kill model and how Mark scaled without fixed payroll
• How AI is reshaping life insurance underwriting (policies issued in minutes)
• Strategic partnerships vs. hiring — how to structure transactional back-office support
• Turning a $200 prototype into a $3.33 global retail product (the GreatCatch story)
• Why grit and work ethic matter more than credentials for the next generation
• How faith and discernment shape Mark's go/no-go decisions on deals
• The rental property playbook that started with a single $28K townhouse
• Teaching kids to hustle: lessons from laying sod and cutting grass
• Inefficient markets, value creation, and why sales skills always win
• Walking away from the wrong deals — and why the walk-aways matter most

🤝 Connect with Mark Weber: 

🌐 https://www.leadprofessionalsgroup.com/our-team 

🌐 https://donedealnow.com/staff/mark-weber/ 

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-a-weber-a220999/ 

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@GreatCatch08

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA — Managing Partner, FA Mergers: 

💼 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: 

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💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ 

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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.

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