Exitwise Weekly M&A Newsletter

In this week’s edition of the Exitwise M&A Newsletter:

• CASHING OUT: Check out Episode 44 of the Cashing Out podcast to listen to Ryan Landau’s entrepreneurial journey of building and selling his startup, Chalkfly, within 3 years. Ryan talks about relationships in M&A, the reality of having Venture Capital and investors part of a startup journey, and what he’s been working on at his newest venture, Purpose Jobs.

• M&A EDUCATION: How GoPro founder, Nick Woodman, took on personal debt to help him bootstrap the business to a $3B IPO valuation…
  
  Nick Woodman's entrepreneurial journey is a shining example of owner-financed bootstrapping at its finest. After facing the setback of his entertainment website, FunBug, Nick decided to clear his head on a surfing trip to Australia and Indonesia. During this adventure, he observed surfers struggling with cameras attached to their wrists, sparking a brilliant idea.

  With a renewed entrepreneurial spirt and a $35,000 loan from his mother, Woodman took the leap and founded GoPro (initially known as Woodman Labs) in 2002. He self-funded the San Mateo, California-based business for a decade until 2012, when tech giant Foxconn recognized its potential and invested $200 million. Just two years later, GoPro went public with a staggering $2.96 billion valuation, marking an extraordinary triumph in the world of bootstrapped ventures, as reported by Bloomberg.

  Read the full story, and get a deep dive into how and why bootstrapping is becoming so trendy in the world of startups.

• EXITWISE SPOTLIGHT: On Friday, July 14, 2023 Exitwise helped to sell another business (details to follow) - big thanks to one of our favorite Referral Partners, Sarah Greifenberger of Arbor Valuation & Consulting for making the introduction and support of our fellow founder friends!

CASHING OUT PODCAST | E44 | RYAN LANDAU

On this week’s episode of the Cashing Out podcast, Todd Sullivan catches up with multi-time founder and Iron Man Athlete, Ryan Landau.

Ryan, along with his brother Andrew, built Chalkfly, a company that helped transform how school and office supplies are purchased online. Launched in 2012, Chalkfly was among the fastest growing early stage e-commerce companies out there. It was quickly acquired by Global Office Solutions in under three years. Most recently, Ryan founded Purpose Jobs, a platform centered on community and empowerment to find the jobs you love.

Ryan and Todd talk about the importance of introspection, especially when making the decision to sell so quickly. The stories and advice Ryan shares from his own experience are great for those thinking of selling a business in the early innings.

Access the episode on our site, Spotify, Apple podcast, or any of your favorite podcast platforms.

JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO ENSURE M&A SUCCESS FOR OUR FELLOW FOUNDERS

Exitwise Referral Program

Building a successful business from the ground up is an extraordinary feat, and at Exitwise, we understand the immense dedication and effort it takes.

And when it comes to selling a business, the complexities can multiply, making it an even more daunting task. That's where Exitwise steps in – to offer our expertise and guidance to you or someone in your professional network.

We are excited to announce our Founder Referral Program as we continue to build out our mission for supporting the entrepreneurial community… and we’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help.

If you missed last week’s M&A Roundtable event, would like more information on referring a potential client, or would like to know when we’re meeting next please reach out to Matt Damman ([email protected]) to receive meeting invitation details and further information about the event.