The Deal Podcast

Building Toward an Acquisition From Day One with Kelly Hebert

She built her app with one end in mind from day one: get acquired. And she did it while owning 100% of the company and raising two kids under two. In this episode of The

What Every Founder Gets Wrong About Building With AI with Justin Obney

He built Lego-verifying software with his daughter and an AI chief of staff named Carl who texts his wife. Justin Obney has strong opinions about what founders keep getti

The Deal Behind Sports Betting, NIL, Revenue Sharing, and the Portal with Charles Hanagriff

33 years behind the microphone in Baton Rouge — and a master class on how college sports quietly became one of the biggest deal-making machines in America. In this episo

Where Allocators and Dealmakers Actually Meet with Rip Reeves

He got told no 2,000 times before Wall Street said yes. Rip Reeves cold-called his way off a borrowed New York City phone book — and four decades later runs the company w

From Folding Towels for Nick Saban to Owning a Bank with Scott Gaudin

He cashed out everything during the pandemic — left a guaranteed paycheck to raise $30M and buy a bank that didn't exist yet. Five years later, it's quadrupled.

Playing Offense or Defense With Your Company's Value with Ben Vance

Should you grow your business or protect it? The answer depends on one number — and most owners don't know theirs. In this episode, Joshua Wilson and co-hosts Scott

We're Not a Construction Company, We're a People Company — Lenny Lemoine

He built a national construction firm out of a town of fewer than 1,000 people — then sold it without feeling like he sold out. In this episode, Joshua Wilson and co-hos

The Hidden Asset Smart PE Firms Protect at All Costs with Jeffrey Koonce

What separates the PE firms that build lasting companies from the ones that destroy them? Jeff Koonce says it comes down to one asset that never shows up cleanly on a bal

The Family Office Playbook for Lower Middle Market Acquisitions — Erik Billet

Erik Billet and Jude David built a family office that's done 12 acquisitions in five years — without outside investors, without a fund clock, and without ever planni

Stuck in the Founder Trap? How to Free Yourself From the Day to Day with Jeff Martin

What happens when a buyer looks at your business and says, "The owner is too involved — we can't pluck him out"? That's the moment your exit value collapses. An

From Ministry to Real Estate: Lessons From a Career Pivot with John Ray Perkins

He spent over two decades as a full-time Catholic minister. Then four kids, a tight bank account, and a global pandemic forced a pivot that would reshape everything. In

Scaling a Law Firm Without Losing the Mission with Blake David

What does it take to scale a plaintiff's law firm to 17 attorneys across three offices — without losing the mission, the culture, or your sanity? Blake David has don

How Founders Use Community Foundations to Protect Their Legacy with Missy Andrade

What if the smartest move before your liquidity event isn't talking to your banker — it's talking to a community foundation? In this episode of The Deal Podcas

Eat What You Kill: The Bet-On-Yourself Model — Mark Weber

Mark Weber made $12,000 his first year in business. He never hired an employee. Three decades later, he's built a portfolio across life insurance, real estate, and m

Mergers and Acquisitions in the Nonprofit World

What if the smartest growth strategy in your community wasn't being run by a private equity firm — it was being run by a charity? Kim Boudreaux and Sarah Clement of

From Career to Calling: Inside Family Missions Company with Saul Keeton & Kevin Granger

What if the Lord interrupted your career at the peak of the American dream? Saul Keeton walked away from 25 years in commercial real estate. Kevin Granger left nursing an

From Law to the Priesthood: Discerning the Call with Father Jim Brady

What does it actually take to walk away from a thriving career at the top of your game — and how do you do it without leaving wreckage behind? In this special episode of

The Opportunity Machine: Powering Louisiana's Startup Boom — Destin Ortego

What happens when a former musician with degrees in graphic design and public relations becomes the executive director of one of Louisiana's most important startup e

The Public-Private Partnership Playbook with Mike Tarantino

What does it actually take to land a $1.4 billion manufacturing deal in a parish of 70,000 people? Mike Tarantino has the playbook — and he's running it in real time

The Pattern Recognition Skill That Built Four Exits with Steven Pivnik

What if the same company could give you four bites of the apple? Steven Pivnik did exactly that — and nearly lost it all in between. In this episode of The Deal Podcast,