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
--
Are you building a business to own a job, or are you building an asset to sell? In this episode, Steve McGarry sits down with Chris Hallberg, Founder of Business Sergeant and an expert EOS Implementer, to dismantle the complexities of exiting a business.
Chris shares his personal journey from law enforcement to entrepreneurship, revealing the expensive mistakes he made during his first "fast and furious" exit. We dive deep into tactical preparation for a sale, including how to remove the "owner dependency" trap, the importance of business operating systems in driving up multiples, and how to navigate the ruthless "Fish and Chip" negotiation tactics used by buyers.
Whether you are looking to sell in 12 months or 10 years, this episode provides the blueprint for building a company that attracts top-tier buyers and maximum valuation.
In this episode, we cover:
--
Chris Hallberg is a high-energy entrepreneurial coach, facilitator, and Founder of GoExpand, an officially licensed EOS execution platform, dedicated to helping leadership teams build clarity, accountability, and healthy growth. As a seasoned Certified EOS Implementer®, Chris brings over a decade of full-time EOS experience working with companies across industries to align vision with execution and drive transformative results. Known for his direct yet kind communication style and practical mindset, he has helped more than 100 leadership teams foster world-class cultures and achieve measurable success. Chris blends disciplined operating system implementation with a people-first approach that empowers leaders to get what they want from their business and have fun doing it.
Websites - https://bizsgt.com/
- https://goexpand.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hallberg-01516315/
--
Timestamps:
(00:24) – From Uniform to Suit: Chris’s transition from Military Police and Sheriff Deputy to high-growth entrepreneur.
(01:42) – The "Expedient" Exit Mistake: Why selling too fast cost Chris a fortune (and how to avoid it).
(03:31) – Golden Handcuffs: How to structure your leadership team so the business survives without you.
(07:14) – The "Fish and Chip" Model: Understanding the brutal reality of due diligence and last-minute price chiseling.
(10:23) – Timing the Market: Assessing trends (like AI) to know when your industry valuation has peaked.
(14:19) – Leadership Red Flags: Why "warm and fuzzy" leadership fails during the cold scrutiny of investment bankers.
(20:49) – Driving Valuation with EOS: How installing a Business Operating System can double or triple your multiple.
25:28 – The Transparency Dilemma: How to tell your team you are selling without causing a panic (The "Growth Capital" script).
(29:08) – The Halo Effect: Why hiring veterans and Special Ops leaders can transform your civilian workforce.
--
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
--
Are you building a business to own a job, or are you building an asset to sell? In this episode, Steve McGarry sits down with Chris Hallberg, Founder of Business Sergeant and an expert EOS Implementer, to dismantle the complexities of exiting a business.
Chris shares his personal journey from law enforcement to entrepreneurship, revealing the expensive mistakes he made during his first "fast and furious" exit. We dive deep into tactical preparation for a sale, including how to remove the "owner dependency" trap, the importance of business operating systems in driving up multiples, and how to navigate the ruthless "Fish and Chip" negotiation tactics used by buyers.
Whether you are looking to sell in 12 months or 10 years, this episode provides the blueprint for building a company that attracts top-tier buyers and maximum valuation.
In this episode, we cover:
--
Chris Hallberg is a high-energy entrepreneurial coach, facilitator, and Founder of GoExpand, an officially licensed EOS execution platform, dedicated to helping leadership teams build clarity, accountability, and healthy growth. As a seasoned Certified EOS Implementer®, Chris brings over a decade of full-time EOS experience working with companies across industries to align vision with execution and drive transformative results. Known for his direct yet kind communication style and practical mindset, he has helped more than 100 leadership teams foster world-class cultures and achieve measurable success. Chris blends disciplined operating system implementation with a people-first approach that empowers leaders to get what they want from their business and have fun doing it.
Websites - https://bizsgt.com/
- https://goexpand.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hallberg-01516315/
--
Timestamps:
(00:24) – From Uniform to Suit: Chris’s transition from Military Police and Sheriff Deputy to high-growth entrepreneur.
(01:42) – The "Expedient" Exit Mistake: Why selling too fast cost Chris a fortune (and how to avoid it).
(03:31) – Golden Handcuffs: How to structure your leadership team so the business survives without you.
(07:14) – The "Fish and Chip" Model: Understanding the brutal reality of due diligence and last-minute price chiseling.
(10:23) – Timing the Market: Assessing trends (like AI) to know when your industry valuation has peaked.
(14:19) – Leadership Red Flags: Why "warm and fuzzy" leadership fails during the cold scrutiny of investment bankers.
(20:49) – Driving Valuation with EOS: How installing a Business Operating System can double or triple your multiple.
25:28 – The Transparency Dilemma: How to tell your team you are selling without causing a panic (The "Growth Capital" script).
(29:08) – The Halo Effect: Why hiring veterans and Special Ops leaders can transform your civilian workforce.
--
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 $50 Million Mistake: Private Equity Secrets to Selling Your Business for 11x EBITDA with Alexis Sikorsky
The Exit - Presented By Flippa
34 minutes 35 seconds
2 weeks ago
The $50 Million Mistake: Private Equity Secrets to Selling Your Business for 11x EBITDA with Alexis Sikorsky
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
--
Are you running your business, or is it running you?
In this episode, we sit down with Alexis Sikorsky, co-founder of Nightscale, who reveals the brutal truth about the "Grind" and the specific strategies he used to exit his banking software company for a massive multiple.
If you are a founder stuck at the $5M–$10M revenue plateau, this episode is a masterclass in cashing out. Alexis breaks down the "$50 Million Mistake", a calculation of the money and time he lost by not knowing the secrets of Private Equity earlier, and how you can avoid it.
What You’ll Learn:
The "Fish and Chip" Trap: How Private Equity firms lure founders with high valuations only to chip away at the price during due diligence—and how to stop them.
Nominal EBITDA vs. EBITDA: The financial metric that matters more than your bottom line. Learn how "dressing the bride" and identifying add-backs can instantly increase your valuation.
The Magic Number: Why a $40M valuation is the specific target for a lifestyle where you never have to touch your capital again.
The Due Diligence Reverse Card: How to investigate a PE firm by calling the founders they don't want you to talk to.
Escaping the Operator Trap: Why you need to fire yourself from day-to-day operations to make your company sellable.
--
Alexis Sikorsky is a seasoned entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and #1 international best-selling author who helps founders and SMEs scale with confidence, make smarter strategic decisions, and prepare for long-term growth and successful exits. Over his career, he has founded, scaled, and led multiple companies, including building and selling a software business to private equity in a nine-figure transaction. He is the founder of Sikorsky Consulting Ltd. and a co-founder of KnightScale Partners, where he works closely with founders as a true operator partner, providing experienced, founder-to-founder guidance on scaling, leadership, and value creation. Holding an EMBA from Oxford University, Alexis blends real-world entrepreneurial experience with strategic insight to help business owners future-proof their companies and navigate critical inflection points.
Website - https://www.knightscalepartners.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-sikorsky-consulting/
--
Time Stamps:
(01:11) Surviving the 2008 crash: Losing 75% of revenue overnight.
(03:46) The "Unbelievable" Offer: Selling for 11x EBITDA based on a future plan.
(06:00) Calculating the $50 Million / 5-Year Mistake.
(08:59) When is the right time to sell? (The mathematics of the exit).
(14:00) Red Flags: Detecting the "Fish and Chip" strategy.
(20:30) How to boost valuation using Nominal EBITDA and non-recurring costs.
(27:30) Why you should do M&A earlier than you think.
--
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
--
Are you building a business to own a job, or are you building an asset to sell? In this episode, Steve McGarry sits down with Chris Hallberg, Founder of Business Sergeant and an expert EOS Implementer, to dismantle the complexities of exiting a business.
Chris shares his personal journey from law enforcement to entrepreneurship, revealing the expensive mistakes he made during his first "fast and furious" exit. We dive deep into tactical preparation for a sale, including how to remove the "owner dependency" trap, the importance of business operating systems in driving up multiples, and how to navigate the ruthless "Fish and Chip" negotiation tactics used by buyers.
Whether you are looking to sell in 12 months or 10 years, this episode provides the blueprint for building a company that attracts top-tier buyers and maximum valuation.
In this episode, we cover:
--
Chris Hallberg is a high-energy entrepreneurial coach, facilitator, and Founder of GoExpand, an officially licensed EOS execution platform, dedicated to helping leadership teams build clarity, accountability, and healthy growth. As a seasoned Certified EOS Implementer®, Chris brings over a decade of full-time EOS experience working with companies across industries to align vision with execution and drive transformative results. Known for his direct yet kind communication style and practical mindset, he has helped more than 100 leadership teams foster world-class cultures and achieve measurable success. Chris blends disciplined operating system implementation with a people-first approach that empowers leaders to get what they want from their business and have fun doing it.
Websites - https://bizsgt.com/
- https://goexpand.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hallberg-01516315/
--
Timestamps:
(00:24) – From Uniform to Suit: Chris’s transition from Military Police and Sheriff Deputy to high-growth entrepreneur.
(01:42) – The "Expedient" Exit Mistake: Why selling too fast cost Chris a fortune (and how to avoid it).
(03:31) – Golden Handcuffs: How to structure your leadership team so the business survives without you.
(07:14) – The "Fish and Chip" Model: Understanding the brutal reality of due diligence and last-minute price chiseling.
(10:23) – Timing the Market: Assessing trends (like AI) to know when your industry valuation has peaked.
(14:19) – Leadership Red Flags: Why "warm and fuzzy" leadership fails during the cold scrutiny of investment bankers.
(20:49) – Driving Valuation with EOS: How installing a Business Operating System can double or triple your multiple.
25:28 – The Transparency Dilemma: How to tell your team you are selling without causing a panic (The "Growth Capital" script).
(29:08) – The Halo Effect: Why hiring veterans and Special Ops leaders can transform your civilian workforce.
--
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/
