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/

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: Sarah Hawley’s entrepreneurial journey started at 18 when she joined her family's financial planning business. By 25, she was leading the company, building a successful 17-year career before expanding into multiple ventures. From her first financial planning exit to multiple million-dollar successes, Sarah has mastered the art of business growth, high-value exits, and client relationship management. Along the way, she navigated burnout, built a thriving community for women entrepreneurs, and faced the challenges of fundraising for her latest venture. Her story is a powerful testament to resilience, strategic transitions, and the realities of scaling businesses.

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Sarah Hawley is a serial entrepreneur and investor in startups, having founded 8 companies since 2009. Following three successful exits, she is currently the Founder & CEO of growmotely.com (the first global platform for sourcing, growing and leading remote teams), and the Co-Founder of the League of Extraordinary Women. She's personally fueled by a passion for challenging the status quo of how we work, conscious culture and leadership, community, diversity and equality, and living life on one's own terms.

Website: https://www.leagueofextraordinarywomen.com/

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

Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahriegelhuth/

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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: Edward Valaitis, founder and managing director of Edison Avenue, shares tactical insights from his extensive experience helping businesses worth $1-25 million navigate successful exits.

Drawing from his background in commercial banking, CPA work, and strategy consulting, Edward emphasizes starting exit planning at least three years before selling.

He details the critical components of valuation preparation, including cleaning financial statements, eliminating personal expenses from business books, addressing aging accounts receivable, and securing long-term customer contracts.

Edward warns against accepting unsolicited offers, which he calls "the steak dinner" scenario in his book "Exit Like a Winner," where experienced buyers take advantage of unprepared sellers.

He explains the important distinction between financial buyers (95% of the market) and strategic buyers, who might pay premium prices for businesses that complement their existing operations.

Edward also discusses how industry trends and personal timing should influence exit decisions, recommending his "hourglass grid" exercise to help entrepreneurs realistically assess their remaining productive years.

For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit.

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Edward Valaitis is currently the Founder & Managing Partner of Edison Avenue. Edison Avenue helps entrepreneurs with annual sales of $1 Million to $25 Million to achieve financial success by representing them in the sale of their business, business valuation, business acquisition searches, and fast growth consulting. Edward Valaitis earned the prestigious Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation in 2013. He also earned his Certified Merger & Acquisition Professional (CM&AP) designation in 2017. He has more than 30 years of experience building, managing, and leading high-quality professional services firms with expertise in merger and acquisition transactions, turnarounds, acquisitions, risk consulting, strategy, due diligence, commercial lending, marketing, business development, and leadership.

Website: https://edisonavenue.com/

Edward on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valaitis/

Edward’s Book: https://a.co/d/8hvrbYE

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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: Paul Pappageorge, founder and CEO of Ashland Capital Advisors, shares valuable insights from over two decades of helping business owners plan and execute successful exits.

After selling his own company in 2004 and making numerous mistakes, Paul developed a passion for guiding entrepreneurs through this complex process.

Paul explains the meticulous exit planning process his firm uses, starting with understanding value drivers and realistic valuations based on industry comparibles.

He discusses the differences between financial and strategic buyers, noting that strategic acquisitions are rarer but potentially more lucrative when entrepreneurs can articulate their unique market position.

Paul frames optimal exit timing as the intersection of three curves: the business lifecycle, personal wealth accumulation goals, and personal life stage.

His key advice: regularly revisit exit planning to gain control and ultimately exit on your own terms.

For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit.

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Paul Pappageorge is the Founder and CEO of Ashland Capital Advisors. Paul is a Certified Exit Planning Expert known for his thoughtful approach to business. His 30+ years in business started in public accounting and migrated to business ownership, successful exits, and now helping others to do the same. Paul has been designated as a home care industry expert by Business Brokerage Press, a leading publisher in the brokerage sector.

Website: https://ashlandcapitaladvisors.com/

Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppappageorge/

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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: Mike Oleksak, Executive Director at Exit Planning Exchange, shares insights from his extensive experience helping business owners prepare for successful exits.

After starting his career in finance and management consulting, Mike co-founded the first chapter of Exit Planning Exchange in 2007, creating a network that now spans 22 chapters nationwide.

He discusses the importance of bringing together diverse advisors—from accountants and attorneys to consultants and financial planners—to help business owners navigate the complex exit process.

Mike emphasizes starting exit planning 3-5 years in advance to properly prepare financials, address management succession, and establish realistic valuation expectations.

Mike also examines current market trends, including the increased involvement of private equity firms in acquiring middle-market businesses and how market conditions like interest rates affect timing and valuation.

For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit.

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Mike Oleksak’s experience covers finance, consulting and sales, with Bank of Boston, Thomson Financial, Trek Consulting, and State Street. He co-founded the Exit Planning Exchange (XPX) an organization with 20 chapters across the U.S. XPX is a business association for advisors to privately held businesses on growth and exit strategy. Mike was a co-founder of and worked 10 years at Trek Consulting where, as both a management consultant and a coach, he worked with clients to grow their businesses, tell their story better to raise financing, attract investment and acquirers.

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoleksak/

Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoleksak/

Free Range Thinking Website: https://www.freerangethinking.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: Dawn Andrews, CEO of Free Range Thinking, shares valuable insights on building systems that increase business value at exit. Drawing from her background in an entrepreneurial family, Dawn discusses how proper processes and documentation are critical for attracting buyers and commanding higher valuations.

Dawn also addresses specific challenges female founders face during exits, highlighting the need to overcome both external underestimation and internal self-doubt through meticulous preparation and confident storytelling.

She advises founders to decide on their exit timeline years in advance to shape current operations and stresses the importance of maintaining clear communication with all stakeholders during the process.

Her key advice to her past self: "take risks and be messy" rather than seeking perfection.

For more details and insights from her entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit.

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Dawn Andrews is the Founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking, a boutique Business Strategy Consultancy that enables entrepreneurs to lead their businesses with unwavering confidence, intelligence, and passion. She’s an executive leadership coach, growth strategist, and acclaimed trainer and speaker. Her work includes collaborations with Maria Shriver, Shriver Media, and leading Women’s History Month programming for global pharmaceutical titan AbbVie. She’s also the host of the She’s That Founder podcast, like your morning coffee, but for your soul and career ambitions. As the Female Leadership Accelerator (FMxLA) founder, she’s committed to amplifying the influence of the next generation of female leaders to make their reverberations felt in their communities, in the US, and across the globe.

Dawn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freerangethinking/

Free Range Thinking Website: https://www.freerangethinking.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: Ben Zogby, head of Flippa University, shares his journey from chemical engineer to successful entrepreneur, highlighting how he launched HighStrike, a trading education community that he sold on Flippa for $1.8M, after starting eight failed ventures.

Ben discusses how he grew HighStrike through Instagram marketing, evolving from manual engagement to working with influencer networks, before selling through Flippa in 2022.

After being told by a competitor in 2020 that his business wasn't sellable, Ben spent two years systematizing operations, ultimately attracting three competing offers that increased the sale price by $300,000.

Now leading Flippa University, an educational platform for buyers and sellers of online businesses, Ben emphasizes the importance of early exit preparation and proper business tracking from day one.

Drawing from his experience both selling and buying businesses on Flippa, he aims to help others achieve successful exits and acquisitions.

His key advice to his past self: take every venture seriously from the start, rather than waiting for success to implement proper business practices.

For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit.

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Ben Zogby started a trading platform subscription business as a solo, bootstrapped founder in 2018. After growing the business for 5 years and experiencing what it's like becoming an entrepreneur, Ben felt that it was time to take some chips off the table. Ben emphasizes that Flippa helped him find a buyer for his business, valued at $1,800,000. The sale was his introduction to digital asset M&A, which has become his career. In Flippa University, Ben will walk you through the whole process of buying and selling from his experience having done both at a high level.

Check Out Flippa University: https://university.flippa.com/

Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-zogby-9178692a4/

Check Out Flippa’s Data Insights Tool: https://flippa.com/data-insights

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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: Tracy Holland, founder of Inner Fifth and Goodwill Brands, shares insights from building and selling Hatch Beauty, a company that co-created beauty brands with retailers.

Starting with scented nail polish in her 20s, Tracy developed deep retail relationships that led to founding Hatch Beauty in 2009.

She discusses the challenging journey of taking the company to market twice – first pulling it off at $50 million revenue when realizing rapid growth would soon hit $80 million, then successfully selling at nearly $100 million with 18% EBITDA margins.

Tracy emphasizes crucial lessons about exit planning, including having upfront discussions with partners about exit strategy, carefully managing information exposure during the sales process, and understanding the differences between strategic and private equity buyers.

She also stresses the importance of letting the market determine valuation rather than setting price expectations prematurely.

For more details and insights from her entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit.

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Tracy Holland is a founder, investor, board member, and entrepreneur who is an authority on beauty and wellness with a global track record of incubating and launching brands. Tracy has dedicated her career to creating new brands and success stories by spotlighting innovation, amplifying authentic and celebrity voices in beauty and personal care, and nurturing promising talent, especially other women entrepreneurs.

Websites Mentioned In The Episode: https://innerfifth.com/

- https://goodwillbrands.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyholland/

Check Out Flippa’s Data Insights Tool: https://flippa.com/data-insights

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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/