Mar 06 2025 70 mins 35
Kristie Shifflette built a 13-location Orangetheory Fitness empire from scratch—bootstrapping a capital-hungry business, personally guaranteeing leases, and taking on risk most founders wouldn’t touch. In the end, it paid off for Kristie and in this episode, you’ll discover how to:
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Bootstrap a capital-intensive business without giving up control
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Reduce your risk when taking on an investor
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Attract entrepreneurial employees who will care as much as you do
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Think about the $10 million milestone (and why it matters to private equity)
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Know when to take some chips off the table—and when to double down
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Ace management presentations with an acquirer
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Play hard to get (even when you want to sell)
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Get an acquirer to bump up their offer
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Max out an earn-out payment—even if you don’t quite hit your targets
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Spot an acquisition offer that’s likely to be re-traded
