The short answer
Ryan Niddel shares the growth strategies and financing decisions behind scaling and selling businesses across diverse industries, and why exit preparation starts years before any conversation with a buyer begins.
Key takeaways
- The pros and cons of selling your equity and countering that with growth
- Differences between focus and balance in startup businesses
- Why it’s so much more efficient to buy than build
- Getting out of the Owner’s Trap: From idea to execution
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1 hr 3 minWatch the full interview
About this episode
Business owners are great at what they do, that’s why they’ve succeeded until this point. But more often than not, to get to that next stage of growth (and the one after, and the one after next), you need a bit of help.
That's where Ryan Niddel comes in.
Ryan has a proven track record of scaling business to 8 or 9-figure revenues, including tripling the revenue of more than 5 companies in under 2 1/2 years. Warning: This episode contains powerful tips on how to enter, grow, and exit your business.
Chapters
- 7:31The first startup Ryan joined was a web hosting startup where he was promoted to CEO after helping grow the business from 10,000 clients to 580,000 in 24 months. They later sold to GoDaddy
- 17:52You don’t need to be the next Facebook. You can have a great life and a wonderful business capping out at 3% per annum growth. You don’t need VC or PE money to be successful. These are some of the tips Ryan wants all entrepreneurs to think about
- 20:58Growing a business is like building a table, with Marketing, Sales, Operations, and Accounting as the legs. If you push up one of those legs too high, too quickly, everything slides off the table
- 30:23Thinking of acquiring for growth? Ryan’s advice is to do it and do it rapidly. Here’s why
- 40:42Exiting is 1,000 shades of grey. A better way to approach an exit plan is to determine whether your business is a sellable asset
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About Ryan Niddel
Ryan Niddel is a CEO, Board Member, and Entrepreneur. He is also the leading authority on improving revenue of companies by improving EBITDA through increased operational efficiency, lean manufacturing principles, and more. He has helped with the acquisition or exit of more than 11 companies while seeing their collective revenue surpass more than $237M. He has successfully tripled the revenue of more than 5 companies in under 2 1/2 years adding an extra $950M in valuation to these companies.
Ryan began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 10 with a local lawn mowing operation, which led to being taken under the wing of a local businessman while being mentored starting at the age of 14. He currently is a principal in a private equity group, the CEO of two 8-figure companies, and sits on the board of directors for several other companies. He has built a reputation as Ohio’s top business growth specialist, and as someone able to rapidly improve the profitability of a company in order to achieve a higher valuation and sell for significantly more revenue.
Ryan contributes to multiple charities, including Big Brother Big Sister, Operation Underground Railroad, The Buckeye Ranch, and other causes he cares about. He is in the process of launching a foundation focused on the education of the youth of today to help with practical application on business, entrepreneurism, and capitalism.
Connect with Ryan Niddel
About the show
Buy Grow Sell is hosted by Simon Bedard, founder and managing director of Exit Advisory Group, a boutique mergers and acquisitions advisory firm that helps Australian business owners value, prepare for and navigate a sale. Every conversation draws on real deals and the patterns behind them.
