Advisor

Brian Wygle of Help for My Company shares 40 years of corporate fixing — from buying a distressed oil company for $300 to helping owners change the thinking that got them into trouble.

Adam Harris, CEO of CloudBeds, shares how a Brazil pivot built a $15B hospitality platform — plus AI signals, remote parity, and building with purpose over transaction.

Rick Thomas of First Generation Advisors shares what most exit planners won’t tell founders — from confirmation bias and cocktail napkin valuations to the emotional cost of selling something you built with your life.

Kristi May of J&E Business Group shares how she went from 16-year side hustle to full-time business broker — helping sellers exit at 3X profit and buyers find the right fi

Brian Swilling shares how he left investment banking with a three-month-old at home, built a dental-focused wealth practice from scratch, and discovered that empathy is a more powerful competitive advantage than any financial credential.

Jeremy Furtick of NorthStar M&A shares 20 years of deal-making experience — from first-in-history multi-year brokerage title to co-founding a firm one month before a house fire changed everything.

Brent Bardales shares how he built and sold three companies, survived a partner betrayal, and now helps small business owners find hidden profit and plan profitable exits at Rev Your Business.

Dino Lucarelli shares how 23 years of win-win M&A advisory at Capital Tactics built a reputation-only practice that turns down bad actors and walks away from dirty deals.

Kenny Harper shares going from music dreams to Growth Amplifiers business coach—bank account dwindling with kid coming, mindfulness saved him during partner split crisis.

John Hoey shares how he tripled revenue at The Y in Central Maryland, rebranded the YMCA, survived COVID bankruptcy fears, and received an $18M MacKenzie Scott gift.

Rick Smilow shares Northwestern Kellogg MBA margarine tastings, failed cat snack startup competing Ralston Purina, 1995 cold call acquiring Peter Kump's Cooking School knowing nothing culinary education, landlord non-renewal forcing expensive Manhattan relocation, and acquiring pandemic-weakened French Culinary Institute as "buyer of last resort."

Miranda Dietz shares her journey from paramedic firefighter to Rise Brands procurement director—navigating Meniere's disease diagnosis, surviving BrewDog's 85% COVID furlough, and sourcing vintage arcade games for pins mechanical's rapid expansion with gratitude over victimhood.