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Episode 234

Realistic Exit Expectations: Mike Oleksak’s Valuation Wisdom

This week on The Exit: Mike Oleksak, Executive Director at Exit Planning Exchange, shares insights from his extensive experience helping business owners prepare for successful exits.

After starting his career in finance and management consulting, Mike co-founded the first chapter of Exit Planning Exchange in 2007, creating a network that now spans 22 chapters nationwide. 

He discusses the importance of bringing together diverse advisors—from accountants and attorneys to consultants and financial planners—to help business owners navigate the complex exit process. 

Mike emphasizes starting exit planning 3-5 years in advance to properly prepare financials, address management succession, and establish realistic valuation expectations. 

Mike also examines current market trends, including the increased involvement of private equity firms in acquiring middle-market businesses and how market conditions like interest rates affect timing and valuation. 

For more details and insights from his entrepreneurial journey, listen to the latest episode of The Exit.

Personal Bio: 

Mike Oleksak’s experience covers finance, consulting, and sales with Bank of Boston, Thomson Financial, Trek Consulting, and State Street.

He co-founded the Exit Planning Exchange (XPX), an organization with 20 chapters across the U.S. XPX is a business association for advisors to privately held businesses on growth and exit strategy.

Mike was a co-founder of and worked 10 years at Trek Consulting where, as both a management consultant and a coach, he worked with clients to grow their businesses, tell their story better to raise financing, and attract investment and acquirers.

Free Range Thinking Website: https://www.freerangethinking.com/

Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoleksak/

Check Out Flippa’s Data Insights Tool: https://flippa.com/data-insights

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/

YOUR HOST

Steve McGarry

An entrepreneur, content creator, and investor based in sunny Tampa, Florida. In 2015, while living in San Francisco, Steve sold his first fintech startup LendLayer to Max Levchin’s (founder of PayPal) consumer finance company Affirm.

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