Episodes

Opportunity Machine's Destin Ortego on helping Louisiana founders raise $116M, what actually makes a startup fundable, and why customer discovery beats vision every time.

Iberia Industrial Development Foundation CEO Mike Tarantino on how a parish of 70,000 landed First Solar's $1.4B plant, and the public-private partnership playbook behind economic development deals.

Steven Pivnik on four exits from the same company — licensing software to IBM and Microsoft, surviving fraud and two missed payrolls, the KPI discipline that built the second act, and bringing in a CEO for the $4B sale. Now an exit advisor at Acresis and coach at The CEO Project.

Bryan McGehee of Gatr Coolers on building a viral consumer brand from a Thibodaux, Louisiana camper — the marketing playbook, strategic partnerships, and the real cost of manufacturing in oil country.

Dominic Dupré of Tule Creek Capital on going from operator to investor — surviving the 2014 oil bust, turning around the family crude hauling division, and what disqualifies most SMB sellers.

Yarin Gaon of Fractional Partners on growth by subtraction for founders — why scaling addition kills EBITDA, how to attribute overhead by revenue stream, and what PE does post-close.

George Boudreaux and Nathan Rath on finding a business partner to grow Pelican Roofing from $9M to $19M — partnership structure, hard decisions, and why they avoided PE.

Kenny and Stacy Maggard of Azalea Health Services on building a business with your spouse — founding a senior mental health company, the management service agreement model, and what makes co-founder marriages work.

Mayor-President Monique Boulet on running government like a business — the $200M Johnson Street project, sewer policy that saved a developer $600K, and reorganizing 2,000 employees.

Taylor Davis on the buy-sell agreement for business owners — what happens when partnerships dissolve, why most high-income earners are underprotected, and the question every owner avoids.

Billy and Denny of Gingerbread Twins on scaling a family bakery business — three generations of baking, the viral king cake season, and building a nationwide brand from a Lafayette shoebox.

Dr. Jon Randall of XFA on selling a financial advisor practice — the $1M revenue ceiling, the practitioner-to-CEO shift, and what private equity buyers want in a book of business.

Wade Berzas on surviving a plane crash and rebuilding around EOS — the four pillars he now teaches entrepreneurs: Faith, Perseverance, Surrender, and Love.

Jeremy Beyt of ThreeSixtyEight on marketing strategy for business owners — data-driven creative, what really happens in an agency merger, and why he turned down PE and Shark Tank.

Scott Rainey on buying a business as a first-time owner — the deal that nearly bankrupted him, what he wishes he'd diligenced, and building Quest Safety Solutions to sell.

Lauren Bercier on raising venture capital as a female founder — bootstrapping Something Borrowed Blooms to 60,000 weddings, Series B at 26% YOY growth, and the rent-and-return model.

Mark Miller of the Hilton Family Office on how family offices invest — the Hilton Financial Network, reducing portfolio volatility, and the gap between smart money and retail.

Travis Hann of Pender & Howe on how PE firms find the right CEO — deal-contingent executive search, Top Grading methodology, and the operators willing to co-invest.

Nate Moore of Moore Consulting on building a 700-person platform by acquiring distressed childcare and home care businesses — what turnaround buyers look for, and the leadership framework behind every successful turnaround.

Benjamin Domingue of Family Office Partners on wealth acceleration after the sale — the liquidity, longevity, legacy framework, and why $20M at 45 may not cover your lifestyle.

Scott Harkey on EBITDA arbitrage in agency rollups — buying at 3x and selling inside a group at 10-15x, plus the $200M billboard rollup opportunity in out-of-home media.

Ben Smith of Red River Bank on the 5 Cs of credit explained — how bankers evaluate business acquisitions, equipment financing, and which deals are bankable vs need a PE route.

Bubba Page of Influence.vc on when to take liquidity in angel investing — the cookie jar rule, how syndicates work vs. funds, and pattern recognition across 200 deals a month.

Elliott Holland of Guardian Due Diligence on when to order a quality of earnings — what a QoE actually finds, why first-time buyers can't skip it, and how sellers manipulate EBITDA.