Episodes
The Growth by Subtraction Playbook for Middle Market Founders with Yarin Gaon
What if the thing slowing your growth isn't what's missing — it's what you refuse to cut? Yarin Gaon sold his fourth company at 28, ran turnarounds as an Entrepreneur in Residence at a venture capital firm, mentored 400+ founders through the University of Chicago and SCORE, and has earned an MBA along the way. Today he runs Fractional Partners, where he applies a private equity-style operating playbook to lower middle market businesses stuck in what he calls the "messy mi…
The Partner You Need When You've Run Out of Gas — George Boudreaux & Nathan Rath
He was drowning in investor debt, swinging a hammer in Houston just to make payroll — and still found a way to build something worth fighting for. This is a story about grit, partnership, and what it really takes to grow a tr...
Building a Business With Your Spouse Without Losing Your Mind — Kenny & Stacy Maggard
She thought it was total BS. Then they built a company together — and haven't looked back since. Kenny and Stacy Maggard turned a margarita-fueled conversation into Azalea Health Services, a mission-driven mental health company serving seniors in long-term care settings across Louisiana and Texas. Kenny Maggard spent 15 years as a middle market banker at Capital One before stepping into private equity and ultimately taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Stacy Maggard brought a backgrou…
Running City Hall Like a Business with Mayor-President Monique Boulet
What happens when you hand the keys to an $850 million government operation to someone who thinks like an operator? You get fewer barriers, faster decisions, and a city that starts acting like it has a balance sheet to protec...
What Happens to Your Business If You Don't Make It Home Today with Taylor Davis
What happens to your business if you don't make it home today? Taylor Davis watched his father — a top vascular surgeon making great money — die at 48 with almost no coverage after a business partnership dissolved and the insurance went with it. His mother sold her dream home and went back to work. That experience became his life's mission. Taylor Davis is a Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual, approaching 34 years in the business. He works with individuals and close…
The Success Story Behind The Gingerbread Twins with Billy & Denny
What does it take to turn a family baking legacy into a viral sensation? Billy and Denny, aka "The Gingerbread Twins", have been proving that faith, hard work, and butter cookies can build something extraordinary. Billy and Denny are the identical twin founders of Gingerbread Twins, a Lafayette, Louisiana bakery rooted in three generations of baking tradition. In this episode, they share one of the most inspiring entrepreneurial stories we've had on The Deal Podcast — a journe…
Why Your Book of Business May Be Worth More Than You Think — Dr. Jon Randall
Most financial advisors are sitting on their biggest asset and don't even know it. Dr. Jon Randall breaks down exactly what your practice is worth — and how to build it so buyers are lined up when you're ready. In this episode, Joshua Wilson sits down with Dr. Jon Randall, founder of eXtraordinary Financial Advisors (XFA) and author of The Extraordinary Financial Advisor Practice. With over 25 years of experience coaching financial advisors from $250K to $10M+ in revenue, Dr. Jon u…
The Lone Survivor of a Plane Crash — and the Lessons That Followed with Wade Berzas
He was the only survivor of a plane crash that killed five people — burned on 80% of his body, pulled from a coma, and given little chance of a full recovery. What Wade Berzas discovered in that hospital room became the found...
Why Creativity Without Data Is Just a Pretty Waste of Money with Jeremy Beyt
Most companies are spending money on marketing without knowing if it's working. Jeremy Beyt has built a career proving there's a better way — and it starts long before you run a single ad. Jeremy Beyt is the CEO and Co-Founder of ThreeSixtyEight, a full-service creative agency based in Louisiana known as the Challenger Agency. In this episode, Jeremy joins hosts Joshua Wilson and Scott Shea for a wide-ranging conversation on what most businesses get wrong about marketing, why creat…
From Oil Field Landman to Business Owner with Scott Rainey
Before Scott Rainey owned a safety consulting company, he was getting bit by dogs in North Louisiana — knocking on doors as a landman, trying to convince hostile landowners to let oil companies onto their property. That pivot...
Bootstrapped to VC-Backed: Scaling a Female-Founded Brand — Lauren Bercier
She spent thousands of dollars on wedding flowers she didn't even love — and watched them end up in the trash by the end of the night. That experience became the blueprint for a business that has now served over 60,000 weddings and helped couples save more than $100 million on flowers. Lauren Bercier is the Co-Founder and CEO of Something Borrowed Blooms, the leading silk floral rental company disrupting the traditional wedding flower industry. In this episode, Lauren joins hosts Joshua…
Access Granted: Inside the Hilton Family Office — Mark Miller
What if you could invest like the Hilton family — without having $100 million in the bank? Mark Miller has spent nearly 40 years making that possible, and in this episode, he pulls back the curtain on exactly how it works. Th...
No Operator, No Deal — How PE Firms Find the Right CEO with Travis Hann
Some PE deals don't fall apart in due diligence — they fall apart because no one can find the right CEO. Travis Hann has built his firm around solving exactly that problem. If the operator doesn't exist — or can't be found — the deal doesn't happen. Travis Hann is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Pender & Howe, a fast-growing boutique executive search firm serving mid-sized companies and investors across North America. He also serves on the board of Kestria, the…
He Buys Companies Everyone Else Is Running From — Nate Moore
He only buys companies everyone else is running from — and he's been doing it for 20 years. Nate Moore has built a 700-person operation by acquiring distressed childcare and home care businesses, walking into chaos where others see dead ends, and turning them around through leadership, structure, and a relentless belief in people. Nate Moore is a serial acquisition entrepreneur and founder of Moore Consulting & Investment Group. For over two decades, Nate has operated at the int…
Value Creation vs. Wealth Acceleration: The Family Office Framework
Most business owners confuse value creation with wealth acceleration — and it's costing them everything after the deal closes. This episode breaks down the family office framework that changes how you think about your business, your exit, and your legacy. Joshua Wilson sits down with Benjamin Domingue, founder of Family Office Partners, a multifamily office serving private business owners from pre-transaction planning through multi-generational wealth management. With over 15 years of e…
Why Culture Kills More Acquisitions Than Bad Pricing — Scott Harkey
Scott Harkey put $750,000 cash down on an agency tuck-in — and turned it into $10 million in enterprise value inside his group. That's EBITDA arbitrage. And according to Scott, most independent agency operators grinding away ...
How a Banker Evaluates Business Acquisitions (The 5 Cs Explained)
What does a banker actually look for before saying yes to your deal? Ben Smith, Market President at Red River Bank in Lafayette, Louisiana, pulls back the curtain on how banks evaluate business acquisitions, equipment financi...
When to Sell: The $50K Angel Investing Lesson — Bubba Page
Bubba Page watched a $50K investment grow to $200K on paper — then passed on the chance to cash out. A year later, that company went bankrupt. His position went to zero. That one decision — and the hard-won wisdom that follow...
When to Order a Quality of Earnings — Elliott Holland
Most first-time buyers skip the QoE. Elliott Holland has spent 15 years watching that mistake blow up deals — and families. In this episode, he breaks down exactly when you need one, what it finds, and why the EBITDA number y...
What an Investigative Journalist Notices That Most Deal Makers Miss
What does an investigative journalist notice that most deal makers miss? Adam Daigle of the Acadiana Advocate has spent 15 years covering business, M&A, and economic development across Louisiana — and his pattern recognition ...
From Brazil to Rebuilding Downtown Lafayette
From tennis courts in São Paulo to building one of Lafayette, Louisiana's most ambitious mixed-use hotel developments — Gus Rezende's story is one of grit, community, and hard-earned entrepreneurial wisdom. Gus Rezende is the co-founder and managing partner of Social Entertainment, a Lafayette-based holding company with 300+ employees, 12 Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations, restaurant concepts including Central Pizza, real estate investments, and the highly anticipated Hotel Lafayett…
90% of Family Wealth Is Gone by the Third Generation — Here's Why
90% of family wealth is gone by the third generation — and it's not bad investments doing the damage. It's governance failures, the hard conversations nobody has, and the failure to pass down the values and stories that created the wealth in the first place. In this episode, Tim Brown breaks down what actually separates multi-generational family offices from those that quietly fade back to shirt sleeves. In this episode of The Deal Podcast, Joshua Wilson sits down with Tim Brown — …
What 18 Months Before Your Exit Should Actually Look Like
Most business owners are leaving money on the table — not because they're running a bad business, but because they can't prove how good it is. In this episode, we break down exactly what buyers look for and how to build a business that commands top dollar. Joshua Wilson sits down with Mark Sims, a former Chief Information Officer and Head of Strategy & M&A at Scott's Miracle-Gro ($4B company), who now helps businesses transact, transition, and transform through…
"God Whispers" — How Faith Led to a Life-Changing Exit
What does it look like when faith and dealmaking become the same story? Brandon Robinson — a practicing CRNA turned multi-unit Planet Fitness franchisee — shares one of the most remarkable entrepreneurial journeys you'll hear...