Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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What happens when an eight-figure exit falls apart?

For Ben Brickweg, it sparked a decades-long mission to ensure no other founder has to experience the same heartbreak his family did.

In the latest episode of The Exit, Ben — founder of Exitworthy, attorney, and seasoned M&A advisor — pulls back the curtain on what really goes wrong in business exits… and how to fix it.

What You’ll Learn:

The family deal that blew up and why it changed Ben’s life forever

How Ben accidentally fell into M&A and worked on 200+ deals his first year

Why most founders are unprepared to exit — and how to change that

The three-part “Value Mountain” framework: Valuation, Sellability, and Transferability

The biggest legal mistakes business owners make when selling

Why private equity offers often shift post-LOI — and what to do about it

How lifestyle inflation and poor financial planning derail more exits than you'd think

What it really means to build an “exit-worthy” business

Ben doesn’t just talk theory. He’s been on every side of the table — founder, lawyer, broker, buyer — and he’s seen deals thrive, collapse, and quietly destroy the dreams of unprepared sellers.

His advice?

Don’t wait until you’re ready to sell. Build your business like you're going to exit — from day one.

This is a no-BS, deeply practical episode for anyone who owns a business and wants optionality — whether that means exiting now, or 10 years from now.

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Personal &/or Company Bio:

Ben Brickweg has worked with over 2,000 business owners, helping them grow, protect, and sell their companies the right way. He runs two companies, Sagewood Business Advisors and Lodgepole Law, both built to help business owners navigate complex deals and legal challenges. Sagewood Business Advisors is a boutique M&A firm that helps owners understand their value, structure strong deals, and exit on their terms. Lodgepole Law is a provider of fractional general counsel services for acquisition entrepreneurs who need a proactive legal strategy, not last-minute chaos and hourly meters. He is also the creator of Exit Worthy, a platform that includes the podcast, training materials, and resources to help business owners get serious about preparing for a real exit; and Business Legal Fortress, bridging the gap between legal template stores and full-service firms, giving business owners affordable, effective legal protection without the unpredictability of hourly fees.

Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbrickweg/

Website: https://gosagewood.com/

- https://exitworthy.com/

- https://lodgepolelaw.com/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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In this episode of The Exit: Nellie Akalp, founder and CEO of CorpNet, takes us on a no-fluff journey from launching her first business with just $100 to securing a 20x EBITDA exit to Intuit — all before turning 32.

Nellie shares:

How she and her husband bootstrapped MyCorporation from their apartment.

What made their business irresistible to Intuit (spoiler: no debt, no investors, ultra-clean books).

Why the post-acquisition “early retirement” didn’t last — and how that led to launching CorpNet in 2009 during the height of the recession.

The pivotal B2B pivot that transformed CorpNet’s growth, including the launch of their Partner Program.

How COVID turned into a major growth inflection point, scaling the team from 15 to 200

Why boundaries and mental wellness are non-negotiable for modern founders..

If you’re a business owner thinking about exit strategy, reinvention, or how to scale sustainably while protecting your peace — this episode is packed with golden insights from someone who’s lived it twice.

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Nellie Akalp is an entrepreneur, small business advocate, and mother of four little rockstars. As founder and CEO of CorpNet.com, she has helped more than half a million entrepreneurs start their businesses. Through CorpNet.com, Nellie has also partnered with business professionals such as attorneys, CPAs and more as their silent fulfillment partner helping them incorporate and form LLCs for their clients. Nellie has been named a Top 100 Small Business Influencer by Small Business Trends for the past four years and counting. In 2016 she was named Women Business Owner of the Year by NAWBO VC and her company, CorpNet.com, has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately-held companies in America in 2015 and 2016.

Website: https://www.corpnet.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corpnet/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/corpnet.com/

Nellie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nellieakalp/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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In this episode of The Exit: Charlie Lass, founder of Humble Inc., shares the highs and lows of 20 years in entrepreneurship. From early film ventures to million-pound deals in emergency tech, Charlie reveals lessons from building startups, missteps with equity, and redefining what an “exit” truly means. Now focused on sustainable autonomy through Humble, a content platform for creators, he urges founders to prioritize well-being, honest partnerships, and building for longevity, not just valuation.

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Charlie Lass is a career entrepreneur with successful exits in the UK & US who mentors ambitious founders and consults for high-potential companies. Charlie is a mentor to 500+ ambitious and awesome founders and freelancers. He has coached, advised and supported individuals at all stages of funding and launch with a particular focus on the early stage strategy and tactics, fundraising, pricing, marketing, brand positioning and tone of voice. Charlie is the Founder of Humble Inc, a content platform for entrepreneurs, “wantrepreneurs”, and freelancers across the globe. Humble is dedicated to providing access to real experts who care, offering personalized guidance in a world overwhelmed by self-proclaimed gurus. Humble values passion, humility, and real experience over fame and follower counts. They believe that your mental health matters, and that they are there to support your journey with facts, not clickbait.

Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlielass/

Website: https://www.humble.inc/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

--

In this episode of The Exit: Aggie Chydzinski and Cristy O’Connor, co-founders of Athena Advisory Collective and hosts of the Badass Women in Business podcast share share the real, tactical advice most founders never hear. Between them they have had multiple exits—including turning around failing fitness franchises and scaling operations in manufacturing and tech.

Whether you’re just starting out or already thinking about your second act, this episode will challenge how you think about value, preparedness, and exit timing—especially for women-led businesses.

What you'll learn:

Why building a business that runs without you is the path to premium valuation

The Five Ds that force exits—and how to be ready before one hits

Why human capital, culture, and clean financials matter more than you think

How underpricing services holds women founders back—and how to fix it

Why founders (especially women) need to show up with unapologetic confidence—and pitch like they mean it

How Cristy rebuilt toxic team cultures and why hiring aligned people from day one is crucial

The role of "woo" (like astrology-based assessments) in team alignment and enterprise value

Plus, they break down the gender gap in VC and offer a bold but refreshing take: stop siloing women. Fund the best businesses—no matter who’s leading them.

This is a candid, insightful, and empowering conversation for any founder—but especially those ready to own their value and prepare for a life-changing exit.

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Aggie Chydzinski and Cristy O'Connor are the co-founders of Athena Advisory Collective. At Athena, they partner with women-owned businesses and partnerships navigating the real complexities of growth. Athena works alongside these businesses to implement strategies that grow enterprise value and strengthen exit readiness. Whether it is optimizing sales, improving operations, or developing leadership, they help these owners build a business that is scalable, aligned, and ready for what is next. With a focus on clarity, accountability, and measurable impact, Athena Advisory Collective supports the vision of these women-owned businesses every step of the way.

Website: https://www.athenaac.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athenaadvisorycollective

Badass Women in Business Podcast: https://badasswomeninbusinesspodcast.com/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

--

In this episode of The Exit: Richard C. Wilson, founder of Family Office Club—the world’s largest community of family offices—joins us for a no-fluff, high-value conversation on raising capital, exiting strategically, and building relationships with ultra-wealthy investors.

Richard reveals how he went from cold-calling wealth advisors to becoming the go-to expert for $100M+ families. He dives deep into what family offices really look for in founder-led businesses, why your one-liner pitch matters more than your 40-page deck, and how creative deal structures (like gross revenue royalties and capped equity warrants) can make or break a transaction.

Whether you're scaling to sell or preparing to raise capital, you’ll learn:

Why trust trumps returns in family office investing

How to avoid the #1 mistake founders make when pitching

Why timing your exit is equal parts gut feel and market signals

The tools Richard built to help CEOs find the right investors and pitch smarter

And the one piece of advice he’d give his younger self after 18 years in the industry

If you’re an operator, founder, or investor looking to understand the real game behind exits and capital strategy, this episode is a masterclass in long-term thinking and investor psychology.

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Richard C. Wilson is a husband, adventure enthusiast, father of 3 girls, and a third generation Eagle Scout. Richard is also the CEO of the #1 ultra-wealthy investor club with 7,500+ investors called Family Office Club which hosts 16 in-person events per year. His investor club runs the most listened to podcast on family offices, the most watched YouTube channel with 1,000+ videos, and has spent $25M the last 18 years hosting 300+ live events and he has a total of 17 million social media group members and followers. Richard also runs and owns Billionaires.com where he is interviewing 100 billionaires publicly to create the #1 resource on their scaling strategies and mindset.

Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/singlefamilyoffice/

Website: https://familyoffices.com/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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In this episode of The Exit: At just 17, Jeet Banerjee knew the 9-to-5 life wasn’t for him. In this candid and inspiring episode, Jeet joins Steve McGarry to break down his journey from teenage odd jobs to becoming a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits. He shares how he turned a basic web design hobby into a digital marketing agency, then parlayed that into a college admissions platform that reached 500,000+ users and was ultimately acquired for its rich dataset.

Jeet dives deep into:

Why documentation and SOPs are essential—even if you’re not planning to sell (yet)

How reaching out proactively (instead of waiting) helped him close an acquisition

The untapped goldmine of customer data in eCommerce—and how he used it to scale a home décor DTC brand

Why direct mail still works in the digital age

His mindset on negotiation, knowing your walk-away number, and failing forward

Plus, he closes with the advice he’d give his younger self—and anyone starting out: “Failure is just an event. It only defines you if you let it.”

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Jeet Banerjee is a serial entrepreneur and digital marketing expert who has led multiple acquisitions in the tech and e-commerce spaces. Jeet is a TEDx speaker, has been featured in several major publications, and is an advisor/consultant to many well renowned companies. Jeet is extremely passionate about using his digital marketing expertise to help other brands and businesses find more of their target customers!

Jeet on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jebanerjee/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejeetbanerjee/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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In this episode of The Exit: Heather Schuck shares her journey from neuropsychology to baby fashion mogul to co-founding Elevated Exit, where she helps founders build sellable businesses. Drawing from her own burnout-driven exit, she reveals hard truths about SOPs, real business assets, and the power of a compelling growth story. She discusses timing, AI integration, and why many founders regret PE earn-outs. Whether you're planning years ahead or already itching to move on, Heather’s straight-talking advice offers a smart, strategic lens on what it really takes to exit well—and why you should start preparing long before you think you're ready.

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Heather Schuck is a dynamic sales and marketing strategist with over 20 years of experience helping businesses optimize their internal sales and marketing systems to increase their valuation and position them for successful exits at higher multiples. She works closely with CEOs and founders to refine their go-to-market strategies and create a robust, data-driven sales pipeline to support near-term growth projections, positively impacting investor confidence. With over $300 million in attributed revenue, Heather has a keen ability for identifying new growth opportunities, deep insight into customer behaviors, and a proven track record of aligning marketing with sales to close high-ticket deals faster. Her ability to create actionable growth plans and implement efficient, lean operations to maximize revenue without overspending on customer acquisition or retention makes her an invaluable asset for companies looking to boost their valuation before an exit.

Heather on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherlschuck/

Website: https://elevatedexitpartners.com/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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In this episode of The Exit: In this tactical and deeply personal episode, patent attorney and engineer Craige Thompson shares how a devastating loss in his family sparked a lifelong mission to help entrepreneurs protect—and profit from—their innovations. From protecting EBITDA during an exit to engineering “commercially valuable choke points,” Craige reveals how patents can give you a monopoly-like edge and even solve for all five of Porter’s Five Forces. You'll learn when not to file a patent, how to evaluate whether your idea is truly novel, and why licensing your IP with “field of use” carve-outs can lead to surprising monetization wins. Whether you're startup-curious or exit-ready, this episode is packed with frameworks, red flags, and real-world examples to rethink IP as a strategic weapon, not just legal paperwork.

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Craige grew up in his father’s entrepreneurial small business in Fond du Lac, WI, where he learned the importance of protecting small businesses and helping them thrive. At Thompson Patent Law, Craige built a firm that focuses on creating Litigation Quality Patents® services—intellectual property assets designed to drive measurable business value. Their team ensures clients avoid unnecessary costs by focusing only on patents with real strategic potential. Through his Amazon #1 best-seller Patent Offense and the Litigation Quality Patent Podcast, Craige shares strategies to maximize IP value.

Craige on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigeothompson/

Website: https://thompsonpatentlaw.com/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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In this episode of The Exit: Derek Collison, founder and CEO of Synadia and previously Apcera and creator of Cloud Foundry, explores his storied career in tech, entrepreneurship, and building platforms that shaped modern cloud computing.

From starting with a Commodore 64 at age 12 to working at Google, VMware, and founding Apcera—Derek shares how he turned distributed systems challenges into billion-dollar ideas. He unpacks the high-speed growth, fundraising challenges, and exit to Ericsson, before launching his latest venture, Synadia, built on the NATS open-source tech now downloaded over 300 million times.

Derek opens up about:

Getting into tech as a teenager in the 1980s

Building Cloud Foundry at VMware after a call from Paul Maritz

Starting Apcera and scaling to 150 employees in 12 months

Navigating an acquisition by Ericsson amidst Kubernetes disruption

How to survive the VC game: from seed to Series B

His playbook for product-led platform companies and why most fail

The emotional toll, decision-making pressure, and rewards of being a founder

Why introverts need to lean in and chase serendipity

How Synadia is powering AI at the edge, connected cars, and Industry 4.0

"Be humble, lean in, and don’t delay hard decisions" — Derek’s advice rings true for every founder navigating the speed and pressure of today’s tech ecosystem

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Derek Collison is a 30 year industry veteran, entrepreneur, and pioneer in secure and large-scale distributed systems and cloud computing. He helped change the way financial, transportation, and logistics systems fundamentally worked while spending over a decade at TIBCO, designing systems that still power much of those industries today. During his time at VMWare, Derek designed and architected CloudFoundry, the first open-source enterprise PaaS. He then founded Apcera, a company designed to drive security and policy into easy to use platform technologies. After the successful sale of Apcera to Ericsson, Derek took the messaging technology he designed to power the CloudFoundry and Apcera systems, NATS.io, and created Synadia. Synadia is pioneering secure and global messaging as a digital utility to help drive security and powerful communication and collaboration into IoT, edge, and cloud computing systems.

Derek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekcollison/

Website: https://www.synadia.com/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth?

With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business.

You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit

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In this episode of The Exit: Chris Vanderzyden, founder and CEO of Legacy Partners and a former CPA turned entrepreneur, doesn’t just talk about selling companies—she's lived it. Twice.

After experiencing the good, the bad, and the "wish-I-knew-that-earlier" of business exits, she set out to reinvent the process. Her mission? To help business owners walk away from their life's work not just with a check, but with peace of mind.

The Wake-Up Call: Chris shares how too many entrepreneurs are caught off guard—often approached by buyers with zero preparation. Letters of intent in hand, they’re suddenly scrambling to understand their business’s true value and what the deal means for their future. Her message is clear: Don’t wait for a knock at the door. Start planning today.

Chris built Legacy Partners around a simple idea: exiting a business is personal. It’s about money, sure—but it’s also about identity, timing, legacy, and life after the deal. Her team helps owners develop a “master exit plan” that includes:

Valuation early and often: Not just to know what your business is worth today—but what can be done to intentionally increase that value before selling.

Tactical tax planning: Like estate freezes and trusts—moves that take time and can’t be done in the eleventh hour.

Team building: From M&A attorneys to wealth managers, having the right specialists matters. (Spoiler: your real estate lawyer isn’t the one to negotiate your exit.)

What are Chris’s top takeaways?

Biggest mistake you can make? Waiting too long to plan—and failing to understand your EBITDA is more important than just growing revenue.

Timing is everything—externally (sector roll-ups, interest rates, market trends) and internally (don’t wait until you’ve “maxed out” the business).

Growth potential matters: Buyers want a runway ahead. If it looks like there’s no room left to scale, it can hurt your valuation.

It’s not about the top-line number—it’s what’s left after taxes, debt, and fees that really counts.

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Chris Vanderzyden is the President & CEO of Legacy Partners, LLC, an exit planning and M&A advisory firm dedicated to serving privately held, middle-market business owners, in creating and executing successful exit strategies resulting in the harvesting and preservation of wealth. She began her career as a CPA for Coopers & Lybrand, the company that later became PricewaterhouseCoopers following a merger, and subsequently served as an asset manager with Northwest Asset Management in Los Angeles. Following her positions in the corporate world, Chris became an entrepreneur and has successfully built and sold multiple businesses. She has over twenty years of experience consulting for M&A firms and privately held businesses as they grow and ultimately execute their exit plans.

Chris’s Latest Book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/2M2dWDc

Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisvanderzyden/

Website: https://legacypartnersllp.com/

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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/