The Deal Podcast

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/

💼 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/ 

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

Connect with Josh  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/

Before Scott Rainey owned a safety consulting company, he was getting bit by dogs in North Louisiana — knocking on doors as a landman, trying to convince hostile landowners to let oil companies onto their property. That pivot into entrepreneurship wasn't clean. It nearly ended in bankruptcy. Here's how he got out, started over, and built something worth selling.

Scott Rainey is the founder and President of Quest Safety Solutions, a safety consulting firm serving oil and gas service companies across New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. With over 20 years of oil field experience — 15 of them in safety — Scott built his company from the ground up after a near-miss acquisition deal nearly wiped out everything he and his wife had worked to build. Today, Quest functions as a fully outsourced in-house safety department for oilfield operators, handling OSHA compliance, workforce certifications, training management, and insurance coordination — so clients stay on the job and off the audit list. Scott holds an MBA and the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation and lives in Lafayette, Louisiana with his wife Mandy and their three children.

Joining host Joshua Wilson is co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA — Managing Partner at FA Mergers, former M&A attorney with 200+ transactions, and founder of a self-funded building materials company grown to 400+ employees via acquisitions. Scott is a longtime personal friend of Jude's, and their shared history makes for a candid conversation about faith, risk, and what it truly takes to build a business worth exiting.

🎯 What We Cover:

• What a landman actually does — and where the TV show gets it right (and wrong)
• How Scott stumbled from land work and environmental management into oilfield safety consulting
• The acquisition deal he rushed into without doing his homework — and why it nearly ended in bankruptcy
• What he wishes he had done differently as a first-time business buyer, including the due diligence he skipped
• The conversation every entrepreneur dreads: going home to a pregnant wife after walking away from a job with no plan
• Why safety is not just a cost center — it is a license to operate, and without it your employees do not go to work
• How Quest functions as a full outsourced safety department for 10–70 person oilfield service companies
• The AI agent demo that shifted how Scott sees the future of his entire business model
• Why he is deliberately building Quest Safety Solutions to sell — and what he envisions doing after the exit
• His closing advice for any entrepreneur standing at a fork in the road

🤝 Connect with Scott Rainey: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-rainey-mba-csp-48058b22/

🤝 Connect with Jude David: 🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/guests/jude-david/

💼 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 spent thousands of dollars on wedding flowers she didn't even love — and watched them end up in the trash by the end of the night. That experience became the blueprint for a business that has now served over 60,000 weddings and helped couples save more than $100 million on flowers.

Lauren Bercier is the Co-Founder and CEO of Something Borrowed Blooms, the leading silk floral rental company disrupting the traditional wedding flower industry. In this episode, Lauren joins hosts Joshua Wilson and Jude David to walk through the full entrepreneurial arc — from a bootstrapped idea born in a man cave in Lafayette, Louisiana, to a nationally recognized brand now in the middle of a Series B raise. She breaks down what it actually takes to build a scalable consumer brand, navigate the VC landscape as a female founder, and lead a team of 40 people serving customers across the country — all while staying capital efficient and keeping the mission intact.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How Lauren turned her own bad wedding flower experience into a rent-and-return business model
• Why Rent the Runway inspired the Something Borrowed Blooms concept
• The tech stack evolution: GoDaddy to Shopify to custom platform to BigCommerce
• What 60,000 weddings taught her about scalable, direct-to-consumer operations
• The realities of raising venture capital as a female founder in a female-focused industry
• How a Series B in 2025 is funding a platform relaunch that drove 26% YOY sales growth in its first month
• Expanding beyond weddings into the broader $10B+ events market
• Turning competitor florists into B2B pro partners
• Why polarizing feedback is a signal your business is actually changing something
• The "shoulds" she ignored — and why staying focused on the model made all the difference

🤝 Connect with Lauren Bercier: 🌐 https://www.somethingborrowedblooms.com 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-bercier/ ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@sbblooms

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

💼 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:
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What if you could invest like the Hilton family — without having $100 million in the bank? Mark Miller has spent nearly 40 years making that possible, and in this episode, he pulls back the curtain on exactly how it works. The strategies, the philosophy, the network — and the surprising backstory of how the Hilton family fortune ended up in a foundation instead of the family's hands.

Mark Miller is the Managing Director of the Hilton Family Office and CEO of Hilton Tax and Wealth Advisors, built in direct partnership with J. Bradley Hilton, grandson of legendary hotelier Conrad Hilton. A bestselling author and nationally recognized financial expert, Mark has been featured in Kiplinger's, The New York Times, and Money Magazine and has appeared on Fox News as a financial expert. Recognized as Presidential Businessman of the Year, he received a personal commendation from President George W. Bush. With nearly four decades in financial services — starting at IDS American Express, moving through the brokerage world, building a financial publishing company, and ultimately being asked to run the Hilton Family Office — his core mission has stayed the same: give investors with $500K to $20M access to the same tools, strategies, and disciplines the ultra-wealthy have always used. Lower volatility. Less emotion. Stronger long-term compounding. 

In this episode, we go inside the Hilton Financial Network, explore the launch of their new technology fund, and unpack what "True Wealth" really means for the high-net-worth families, executives, and business owners they serve. If you've ever wondered how the smart money actually invests — and why your financial advisor probably isn't telling you the whole story — this is the episode.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How Mark went from IDS American Express and the brokerage world to being asked to run the Hilton Family Office
• Why Conrad and Barron Hilton left their billions to a foundation — not the family — and how that shaped J. Bradley Hilton's mission to build from the ground up
• The fundamental difference between retail investors and smart money institutional players — and why the gap shows up in your long-term returns
• Why reducing portfolio volatility often produces better compounding than chasing market highs
• The expanding Hilton Financial Network: technology fund (blockchain, digital assets, robotics, biosciences), bridge lending via Hilton Finance, and commercial and residential mortgage lending
• The #1 thing Mark evaluates before any partnership — and why integrity always comes before deal structure
• The most common wealth-building mistakes even affluent families keep repeating — and how to avoid them
• The Hilton True Wealth Podcast: what it covers and where to find it when it launches in April 2026

🤝 Connect with Mark Miller: 🌐 https://www.hiltonwealth.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmiller-hiltonfo/

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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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