Real conversations with business owners who've sold their companies, the advisors who guided them, and the buyers who made it happen. Host Krystyn Harrison breaks down what actually worked, what didn't, and what you can apply to your own exit - whether you're planning to sell in two years or just want to understand your options. From deal structure to life after the sale, we cover the practical and personal side of turning your business into life-changing wealth.
Real conversations with business owners who've sold their companies, the advisors who guided them, and the buyers who made it happen. Host Krystyn Harrison breaks down what actually worked, what didn't, and what you can apply to your own exit - whether you're planning to sell in two years or just want to understand your options. From deal structure to life after the sale, we cover the practical and personal side of turning your business into life-changing wealth.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Peter Hwang, a serial founder who has built and exited four companies across five industries, including the $263 million sale of Newstrike to Hexo and the private equity exit of Global Faces—two deals that closed within just 12 months of each other. But Peter's most defining moment wasn't an exit at all—it was the 2008 collapse of a company with 15,000 customers, a $15 million run rate, and a signed term sheet to go public that vanished overnight when the housing market crashed, leaving the business $3 million in debt and personally with a double-mortgaged house and his wife six months pregnant. Peter shares how growing up in a first-generation immigrant family where his parents worked 365 days a year in retail shaped his relentless work ethic, but also reveals why being "the hardest working person in the room" made him "the dumbest person in terms of execution" early in his career—a realization that forced him to shift from building lifestyle businesses through sheer effort to building for optionality and scale. He walks through his framework of always building companies to exit rather than scale forever, explaining why optionality means creating something someone will want to buy, and how he rebuilt after bankruptcy by focusing on strategic partnerships and surrounding himself with people smarter than him. Peter opens up about the arrival fallacy—the shocking emptiness he felt after achieving the success he'd chased for decades, checking his phone at 2 AM only to realize nobody needed him anymore, and how his wife asked if he could ever just turn off his brain. He shares the hard-won lesson that founders must let go of the illusion of control, stop holding on too tight, and accept that things won't go perfectly because the reality is they just won't—a mindset shift that's "crazy important for founders" who are constantly stressed and second-guessing themselves. Peter reveals how having a co-founder 20 years younger with the "calm and patience and maturity" to settle his anxious founder brain has been transformational, emphasizing that your success is only as good as the partners who can help you see things differently when you're convincing yourself of things on the ledge. If you're a founder who's grinding harder than everyone else but not seeing the scale you want, or if you've already exited and felt unexpectedly empty afterward, this conversation will challenge how you think about control, partnership, and what success actually feels like when you finally reach it.
Show Notes:
00:00 The Journey Begins: Peter Wang's Early Life
02:44 Lessons from Hard Work: The Immigrant Experience
06:06 The Scarcity Mindset: Shaping Entrepreneurial Spirit
08:51 The Hustle: Early Sales Training and Identity
12:03 Resilience and Hard Work: Keys to Success
17:53 The Collapse: 2008 Financial Crisis and Its Impact
26:21 Resilience in Adversity
31:40 Learning from Failure
34:43 The Quiet Phase: Consulting and Reflection
38:11 Market Timing and Business Growth
43:36 Keys to Successful Exits
46:07 Building for Optionality
57:33 Advice for Founders in Challenging Markets
01:07:30 The Three-Year Gestation Period
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This episode is brought to you by Exit Horizon. Our mission is to help strategic founders build systematically toward fulfilling exits using proven methodology from entrepreneurs and advisors who've actually navigated successful deals. We compress the learning curve so you can build with the end in mind from day one, not piece together exit strategies when it's too late. Apply now to join our next cohort or book a quick call to learn more about what might be the right place to start for your business. Visit exithorizon.com.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Miranda Lievers, co-founder and former COO of Thinkific, who took her company public in one of the most compressed IPO timelines in Canadian tech history—five months instead of the typical 18 months, reaching a billion-dollar valuation with only $6 million raised. Miranda shares the unexpected reality of scaling from four people around a table above a taco shop to 500 employees: the hardest challenges weren't strategic decisions but mundane problems like where to put people when you don't have enough desks, because as she puts it, "code is easy, humans are not." She reveals her framework for navigating the messy middle—being directionally correct rather than perfect, weighting the dice to be 60-40 instead of 50-50, and remembering you're the only expert on your business regardless of who's throwing advice at you.
The conversation takes a profound turn when Miranda opens up about what happened after achieving the ultimate entrepreneurial gold star: she bought the dream home, filled it with dream stuff, then sold it all after realizing she was no more happy in paradise than eating white rice in a tiny Bologna apartment. She unpacks the arrival fallacy that plagues founders, why the five-month IPO sprint gave her everything while ringing the bell felt hollow, and how she spent her post-exit sabbatical discovering what she actually enjoyed after decades of only knowing how to work hard. If you're a founder who's collected all the gold stars but questions whether you're chasing the right destination, or if you're planning an exit and want to understand what actually matters on the other side, this conversation reveals the emotional reality of achieving the dream and discovering the journey was always the point.
Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction: $1B IPO in 5 Months
01:01 From Selling Crafts to Co-Founding Thinkific
05:04 The Build Story: Scaling from 4 to 500 People
09:47 The IPO Decision: Why Public Made Sense
16:32 Living in the Matrix: The 5-Month Sprint
21:05 The Most Surreal Day: When Trading Started
24:11 An IPO Is Not an Exit
25:14 Post-Exit: Figuring Out What's Next
30:22 The Arrival Fallacy: Collecting Gold Stars
34:51 What's Next: Helping Founders Scale
38:01 Advice for the Messy Middle
40:16 The Dream House Paradox
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This episode is brought to you by Exit Horizon. Our mission is to help strategic Canadian founders build systematically toward fulfilling exits using proven methodology from entrepreneurs and advisors who've actually navigated successful deals. We compress the learning curve so you can build with the end in mind from day one, not piece together exit strategies when it's too late. Apply now to join our next cohort or book a quick call to learn more about what might be the right place to start for your business. Visit exithorizon.com.
Most founders discover the frameworks for successful exits too late. Julie Ellis, co-founder of Mabel's Labels, learned them the hard way—and she's sharing exactly what she wishes she'd known before selling to Avery Label after 10 years.
The Story
Four mom co-founders turned a basement operation into one of Canada's most celebrated women-led exits. They built Mabel's Labels from scratch, scaled to 40 people, and navigated a five-month acquisition process.
What You'll Learn
Julie delivers powerful honesty about both sides of the exit equation:
The IQ Side (What Most People Prepare For)
The EQ Side (What Nobody Tells You)
The Journey After
Julie shares her path through the post-exit darkness—from a three-day "vacation" to jumping back into transition chaos, taking an interim role at SnuggleBugz, and building a coaching practice to help founders prepare for the entire exit journey, not just the deal itself.
Who This Is For
If you're building toward an exit, working with co-founders, or wondering whether you're creating a job versus an asset, this conversation arms you with the hard truths about partnership dynamics, real preparation timelines, and why the finish line is actually just the beginning.
Show Notes:
00:00 The Birth of Mabel's Labels
06:05 Navigating Co-Foundership Dynamics
12:00 From Idea to Market Success
17:57 Scaling Operations and Strategic Planning
23:48 Preparing for Acquisition
29:53 The Exit Journey and Lessons Learned
31:05 Navigating Financial Normalizations
34:03 The Acquisition Journey
39:47 Transitioning from Founder to Employee
42:39 Cocooning and Finding New Purpose
48:56 Preparing for an Exit: Emotional and Practical Insights
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This episode is brought to you by Exit Horizon. Our mission is to help strategic Canadian founders build systematically toward fulfilling exits using proven methodology from entrepreneurs and advisors who've actually navigated successful deals. We compress the learning curve so you can build with the end in mind from day one, not piece together exit strategies when it's too late. Apply now to join our next cohort or book a quick call to learn more about what might be the right place to start for your business. Visit exithorizon.com.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Narbe Alexandrian, founder and CEO of Define Capital, a permanent capital firm that's rewriting private equity rules by acquiring vertical SaaS businesses to hold forever through a 40-year fund, not flip in 3-5 years. Before founding Define, Narbe served as president and CEO of RIV Capital, raising over $150 million and surviving three changes of control in just 16 months—experiences that shaped his radical philosophy: "We don't do deals on spreadsheets anymore. We do deals on trust. The price gets the headlines, the alignment builds the legacies." Narbe shares the pivotal conference encounter with a founder whose traditional PE buyer tripled prices, gutted R&D, and destroyed his earnout, crystallizing the question: what if private equity preserved legacies instead of extracting value? He reveals his strategic framework for evaluating companies (90%+ gross retention, diversified customer base, founder independence), why he walks away from businesses where founders do everything themselves, and his counterintuitive post-acquisition approach of spending 90-180 days observing with a magnifying glass before changing anything. The conversation explores why "building for the next 90 days destroys the next 10 years," the critical question he asks every lower mid-market founder ("if you have great economics and 25 years in business, why aren't you $30M?"), and his practical advice: take every inbound buyer call to get free consulting on what makes businesses valuable, then systematically prepare for founder independence. If you're a founder who's built something valuable but feels burned out, or you're worried about what happens to your team and customers after exit, this conversation reveals there's a different path—one where culture matters more than spreadsheets, relationships trump transactions, and your legacy can thrive for decades beyond your involvement.
Show Notes:
00:00 Redefining Private Equity: Building vs. Flipping
06:54 Narbe's Journey: From CPA to Private Equity Leader
15:05 The Evolution of Venture Capital and Market Dynamics
22:06 Understanding the Private Equity Landscape
29:46 The Importance of Culture in Business Transactions
36:59 Navigating Post-Acquisition Success
43:53 Advice for Founders: Preparing for Exit
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This episode is brought to you by Exit Horizon. Our mission is to help strategic Canadian founders build systematically toward fulfilling exits using proven methodology from entrepreneurs and advisors who've actually navigated successful deals. We compress the learning curve so you can build with the end in mind from day one, not piece together exit strategies when it's too late. Apply now to join our next cohort or book a quick call to learn more about what might be the right place to start for your business. Visit exithorizon.com.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Marcus Mitchell, founder of Shire Capital Management and former CIO of Bonnefield, Canada's largest farmland manager. Marcus has overseen more than a billion dollars worth of farmland acquisitions and made the bold decision in 2021 to leave his institutional role to start his own firm focused on healthy food production. His first acquisition - British Columbia's largest organic blueberry farm - has tripled in value since purchase, demonstrating how values-driven investing can deliver both financial returns and societal impact.
This conversation reveals Marcus's three-pillar deal evaluation framework: premium product focus, geographical moats that prevent oversupply, and bulletproof operator partnerships. He explains how the buyer's mindset differs fundamentally from the VC approach founders typically encounter, why he prioritizes evidence over promises, and how he's evolving from real estate ownership to operating business acquisitions. If you're a founder planning your exit and want to understand how strategic buyers think, Marcus provides an insider's perspective on deal evaluation, relationship building, and value creation beyond the initial acquisition.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Tyler Handley, co-founder of Inkbox, who transformed a jungle discovery into a $65 million acquisition by BIC in seven years. Tyler shares how a personal frustration with temporary tattoos led him to Panama's jungles, where tribes using fruit-based dyes inspired the breakthrough technology behind semi-permanent tattoos. He reveals the strategic pivot that made Inkbox irresistible to acquirers - repositioning from a tattoo marketplace to a replenishable beauty accessory - and discusses his unconventional negotiation tactics, including using an "alter ego" to overcome Canadian politeness during deal discussions. Beyond the mechanics, Tyler opens up about the mental challenges of exiting, from the eight-month process of stress leaving his body to untethering personal identity from business success, explaining why 75% of founders regret their sale within a year. If you're a founder building a consumer brand or planning your exit strategy, this conversation provides tactical insights on positioning for acquisition, negotiating from strength, and preparing mentally for life after the deal.
Show Notes:
00:00 The Birth of Inkbox: A Unique Tattoo Journey
03:01 From Idea to Market: The Kickstarter Launch
06:06 Scaling Challenges and the COVID Boost
08:59 Navigating the Exit: The Acquisition by Bic
11:59 Life After the Exit: Transitioning to a New Reality
15:00 Finding Purpose Beyond Business
18:02 Advice for Future Founders: Balancing Work and Life
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This episode is brought to you by Exit Horizon. Our mission is to help strategic Canadian founders build systematically toward fulfilling exits using proven methodology from entrepreneurs and advisors who've actually navigated successful deals. We compress the learning curve so you can build with the end in mind from day one, not piece together exit strategies when it's too late.
Apply now to join our next cohort or book a quick call to learn more about what might be the right place to start for your business. Visit exithorizon.com.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Jacqueline Dinsmore, a multi-exit entrepreneur who went from Bay Street lawyer to three successful exits in under a decade. Jackie shares her deeply personal journey from leaving Blake's law firm to care for her mother during cancer treatment, to co-founding Flapjack Kids - a family business that scaled to thousands of stores before its strategic exit in 2019, just months before COVID would have devastated their brick-and-mortar heavy model.
Jackie reveals the raw truth about building with aging parents as business partners, the emotional reality of the "success hangover" that follows a liquidity event, and why most entrepreneurs fail because they try to sell businesses without proper documentation, clean financials, or organized data rooms. She breaks down why buyers smell desperation, how relationships matter more than pitch decks, and shares her investment philosophy of backing "the jockey, not just the horse" - including why she'll pass on founders who ghost her emails.
From professional services to consumer products, Jackie unpacks the critical differences between exit structures, why running due diligence-ready from day one is non-negotiable, and her three-pillar framework for successful exits: build relationships over pitch decks, take care of yourself first, and run your business as if due diligence starts tomorrow.
If you're a founder wondering how to navigate the emotional complexity of family business partnerships, prepare systematically for multiple exit scenarios, and build the relationships that actually close deals, this conversation offers the battle-tested wisdom you've been missing.
Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction to Jackie Dinsmore
06:13 Building Flapjack Kids
12:19 Building Relationships for Success
18:17 Preparing for the Transition
26:35 Navigating Exits: Professional Services vs. Consumer Products
32:37 Investing in People: The Jockey vs. The Horse
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This episode is brought to you by Exit Horizon. Our mission is to help strategic Canadian founders build systematically toward fulfilling exits using proven methodology from entrepreneurs and advisors who've actually navigated successful deals. We compress the learning curve so you can build with the end in mind from day one, not piece together exit strategies when it's too late. Apply now to join our next cohort or book a quick call to learn more about what might be the right place to start for your business. Visit exithorizon.com.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, co-hosts Krystyn and Matt Harrison pull back the curtain on their own entrepreneurial journey, sharing why they founded Exit Horizon and the painful lessons that led them there. Krystyn reveals the raw truth about her seven-figure deal that fell apart when she made the critical mistake of running her own exit process, while Matt draws from his M&A experience helping business owners who called "on a Monday needing to sell" due to health crises or partnership disputes.
Together, they break down the exit timeline math that most founders get wrong - why your 5-year exit plan actually gives you only 3 years to build value - and share how they're building their current company with a buyer's perspective from day one. They discuss why most consulting businesses aren't sellable, the emotional reality of unwinding your identity from your company, and why the biggest mindset shift is understanding that "a business built to sell is built to last."
If you're a founder who wants to build systematically for exit, avoid the costly mistakes that derail deals, and create generational wealth on your terms, this deeply personal conversation offers the roadmap you've been missing.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Andrea Matheson, former M&A leader at CGI turned fintech founder, to unpack what it really takes to build with an exit in mind. Andrea shares her journey from overseeing $850M in acquisitions to co-founding Proponix, a company that scaled to $175M ARR in just 24 months before exiting. She reveals why the biggest mindset shift for entrepreneurs is to stop thinking like an owner and start thinking like a buyer, and how that changes every decision you make. Along the way, Andrea discusses the power of strategic partnerships, why planning twice before executing saves years of mistakes, and how true wealth is not about money but about time freedom.
If you are a founder wondering how to scale systematically, prepare for an exit, and design what comes next, this conversation is a masterclass you will not want to miss.
Show Notes:
00:00 The Journey to Entrepreneurship
02:58 Building Proponix: The Fintech Revolution
05:55 Strategic Partnerships and Exit Planning
08:57 Thinking Like a Buyer: A New Perspective
12:02 The Transition: From M&A Exec to Exited Founder
14:50 Wealth and Time Freedom: A New Reality
17:53 Lessons Learned: Resilience and Adaptation
20:51 Preparing for the Exit: The Importance of Planning
23:42 The Mindset Shift: From Owner to Buyer
26:36 Final Thoughts: Building for the Future
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This episode is brought to you by Exit Horizon. Our mission is to help strategic Canadian founders build systematically toward fulfilling exits using proven methodology from entrepreneurs and advisors who've actually navigated successful deals. We compress the learning curve so you can build with the end in mind from day one, not piece together exit strategies when it's too late. Apply now to join our next cohort or book a quick call to learn more about what might be the right place to start for your business. Visit exithorizon.com.
Real conversations with Canadian business owners who've sold their companies, the advisors who guided them, and the buyers who made it happen. Host Krystyn Harrison breaks down what actually worked, what didn't, and what you can apply to your own exit—whether you're planning to sell in two years or just want to understand your options. From deal structure to life after the sale, we cover the practical and personal side of turning your business into life-changing wealth.
Brought to you by Exit Horizon, the place where serious Canadian entrepreneurs go to discuss what most won't: how to build your business to sell, maximize your exit value, and design a fulfilling life after the deal.