Growth Marketer @ Long Angle | Founder @ Maximize Media | Join 9,000+ HNW investors in our vetted, private community
Joined September 2013
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I recently had some regrets about leaving my cushy job to pursue a startup (not mine). But here’s some reasons why this “mistake” turned out to be the greatest blessing. 🧵 / 10
For most entrepreneurs, selling their business means walking away from the most important decision without always understanding what happens next.
A private equity veteran who's been on both sides of the table is changing that conversation...
Meet Eric Wiklendt, Managing Director at Speyside Equity.
After building and selling a middle market manufacturing company in 2011, he's spent over a decade investing in businesses like the one he used to run, giving him a perspective many PE professionals don't have.
In this conversation, Eric breaks down the realities of selling to private equity: three distinct exit paths, why operator backgrounds change everything, and the culture shock that catches founders off guard when growth-at-any-cost meets profit-focused management.
He also shares insights on:
- Why your desired involvement level matters more than valuation
- How operator-led firms execute deals differently than traditional financial buyers
- The 12-18 month reality before operational improvements become visible
- What middle market manufacturing looks like in 2026 despite economic uncertainty
Worth a listen if you're considering an exit, evaluating PE buyers, or curious about how middle market M&A really works.
Full episode in the first comment 👇
#PrivateEquity #Manufacturing #MergersAndAcquisitions #Entrepreneurship #MiddleMarket #BusinessExit #OperationalExcellence #NavigatingWealth #LongAngle
Former Marine Corps counterintelligence specialist and Intel 471 CEO Jason P. joins #NavigatingWealth to explain why most cybercrime is opportunistic, not targeted—and what individuals with $10-20 million in assets actually need to know about personal security.
Jason also explores:
- How modern ransomware crews operate like professional businesses
- Why a password manager is your best defense
- What keeps a cyber expert up at night as AI lowers barriers for bad actors at scale -- and more.
Full episode 👇
Hoffman's philosophy on success:
"Success is not the destination. It's just the platform. It's the beginning because it's the platform that finally enables you to do the really cool stuff that matters."
Enjoy this post? Follow @buildwithryan for more stories about founders, CEO's and unconventional thinkers.
🎧 Watch the full episode featuring Jeff Hoffman on The Ryan Morrison Show: youtu.be/07yVkBy2erg
85% of startups fail because they build solutions for problems that don't exist.
Priceline co-founder Jeff Hoffman cracked the code on identifying real problems and turning them into billion-dollar opportunities. 🧵
For problem-solution validation, talk to 50+ potential customers before building anything.
1. Assess willingness to pay.
2. Understand current solutions.
3. Evaluate frequency and urgency.
These steps reduce both financial risk and wasted time.
His 5-step problem discovery method:
1. Go where your customers are
2. Observe without agenda
3. Document frustration points
4. Validate pain intensity
5. Test solutions in context
Don't theorize from your office; instead, go experience problems firsthand.
Hoffman makes a crucial distinction most entrepreneurs miss:
Marketing is linear (spend money → get proportional sales). Branding is exponential (creates inbound demand without direct spend).
"Explosive growth happens when sales become inbound, not outbound."
At Priceline, Hoffman applied three key principles:
1. Build small, great teams ("We don't need a big team, we need a great team")
2. Identify middleman inefficiencies
3. Create distinctive brand positioning ("Name Your Own Price" became the business model)
His first startup didn't come from market research. It came from standing in a frustrating airport check-in line, directly experiencing a problem affecting millions of travelers daily: waiting in line to check in his bags.
That observation led to airport kiosks.
Most entrepreneurs start in the wrong place.
They sit in their office trying to brainstorm problems to solve.
Hoffman's approach: "The best, most successful entrepreneurs I know were not in their office. They were in the world."
Most people chase startup growth with a “me first” mindset.
@bfeld did the opposite.
He built Techstars and countless startup communities by living one simple rule: Give First.
This one truth separates successful founders from everyone else.🧵
🎧 Watch the full episode featuring Brad Feld on The Ryan Morrison Show: youtu.be/iHxz-sYxzZg