When Ben Leonard sold Beast Gear—a strength and conditioning equipment brand he built from his spare room into a business generating $6 million in revenue—he thought he’d made the deal of a lifetime.
He got 80% of the proceeds up front, agreed to a small earn-out, and became the face of Thrasio, the acquirer.
Then things started to go sideways.
You’ve built a valuable company. Maybe you’re even thinking about selling. But what happens after the wire hits?
In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Alex Bean, co-founder of Divvy, shares what it felt like to sell his company for $2.5 billion—and why the real challenges began after the deal closed.
This conversation will help you think more strategically about what you’re really building—and how to avoid the regrets that often follow a big payday.
Most acquirers want you to stick around. Roll equity. Hit targets. Train your replacement.
But there’s a different kind of buyer out there. One who wires 100% of the money at closing—and lets you walk.
Dan Mytels represents this type of buyer. Through his firm, Salt Creek, he’s acquired 100 businesses—most of them mature, profitable, niche companies where the owner was ready to move on. They don’t always offer the highest multiple, but they do offer something many founders value more: a clean break.
When Doug Lowenthal discovered that $1 million in EBITDA was the minimum threshold acquirers looked for in his industry, he had a goal. Then he learned that managed service providers—businesses that offer outsourced IT support—were trading for 6–8× EBITDA. That’s when he realized he was building something truly valuable.
But getting there required more than just strong financials. Doug had to rethink how he led his team, structured his business, and prepared for life after the deal.