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, host Steve sits down with Callum Laing, partner at Unity Group, author, and serial entrepreneur who has helped take more than 100 companies public. With decades of experience across Asia, Europe, and beyond, Callum shares his contrarian approach to growth, exits, and how founders can use the capital markets as a scaling tool, not just a finish line.
From his first recruitment business during the dot-com boom to running a global group that helps small businesses access public market advantages. Callum has seen it all, from booms, busts to breakthroughs. He explains why most entrepreneurs under-optimize for profit when gearing up to sell, how boards can fast-track business maturity, and why timing the market is less about prediction and more about preparation.
Callum’s insights extend beyond valuation multiples. He talks candidly about common M&A mistakes, the power of strategic positioning, and why founders should sell “as soon as they can” to regain their most valuable resources: time and capital. This episode is a masterclass in scaling smart, negotiating with leverage, and learning faster through failure.
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Callum Laing is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and M&A specialist with over two decades of experience building and scaling companies across multiple industries. As a Partner at Unity Group and Founder of the Global Investment Leaders Directive (GILD) and the Veblen Director Programme, he helps business owners unlock liquidity, accelerate growth, and gain access to global capital markets. A passionate advocate for ethical capitalism and entrepreneur-led innovation, Callum has worked extensively with private equity firms, family offices, and public markets to bridge the gap between fast-growing private enterprises and institutional investors.
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumlaing/
Website - https://callumlaing.com/
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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, host Steve sits down with Callum Laing, partner at Unity Group, author, and serial entrepreneur who has helped take more than 100 companies public. With decades of experience across Asia, Europe, and beyond, Callum shares his contrarian approach to growth, exits, and how founders can use the capital markets as a scaling tool, not just a finish line.
From his first recruitment business during the dot-com boom to running a global group that helps small businesses access public market advantages. Callum has seen it all, from booms, busts to breakthroughs. He explains why most entrepreneurs under-optimize for profit when gearing up to sell, how boards can fast-track business maturity, and why timing the market is less about prediction and more about preparation.
Callum’s insights extend beyond valuation multiples. He talks candidly about common M&A mistakes, the power of strategic positioning, and why founders should sell “as soon as they can” to regain their most valuable resources: time and capital. This episode is a masterclass in scaling smart, negotiating with leverage, and learning faster through failure.
--
Callum Laing is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and M&A specialist with over two decades of experience building and scaling companies across multiple industries. As a Partner at Unity Group and Founder of the Global Investment Leaders Directive (GILD) and the Veblen Director Programme, he helps business owners unlock liquidity, accelerate growth, and gain access to global capital markets. A passionate advocate for ethical capitalism and entrepreneur-led innovation, Callum has worked extensively with private equity firms, family offices, and public markets to bridge the gap between fast-growing private enterprises and institutional investors.
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumlaing/
Website - https://callumlaing.com/
--
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/
De-Risk, Delegate, and Deliver a Great Exit: How Certified Exit Planner Julie Keyes Helps Founders Sell Smart
The Exit - Presented By Flippa
27 minutes 47 seconds
2 weeks ago
De-Risk, Delegate, and Deliver a Great Exit: How Certified Exit Planner Julie Keyes Helps Founders Sell Smart
De-Risk, Delegate, and Deliver a Great Exit: How Certified Exit Planner Julie Keyes Helps Founders Sell Smart
Business Valuation Text Ad:
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, Steve welcomes Julie Keyes, a serial entrepreneur turned Certified Exit Planner and faculty member at the Exit Planning Institute (EPI). Julie shares how her own difficult exit nearly two decades ago inspired her to guide business owners toward smoother, more profitable transitions.
Julie breaks down exit preparedness into two core pillars: owner readiness and business readiness. She stresses that true readiness starts long before a sale: owners must update legal, tax, and estate plans, and ensure their personal finances and mindset are aligned with life after the exit. On the business side, she focuses on transferability, decentralizing the owner’s role, building strong teams, and creating a company that can thrive without its founder.
Julie also discusses timing the sale, navigating the “five Ds” (death, divorce, disagreement, disability, and distress), and structuring negotiations with the help of skilled M&A advisors. Her message is clear: “Don’t wait for an offer to learn what your business is worth.” This episode is a practical masterclass on planning early, reducing risk, and protecting your life’s work.
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Julie Keyes is the founder and owner of KeyeStrategies, an advisory firm helping entrepreneurs build enterprise value and prepare for successful business transitions. A lifelong entrepreneur turned Certified Exit Planning and Value Growth Adviser, Julie brings firsthand experience from starting, growing, and selling multiple companies. Recognized twice as EPI’s “Thought Leader of the Year,” she’s a national speaker, faculty member for the CEPA Program, and author of Poised for Exit: A Woman Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Transition.
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliekeyes/
Website - https://keyestrategies.com/
Podcast - https://keyestrategies.com/podcast/
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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, host Steve sits down with Callum Laing, partner at Unity Group, author, and serial entrepreneur who has helped take more than 100 companies public. With decades of experience across Asia, Europe, and beyond, Callum shares his contrarian approach to growth, exits, and how founders can use the capital markets as a scaling tool, not just a finish line.
From his first recruitment business during the dot-com boom to running a global group that helps small businesses access public market advantages. Callum has seen it all, from booms, busts to breakthroughs. He explains why most entrepreneurs under-optimize for profit when gearing up to sell, how boards can fast-track business maturity, and why timing the market is less about prediction and more about preparation.
Callum’s insights extend beyond valuation multiples. He talks candidly about common M&A mistakes, the power of strategic positioning, and why founders should sell “as soon as they can” to regain their most valuable resources: time and capital. This episode is a masterclass in scaling smart, negotiating with leverage, and learning faster through failure.
--
Callum Laing is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and M&A specialist with over two decades of experience building and scaling companies across multiple industries. As a Partner at Unity Group and Founder of the Global Investment Leaders Directive (GILD) and the Veblen Director Programme, he helps business owners unlock liquidity, accelerate growth, and gain access to global capital markets. A passionate advocate for ethical capitalism and entrepreneur-led innovation, Callum has worked extensively with private equity firms, family offices, and public markets to bridge the gap between fast-growing private enterprises and institutional investors.
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumlaing/
Website - https://callumlaing.com/
--
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/
