What if the biggest mistake you're making isn't a bad deal or a wrong hire — but spending your life doing things you're capable of instead of things you were made for?

Dominic Dupré grew up watching four cousins build successful companies in Louisiana's energy corridor. He graduated into the shale boom, swung sledgehammers on a workover rig, and had his entrepreneurial dreams derailed by the 2014 oil bust — only to be called back into the family business to turn around a failing crude hauling division. What followed was one of the most clarifying journeys we've heard on this show: from survival mode to self-discovery, from operator to investor.

Today Dominic is the founding member of Tule Creek Capital, a Gulf Coast investment firm focused on heavy industrial and environmental businesses. Joining host Joshua Wilson is co-host Scott Shea, who first crossed paths with Dominic when FA Mergers was working a logistics deal — and the connection stuck.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Growing up in a Cajun entrepreneurial family and why business was Sunday dinner conversation
• Why Dominic never wanted to work in the family business — and what changed
• The 2014 oil bust: what happened, who got hurt, and what it taught a young entrepreneur
• Turning around a failing crude hauling division inside Dupré Logistics
• How the family business exit was structured and what made the transition work
• Moving from operator mindset to investor mindset — and the gaps in between
• Why Tule Creek Capital over-indexes on culture and gut instinct in deal evaluation
• The key man risk problem that disqualifies most SMB sellers before diligence even starts
• How to know when you've found your highest and best use as a founder
• Rich Dad Poor Dad, Traction, and the books that shaped how Dominic thinks about wealth and growth

🤝 Connect with Dominic Dupré: 🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/guests/dominic-dupre/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-dupre/

🤝 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 if the thing slowing your growth isn't what's missing — it's what you refuse to cut?

Yarin Gaon sold his fourth company at 28, ran turnarounds as an Entrepreneur in Residence at a venture capital firm, mentored 400+ founders through the University of Chicago and SCORE, and has earned an MBA along the way. Today he runs Fractional Partners, where he applies a private equity-style operating playbook to lower middle market businesses stuck in what he calls the "messy middle" — the $2M to $20M range where founders have product-market fit but haven't decided what's actually worth scaling.

In this episode, Yarin breaks down why most founders default to growth by addition (more channels, more customers, more SKUs) when what their business really needs is growth by subtraction. He walks host Joshua Wilson through the exact framework he uses to identify which 20% of a business is generating most of the profit — and why scaling everything else is the silent killer of EBITDA, exit multiples, and founder sanity.

🎯 What We Cover:

• The two mistakes Yarin made before exiting his Israeli e-commerce company at 28
• Why over-built proprietary systems become a liability — not an asset — at exit
• The gap between MBA frameworks and how owner-operators actually run businesses
• Growth by addition vs. growth by subtraction — and when each one applies
• Why EOS solves execution problems but can't solve strategic ones
• How to attribute true overhead by revenue stream to expose your real profit center
• The mindset shift from operator to owner: resource allocation as the real job
• Why pausing is the hardest — and most profitable — thing a founder can do
• What private equity does post-close that founders should do pre-sale
• The Fractional Partner model: more than an advisor, less than a co-founder

🤝 Connect with Yarin Gaon: 

🌐 https://www.fractional.partners/ 

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

📸 https://www.instagram.com/fractional.partners/

📘 Free Resource: The Clarity Playbook — playbook.fractional.partners

💼 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 was drowning in investor debt, swinging a hammer in Houston just to make payroll — and still found a way to build something worth fighting for. This is a story about grit, partnership, and what it really takes to grow a trade business from the inside out.

George Boudreaux founded Pelican Roofing Company in Lafayette, Louisiana on July 4th, 2014 — not from a place of momentum, but from a burning need to survive. After a real estate venture in Houston went sideways and left him half a million dollars in the hole, he bootstrapped a roofing company and grew it into a regional force. But after years of hurricanes, burnout, and carrying too many people for too long, he knew he needed a partner — not a buyer. Nathan Rath, a 12-year Halliburton veteran who traded oil rigs for rooftops, answered that call. Joining host Joshua Wilson and co-host Scott Shea, George and Nathan unpack the real mechanics of finding the right partner, making hard decisions, and building a business with staying power. Pelican Roofing has grown from roughly $9M to $19M in revenue — with no storm tailwind.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How George lost $500K in Houston and rebuilt from scratch with a roofing company
• Why he started Pelican Roofing on July 4th, 2014 — and what that date meant
• What Nathan gave up at Halliburton and why family drove him toward ownership
• The list George wrote in December 2022: "Find a partner by July 4th, 2023"
• How they structured and inked their partnership deal on August 8th, 2023
• Growing from $9M to $19M with no hurricane boost — and the hard lessons in between
• The first principles exercise that led to layoffs right before Christmas
• What makes a great door-to-door roofing salesperson — and why motivation beats resume
• How Nathan's community roots (and a pelican suit) built Pelican's brand in Acadiana
• What George and Nathan are really looking for before they'd ever do a PE deal

🤝 Connect with George Boudreaux: 🌐 https://pelicanroof.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-boudreaux-64031120/ 📘 https://www.facebook.com/BoudreauxGeorge/

🤝 Connect with Nathan Rath: 🌐 https://pelicanroof.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-rath-2aa371120/

🤝 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/

She thought it was total BS. Then they built a company together — and haven't looked back since. Kenny and Stacy Maggard turned a margarita-fueled conversation into Azalea Health Services, a mission-driven mental health company serving seniors in long-term care settings across Louisiana and Texas.

Kenny Maggard spent 15 years as a middle market banker at Capital One before stepping into private equity and ultimately taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Stacy Maggard brought a background in marketing and public relations and traded in the stay-at-home season of life for a co-founder title she never expected — and wouldn't trade for anything. Together, they built Azalea Health Services from the ground up, embedding licensed professional counselors inside nursing homes, assisted living communities, and senior independent living facilities to meet residents exactly where they are — literally and figuratively. In just three years, they've served thousands of patients navigating grief, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and life transitions. Joining host Joshua Wilson is co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA and Managing Partner at FA Mergers, who brings his signature depth to the conversation on mission, marriage, and building something that lasts. This episode is equal parts entrepreneurship, marriage, mission, and grit.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How a banker and a stay-at-home mom stumbled into healthcare entrepreneurship
• Why Kenny chose a startup despite having zero interest in startups
• The management service agreement model that gave them a playbook
• How Azalea Health Services brings mental health counseling into senior living facilities
• What it's really like to run a business with your spouse — the good, the hard, and the hilarious
• The barbecue ministry story that became Kenny's north star for the business
• Scaling a healthcare company when your payer sources are Medicare and Medicare Advantage
• How they divide roles, navigate disagreements, and still like each other
• What telehealth can and can't do for a geriatric patient population
• The shift in mindset that changed how Stacy thinks about money, calling, and purpose

🤝 Connect with Kenny & Stacy Maggard: 🌐 https://azaleahealthservices.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenny-maggard-jr-89131a8/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacymaggard/

🤝 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 happens when you hand the keys to an $850 million government operation to someone who thinks like an operator? You get fewer barriers, faster decisions, and a city that starts acting like it has a balance sheet to protect.

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 Mayor-President Monique Boulet of Lafayette, Louisiana. Monique walks through how she's running Lafayette Consolidated Government like a turnaround — stabilizing day-one operations, reorganizing a 2,000-employee workforce, and stripping out the drama that was keeping businesses and families from investing in the city. From the $200 million Johnson Street revitalization to a sewer-repair program that saved one developer $600,000 off their capital stack, Monique shares how she's removing barriers, inviting private investment, and pulling government out of the way — all while keeping faith, family, and public trust at the center of the work.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Why Lafayette's population stalled inside the city limits — and the playbook to reverse it
• The Johnson Street revitalization: a $200M+ project and how it gets funded over 7–10 years
• How the Bertrand proof-of-concept project is de-risking a much bigger urban redesign
• Rewriting sewer policy to save one developer $600K on a single project
• Why the inventory tax repeal (Amendment 4) matters for Lafayette Parish
• Reorganizing a 2,000-employee, $850M government without raising taxes
• The wage adjustment that filled 300+ vacancies and restored basic services
• What private investors and developers should know about the current climate
• Lessons from Kathleen Blanco on leading with faith through uncertainty
• How Monique makes big decisions when the outcome isn't predefined

🤝 Connect with Mayor-President Monique Boulet: 

🌐 https://www.lafayettela.gov/ 

🤝 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 happens to your business if you don't make it home today?

Taylor Davis watched his father — a top vascular surgeon making great money — die at 48 with almost no coverage after a business partnership dissolved and the insurance went with it. His mother sold her dream home and went back to work. That experience became his life's mission.

Taylor Davis is a Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual, approaching 34 years in the business. He works with individuals and closely held businesses on succession planning, buy-sell agreements, life insurance, long-term care, and charitable giving strategies. A multi-time NAIFA Quality Award recipient and Million Dollar Round Table alumnus, Taylor has spent three decades asking the questions most business owners never get asked — and helping families avoid the financial devastation he witnessed firsthand.

In this episode, Taylor shares the origin story that drove him into financial planning, the sales lessons from knocking on doors in North Dakota, and why the most important question in any business relationship is: what happens when you don't make it home?

🎯 What We Cover:

• Why high-income earners are often the most underprotected
• What really happens to a buy-sell agreement when partners stop getting along
• The question every business owner avoids — and why you can't afford to
• How to approach succession planning for a family business with kids in and out
• Why discovery never stops — even after 30 years with the same client
• The door-to-door sales lessons that still drive Taylor's practice today
• How to ask for referrals without feeling like you're crossing a line
• Long-term care planning and what COVID revealed about coverage gaps
• Charitable giving strategies that outlive the founder's wishes
• Why identity rooted in work — not faith or family — leads to bad outcomes

🤝 Connect with Taylor Davis: 🌐 https://www.northwesternmutual.com/financial/advisor/taylor-davis/meet-taylor 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-davis-b926564/

💼 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 turn a family baking legacy into a viral sensation? Billy and Denny, aka "The Gingerbread Twins", have been proving that faith, hard work, and butter cookies can build something extraordinary.

Billy and Denny are the identical twin founders of Gingerbread Twins, a Lafayette, Louisiana bakery rooted in three generations of baking tradition. In this episode, they share one of the most inspiring entrepreneurial stories we've had on The Deal Podcast — a journey that runs from selling cookies out of a shoebox in high school, to building a factory, to a Mardi Gras king cake season that turned them into a nationwide viral phenomenon almost overnight. From learning to bake alongside their father and grandfather, to mastering TikTok content from scratch, to shipping their beloved products across the country, Billy and Denny show what it looks like to build a business on grit, gratitude, faith, and a whole lot of love for their craft.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Three generations of baking heritage — from their grandfather's Dixie Cream Donuts to the founding of Twins
• Selling cookies out of a shoebox in high school and discovering their entrepreneurial spirit early
• Building Twins Burgers and Sweets from scratch and growing it into a Lafayette institution
• Launching gingerbreadtwins.com and building a nationwide shipping business
• The failed marketing agency, the friend who stepped in, and learning to create their own content
• How one viral Mardi Gras king cake season exploded their business overnight
• Where "Ya understand?" really comes from — and why it became their signature
• Managing explosive growth, closing a second location, and making smart capacity decisions
• How their upbringing shaped the way they lead their team and treat their customers
• Why it was never about the money — and what actually drives them every single day

🤝 Connect with Billy & Denny: 

🌐 https://gingerbreadtwins.com/ 📱 https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgingerbreadtwins 🔗 https://linktr.ee/gingerbreadtwinscom 📸 https://www.instagram.com/therealgingerbreadtwins 👥 https://www.facebook.com/therealgingerbreadtwins 🧵 https://www.threads.com/@therealgingerbreadtwins

💼 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/escottshea/

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/

Most financial advisors are sitting on their biggest asset and don't even know it. Dr. Jon Randall breaks down exactly what your practice is worth — and how to build it so buyers are lined up when you're ready.

In this episode, Joshua Wilson sits down with Dr. Jon Randall, founder of eXtraordinary Financial Advisors (XFA) and author of The Extraordinary Financial Advisor Practice. With over 25 years of experience coaching financial advisors from $250K to $10M+ in revenue, Dr. Jon unpacks the operational, psychological, and strategic levers that separate stagnant practices from firms that scale to 10X — and eventually sell. Whether you're an RIA, an independent advisor, or building inside a larger enterprise, this conversation delivers a clear-eyed blueprint for turning your book of business into a transferable, high-value asset.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Why the $1M–$1.5M revenue ceiling hits nearly every advisor — and what it takes to break through
• How private equity interest in the financial advisory space signals strong multiples for sellers
• The "practitioner to CEO" shift that unlocks 10X growth
• Why your clients are more transferable than you think — and how buyers actually see your book
• What makes a practice highly attractive vs. a difficult acquisition
• Partnership equity mistakes that don't show up until you're ready to sell
• How to build a partner track with criteria — the KPMG model for independent firms
• The psychology of scaling: why your old model stops working and what to replace it with
• The chip-on-the-shoulder driver — and what fuels growth when you don't have one
• How Dr. Jon's Grace Notes non-profit uses music to change trajectories for at-risk youth

🤝 Connect with Dr. Jon Randall: 🌐 https://xfa.co 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonrandallxfa/ 📸 https://www.instagram.com/xfa.coach 📘 https://www.facebook.com/XFA.COACH

💼 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 was the only survivor of a plane crash that killed five people — burned on 80% of his body, pulled from a coma, and given little chance of a full recovery. What Wade Berzas discovered in that hospital room became the foundation for everything he now teaches entrepreneurs.

Wade Berzas is an EOS Implementer, business coach, and speaker who works with privately held entrepreneurial companies of 10 to 250 employees. After a decade as VP of Sales at Global Data Systems — a $40M IT company — and surviving a catastrophic 2019 plane crash that took the lives of his closest colleagues, Wade rebuilt his life around four pillars: Faith, Perseverance, Surrender, and Love. Today he helps leadership teams scale without burning out, build companies that run without them, and create the kind of culture that survives anything. In this episode, Wade shares raw, unfiltered lessons from the crash, the coma, and the comeback — and how those experiences directly shaped his approach to EOS, sales, leadership, and life.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How Wade's entrepreneur father shaped his work ethic from age 5
• Selling at 15 — and falling in love with the art and science of connection
• What EOS is and how it transformed a $40M IT company
• The 2019 plane crash — and what happened to the company while Wade was in a coma
• The four pillars of a life fully alive: Faith, Perseverance, Surrender, and Love
• Why vision boards matter — and the Superman story that stopped him cold
• How ego and fear are the #1 inhibitors holding business owners back
• The sales mindset shift that changes everything: stop selling, start connecting
• Why entrepreneurs must surrender control to actually grow
• What Wade tells the companies he coaches: 10 to 250 employees, call him

🤝 Connect with Wade Berzas: 🌐 https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-berzas/

💼 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/ 

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

💼 Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/ 

▶️ 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/

Most companies are spending money on marketing without knowing if it's working. Jeremy Beyt has built a career proving there's a better way — and it starts long before you run a single ad.

Jeremy Beyt is the CEO and Co-Founder of ThreeSixtyEight, a full-service creative agency based in Louisiana known as the Challenger Agency. In this episode, Jeremy joins hosts Joshua Wilson and Scott Shea for a wide-ranging conversation on what most businesses get wrong about marketing, why creativity alone isn't enough, and how he built and merged a company that turned down both a private equity acquisition and a Shark Tank appearance along the way. Jeremy brings a rare perspective — trained as a commercial real estate appraiser, self-taught designer, lifelong drummer, and behavioral economist at heart — and every chapter of his journey informs how he thinks about persuasion, data, and building businesses that last.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Why people make decisions on emotion — and how to build marketing around that truth
• The PE firm that courted Jeremy's company with private jets and fancy dinners, and why he said no
• How two agencies 368 feet apart merged into one and what almost went wrong
• Why most companies are at 5–10% marketing clarity when 40–50% is achievable
• The data fundamentals every business owner should know before spending a dollar on marketing
• How to align your sales and marketing teams around shared metrics that actually drive decisions
• The difference between spray-and-pray marketing and problem-obsessed creative strategy
• Why Jeremy turned down Shark Tank — and what that taught him about autonomy
• The operating agreement lesson he'd go back and fix if he could
• Music as the ultimate business analogy: what drummers can teach you about leadership and listening

🤝 Connect with Jeremy Beyt: 🌐 https://www.threesixtyeight.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-beyt/

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Connect with Scott - https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/

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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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