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 Podcast, host Steve sits down with Lee Smith, an acquisition entrepreneur at Verdani Capital with 12 years of M&A experience. Lee shares hard-won lessons from acquiring 20+ businesses and reveals what buyers really look for when evaluating companies for acquisition.
KEY TOPICS COVERED:
The #1 Red Flag Buyers See (And How to Fix It)
Lee reveals why owner-dependency kills deals and how to build transferability into your business 2-3 years before exit
Inside the Valuation Process
Real multiples for blue-collar businesses (2-4x true profit, not EBITDA) and why adjusted earnings can backfire
Deal Structure That Works
How Lee structures acquisitions to align incentives: buying 60-80% stakes with future upside potential that often doubles the founder's payday
The Biggest Deal Mistakes
From buying distressed companies to discovering hidden equity agreements 30 minutes before closing—lessons learned the hard way
The £1 Business Acquisition Strategy
How Lee has purchased 20 businesses for just one pound, including a remarkable turnaround that saved a founder from £500K in debt
When Concentration Risk Isn't a Deal-Breaker
Strategic approaches to handling clients that represent 60-70% of revenue, including key customer clauses in SPAs
Building Trust in M&A Deals
Why "two ears, one mouth" matters more than spreadsheets when structuring successful acquisitions
The EOS Framework for Integration
Using simple systems to manage acquired businesses without disrupting teams or culture
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Lee Smith is a values-driven entrepreneur and dealmaker with more than 25 years of experience and a respected track record in UK M&A. After completing his first acquisitions in 2014, he went on to buy and turn around nine underperforming companies before founding Verdani Capital, where he continues to acquire and scale larger UK businesses. To date, Lee has completed 26 acquisitions across sectors such as Manufacturing, Professional Services, Construction, HVAC, and IT Services, supported by training from leading M&A mentors in the UK and US. His current portfolio generates over £2M in annual profit with a clear path toward £10M, strengthened by three strategic exits in 2024. Grounded in spirituality and conscious leadership, Lee combines substance, strategy, and long-term thinking in every partnership.
Website - https://www.leeasmith.co.uk/
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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/
All content for The Exit - Presented By Flippa is the property of The Exit - Presented By Flippa and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
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 Podcast, host Steve sits down with Lee Smith, an acquisition entrepreneur at Verdani Capital with 12 years of M&A experience. Lee shares hard-won lessons from acquiring 20+ businesses and reveals what buyers really look for when evaluating companies for acquisition.
KEY TOPICS COVERED:
The #1 Red Flag Buyers See (And How to Fix It)
Lee reveals why owner-dependency kills deals and how to build transferability into your business 2-3 years before exit
Inside the Valuation Process
Real multiples for blue-collar businesses (2-4x true profit, not EBITDA) and why adjusted earnings can backfire
Deal Structure That Works
How Lee structures acquisitions to align incentives: buying 60-80% stakes with future upside potential that often doubles the founder's payday
The Biggest Deal Mistakes
From buying distressed companies to discovering hidden equity agreements 30 minutes before closing—lessons learned the hard way
The £1 Business Acquisition Strategy
How Lee has purchased 20 businesses for just one pound, including a remarkable turnaround that saved a founder from £500K in debt
When Concentration Risk Isn't a Deal-Breaker
Strategic approaches to handling clients that represent 60-70% of revenue, including key customer clauses in SPAs
Building Trust in M&A Deals
Why "two ears, one mouth" matters more than spreadsheets when structuring successful acquisitions
The EOS Framework for Integration
Using simple systems to manage acquired businesses without disrupting teams or culture
--
Lee Smith is a values-driven entrepreneur and dealmaker with more than 25 years of experience and a respected track record in UK M&A. After completing his first acquisitions in 2014, he went on to buy and turn around nine underperforming companies before founding Verdani Capital, where he continues to acquire and scale larger UK businesses. To date, Lee has completed 26 acquisitions across sectors such as Manufacturing, Professional Services, Construction, HVAC, and IT Services, supported by training from leading M&A mentors in the UK and US. His current portfolio generates over £2M in annual profit with a clear path toward £10M, strengthened by three strategic exits in 2024. Grounded in spirituality and conscious leadership, Lee combines substance, strategy, and long-term thinking in every partnership.
Website - https://www.leeasmith.co.uk/
--
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/
Shark Tank to Petco: How Ben Zvaifler Turned PupBox Into an Exit
The Exit - Presented By Flippa
39 minutes 4 seconds
2 months ago
Shark Tank to Petco: How Ben Zvaifler Turned PupBox Into an Exit
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, entrepreneur Ben Zvaifler shares his journey from launching PupBox, a subscription box for puppy owners, to selling it to Petco and later starting his new venture, Cloud Water Filters. Inspired by his own struggles as a new dog owner, Ben built PupBox during the subscription box boom, even pitching successfully on Shark Tank—securing a deal with Robert Herjavec and a surge of publicity.
Eventually, Petco acquired the company, where Ben spent four years navigating corporate life, scaling during COVID, and hitting earn-out targets.
Reflecting on the acquisition, Ben highlights lessons in negotiation, timing, and the importance of clean financials. He also shares candid advice for entrepreneurs: secure multiple offers, prepare thoroughly for earn-outs, and understand the corporate dynamics you’re stepping into. After Petco later sold PupBox to FabFitFun, Ben moved on to disrupt another space—water filtration. His new startup, Cloud Water Filters, offers a connected reverse osmosis system that not only purifies but also tracks water quality and usage.
Ben’s story underscores the resilience needed in entrepreneurship: survive the lows, learn from each exit, and use that experience to build bigger and bolder ventures.
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Ben Zvaifler is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cloud Water Filters, a consumer hardware company delivering clean, alkaline drinking water through smart, sensor-enabled filtration systems. With a background in building direct-to-consumer brands, Ben is passionate about using technology and design to elevate everyday experiences. Previously, Ben co-founded PupBox, a subscription service for new puppy owners. PupBox was featured on Shark Tank, highlighted as one of the most disruptive DTC brands by the International Advertising Bureau, and acquired by Petco Animal Supplies in 2017.
Website: https://www.cloudwaterfilters.com/
Ben on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benzvaifler/
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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/
The Exit - Presented By Flippa
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 Podcast, host Steve sits down with Lee Smith, an acquisition entrepreneur at Verdani Capital with 12 years of M&A experience. Lee shares hard-won lessons from acquiring 20+ businesses and reveals what buyers really look for when evaluating companies for acquisition.
KEY TOPICS COVERED:
The #1 Red Flag Buyers See (And How to Fix It)
Lee reveals why owner-dependency kills deals and how to build transferability into your business 2-3 years before exit
Inside the Valuation Process
Real multiples for blue-collar businesses (2-4x true profit, not EBITDA) and why adjusted earnings can backfire
Deal Structure That Works
How Lee structures acquisitions to align incentives: buying 60-80% stakes with future upside potential that often doubles the founder's payday
The Biggest Deal Mistakes
From buying distressed companies to discovering hidden equity agreements 30 minutes before closing—lessons learned the hard way
The £1 Business Acquisition Strategy
How Lee has purchased 20 businesses for just one pound, including a remarkable turnaround that saved a founder from £500K in debt
When Concentration Risk Isn't a Deal-Breaker
Strategic approaches to handling clients that represent 60-70% of revenue, including key customer clauses in SPAs
Building Trust in M&A Deals
Why "two ears, one mouth" matters more than spreadsheets when structuring successful acquisitions
The EOS Framework for Integration
Using simple systems to manage acquired businesses without disrupting teams or culture
--
Lee Smith is a values-driven entrepreneur and dealmaker with more than 25 years of experience and a respected track record in UK M&A. After completing his first acquisitions in 2014, he went on to buy and turn around nine underperforming companies before founding Verdani Capital, where he continues to acquire and scale larger UK businesses. To date, Lee has completed 26 acquisitions across sectors such as Manufacturing, Professional Services, Construction, HVAC, and IT Services, supported by training from leading M&A mentors in the UK and US. His current portfolio generates over £2M in annual profit with a clear path toward £10M, strengthened by three strategic exits in 2024. Grounded in spirituality and conscious leadership, Lee combines substance, strategy, and long-term thinking in every partnership.
Website - https://www.leeasmith.co.uk/
--
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/
