Episode 648

full
Published on:

20th Aug 2025

Buying, Flipping, and Exiting Businesses with Matt Raad

Should You Build a Business from Scratch or Buy One that’s Already Working?

In this episode, Bill sits down with Matt Raad, founder of the eBusiness Institute and veteran business buyer, to explore the world of digital acquisition, business turnarounds, and intentional exits. From a humble start in zoology and manufacturing to flipping multi-million dollar websites, Matt’s journey highlights how you can build wealth through strategic business acquisitions.

Topics explored in this episode:


(07:00) Buying a Bankrupt Business

*Working with a shady accountant, buying a bankrupt business, and the accidental M&A lesson.

*Early inspiration from Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and “What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School.”


(10:30) Turnarounds that Worked and One That Didn’t

*Why Matt’s retail experiment failed.

*The power of simply raising prices and boosting sales.

*Preparing a business for exit with minor tweaks, not reinvention


(20:20) Discovering the Digital Goldmine

*Moving from bricks and mortar to passive digital income.

*Why Matt avoided eCommerce and leaned into affiliate websites.

*How his first $20k website changed everything.


(26:00) Built to Sell: Why Your Exit Strategy Starts Now

*Sell on the way up, not at the peak.

*Most founders wait too long and lose their best valuation.


(31:50) Equity, Earnouts, and Strategic Sales

*PE vs. strategic buyers: which gets you the better multiple?

*Stories of regret from entrepreneurs who sold equity too early.

*How smart PE groups structure incentives for better exits.


(41:55) Shared Ownership Isn’t Always a Bad Thing

*Why giving shares to store managers and salespeople drives better performance.

*A proven incentive structure from one of Matt’s mentors.


Thanks to Matt Raad for being on the show!


Learn more about Matt: https://www.ebusinessinstitute.com.au/

Listen to Matt’s podcast: https://www.digitalinvestors.com/podcast/



Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the Scaling Up Business podcast, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth.

 

Join Bill in the Growth Navigator Coaching Program: https://ScalingCoach.com/workshop 


Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/BillGall


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Visit https://ScalingUp.com to learn more about Verne Harnish, our team of Scaling Up Coaches, and the Scaling Up Performance Platform, which includes coaching, learning, software, and summit. We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail. We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around people, strategy, execution, and cash so that they can scale up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. 



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This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co/ 


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About the Podcast

Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher
Do you dream of an easier way to scale and grow your business? Do you wish you didn’t have to work so hard and put in as many hours? Do you find growth too slow, or hard to sustain?

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A message from your host: “I’ve been in your shoes as a founder, CEO, and executive leader. I’ve coached and trained many leaders just like you over more than 15 years to grow their businesses successfully and profitably. But more than that, I’ve helped give them their time and sanity back. My core strength is making the growth process easier, faster, and way more fun.”

A dynamic thought leader, Bill talks with fascinating and brilliant guests each week, including visionary CEOs, trailblazing entrepreneurs, best-selling authors, renowned business strategists, and more.

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