Built to Play. Not Yet Built to Scale
March has a particular kind of energy — and if you played sports, you know exactly what we mean. It's the time of year when execution separates the teams that prepared from the ones that just showed up. Championships aren't won by the most talented team. They're won by the team with the right system, the right roles, and a game plan everyone can run without the coach on the floor.
That's exactly the lens we're bringing to this month's edition. Whether you're years from exit or just starting to think about what "ready" actually looks like, the work you do now on your systems, your team, and your playbook is what determines your outcome later.
Co-Founders, Ripples Edge Advisors
Ripples in Action
We recently worked with a founder who had built something genuinely impressive — a differentiated product in a niche market, strong margins, and customers who loved what he'd created. On paper, the business had real potential. But when we ran him through our Exit Readiness Assessment, one thing became clear: the business could only grow as fast as he could grow it.
There was no documented sales process. No CRM. No consistent marketing rhythm. His best sales rep was himself — and he was already stretched thin. Customer acquisition cost had come down from roughly $1,400 to around $900 per unit through some early marketing work, with a target of getting to $500. But without a repeatable engine behind it, that number depended entirely on him showing up and pushing.
Here's the honest truth we shared with him: a buyer stepping into this business would be stepping into you. And that's not what buyers pay a premium for.
So we got to work. Together, we mapped what a real sales process needed to look like — defined stages, a CRM to track it, clear KPIs, and a sales lead who could run the process consistently without the owner in every conversation. On the marketing side, we helped him think through a structured approach: a relaunched website with proper analytics, geo-targeted campaigns tied to key events in his industry, and a content rhythm that built credibility over time.
The goal wasn't just growth. It was transferable growth — a system that could run without him, that a future buyer could step into on Day One and understand immediately.
He's still in the early stages of that build. But the shift in mindset was the first and most important move: from "I am the sales engine" to "I am building the sales engine."
The best players in March aren't the ones doing everything themselves. They're the ones who trust their system and their team.
Exit Essentials
Q1 is almost over. Before you sprint into Q2, take 20 minutes for a halftime review — the kind of honest check-in great coaches give at the break, not to tear the game plan apart, but to make the right adjustments before the second half.
1. What's the score?
Pick one thing you said you'd improve in your business this year. Where are you actually at? Be honest. Not harsh, just clear.
2. What's your one adjustment?
Great halftime adjustments are small and focused. You don’t have to fix everything, just one play to run differently in Q2. Better handoff? One hire? A process you'll finally document?
Making Waves
Here’s where you can find members of our team, both digitally and in person:
Alex Seydel was recently featured in QOE Prep, a Substack for M&A and finance professionals, in a piece called “Getting Ready to Sell Starts Long Before You Think.”
Founders Walks - starting in April, Ripples Edge Advisors will be hosting monthly “Walk n’ Talk” networking events for owners and connectors. Join us on April 9th!
Are you on the waitlist yet? Join an upcoming Group Exit Exploration Workshop. All of the incredible work and value from our 1:1 workshops in a small group setting where you can share the cost and collaborate with peer business owners.
The Exit Question: Highest Offer or Best Fit?
February has us craving fresh energy in the middle of a long winter, revisiting the plans we made, tweaking what no longer fits, and taking one or two simple steps that make your eventual exit and the life around it feel more spacious and intentional. In this month’s edition, we focus on intentionality as you think about your exit and what’s next for your business, sharing a story from an Exit Exploration Workshop where mapping an external sale and an internal transition side by side helped a founder compare real trade offs, align the exit plan with his values, relationships, and long term priorities, and build a roadmap that protected what mattered most. We also share an Exit Essentials Relationship Audit exercise to help owners think about their team, clients, family, and future self, ask what they hope is true after they exit, and take one small step that makes the outcome they want more likely as they prepare for an internal or external buyer.
The Ripple Effect: February
Hello friends,
February has me craving a bit of fresh energy in the middle of a long winter. It’s the weird time of year where the excitement of a new year is past, but we’re not quite to spring yet. This month, we’re thinking about what it looks like to gently pick up momentum again:
—> revisiting the plans we made, tweaking what no longer fits, and taking one or two simple steps that make your eventual exit - and the life around it - feel a bit more spacious and intentional.
In this month’s edition, we’re focused on that intentionality as you think about your exit and what’s next for your business.
Co-Founders, Ripples Edge Advisors
Ripples in Action
In a recent Exit Exploration Workshop, we sat down with a founder who cared as much about his people and clients as he did about the headline sale price. He could see two possible paths ahead: a sale to an external buyer, or a transition to an internal successor team. Both were on the table, and both came with real trade-offs.
On one side of the whiteboard, we mapped an external sale:
higher valuation,
possibility of rollover equity,
and a quicker exit window with more immediate liquidity.
On the other side, we modeled an internal transition:
stronger continuity for clients,
better preservation of team culture,
the potential for more cash at close (in his case),
with a structure that rewarded the next generation of leaders.
Seeing both versions side by side helped turn vague “what ifs” into concrete options he could actually compare.
By the end of the Workshop, it became clear that if an internal path was viable, that was his preferred route. Legacy, relationships, and how the business would feel after he left mattered more than squeezing every last dollar out of the deal.
—> So, we built his roadmap around that priority: first exploring and strengthening the internal buyer pathway, while still keeping external options in view if needed.
The real work wasn’t just choosing a buyer type; it was aligning the exit plan with his values and long-term priorities. When the map is built around what matters most to the owner—not just the numbers—it becomes much easier to make decisions they won’t second-guess later on.
Action Shots from our recent Exit Exploration Workshop. When there’s no white board available, you improvise with drafting paper and scotch tape!
Exit Essentials
When we talk about exit readiness, it’s easy to default to numbers - valuation, timing, tax impact. For some owners, just as important are the relationships that will live with your decision long after the deal closes: your team, your clients, your family, and your future self.
This month’s exercise is a Relationship Audit:
List your top 3 relationships tied to the business.
These might be specific people (key leaders, a business partner) or groups (team, clients, family).
For each one, write one sentence about what you hope is true for them after you exit.
Examples: “Our long-time clients still feel taken care of.”
“My leadership team has real opportunity, not just more stress.”
“My family feels relieved, not blindsided.”
Circle the one relationship that feels the most at risk in an eventual sale.
Ask: what is one small step I can take this quarter to make the outcome I want more likely? That might be training a successor, documenting a client transition plan, or simply starting a candid conversation.
You don’t have to solve everything in one go. But getting clear on who you’re protecting - and how you want them to experience your exit - makes it much easier to choose between paths like an internal or external buyer later on.
Making Waves
Here’s where you can find members of our team, both digitally and in person:
Alex Seydel joined Steve McGarry on TheExit Podcast, presented by Flippa, “Exit Strategy or Identity Crisis? Why Most Founders Sell to the Wrong Buyer (and How to Fix It)”
Coming soon…We’re rolling out a small group version of our Exit Exploration Workshop! All of the incredible work and value from our Exit Exploration in a small group setting where you can share the cost and collaborate with peer business owners.
2026 Referral Program
If you haven’t seen this year, Ripples Edge Advisors launched a Referral Program as a way to show our gratitude for your trust in us. For each client you send our way ($5,000 minimum spend), we’ll give you the choice of the following:
$1,000 credit towards an Exit Exploration Workshop for you and your team
$500 cash
$500 donation to a charity of your choice
We appreciate your trust and the opportunity to help your clients and friends ensure their legacy.
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The Ripple Effect: A Simple Exit-Ready Shift for 2026
It All Begins Here
Happy New Year from Ripples Edge Advisors!
Hello friends,
January always seems to arrive with a mix of momentum and reflection. As things start to settle back into their usual rhythm, this feels like a good moment to pause…look up from the day-to-day, and think about the kind of ripples we want to create in the year ahead.
This edition is all about small, thoughtful moves that make your eventual exit feel less like a cliff and more like an intentional journey.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Ripples Edge Advisors is proud to launch our 2026 Referral Program. We’ll drop the details below!
Happy New Year and here’s to a wonderful and prosperous 2026!
Kimberly Wasney & Alex Seydel
Co-Founders, Ripples Edge Advisors
Ripples in Action
At the beginning of our work together, a client mentioned that he had received an offer to buy his business for $10M. On the surface, it was exciting news—but he wanted to be sure both he and the business were truly ready before saying yes. So, we sat down with him for an Exit Exploration Workshop to pressure-test that readiness and identify any gaps.
Over the two-day session, we uncovered a few key areas that would slow down diligence and drag down valuation, including:
Tight profit margins
Heavy owner dependence in the sales process
An inexperienced leadership team without clear roles and accountabilities
The owner made the decision to pause on the offer and invest in strengthening the business first. Over the next 18 months, we worked together to:
Improve profit margins by 10%
Hire key sales support to remove the owner from day-to-day selling
Train and develop the leadership team, and implement an organizational chart with clear accountabilities
When the same Buyer came back, their offer had increased to $15M - a 50% jump in just a year and a half. The Buyer was willing to pay more for a business they could step into and operate on Day One, without spending months catching up or cleaning up messy processes.
The moral of the story:
a focused season of readiness can translate directly into a higher valuation and more money in your pocket at close.
Exit Essentials
Here’s a simple January-friendly “Exit Readiness Starter Kit”.
First, look ahead: at the end of 2026, how do you want to describe your business in one word - transferable, profitable, sellable, delegated, efficient, purposeful, or something else entirely? Take a minute to sit with what it would feel like for that word to be true.
Then ask yourself: what is one simple action you can take this quarter to move in that direction?
If you’d like a little help with that step, hit reply with your word of the year and one challenge you’re facing in making it real. A short Loom video will come your way with one practical tip on where to start.
Making Waves
Ripples Edge Advisors is on the move this month! Find us in Austin, Denver, or Chicago!
Know any business owners or Founders in Austin, TX? Invite them to join Ripples Edge Advisors and Kinship Milk Tea on Thursday, January 22 for a Walk & Talk event!
In Denver? Join Co-Founder Alex Seydel at the Dealmaker Wisdom for 2026 event on January 27th, hosted in collaboration with Pierson Ferdinand, Class VI Partners, the Women of Mergers & Acquisitions Network, Plante Moran
For those in the Midwest, join Co-Founder Kim Wasney at the MBBI Annual Conference Grit to Growth: Winning in Uncertain Times on January 29th.
2026 Referral Program
Ripples Edge Advisors is delighted to launch our 2026 Referral Program as a way to show our gratitude for your trust in us. For each client you send our way ($5,000 minimum spend), we’ll give you the choice of the following:
$1,000 credit towards an Exit Exploration Workshop for you and your team
$500 cash
$500 donation to a charity of your choice
We appreciate all of your support and look forward to sharing our success with all of you!
We’d love to hear from you!
Thank you for reading and for letting Ripples Edge be part of your thinking this month. If this sparked a question or you’re wrestling with what “exit ready” means for you, share this link with a friend.. Those are the conversations this newsletter is meant to start.
And if a particular founder or business owner came to mind while you were reading, feel free to forward this along or introduce us - we’re always glad to be a sounding board as they plan their next chapter.
Welcome to the Ripple Effect
It All Begins Here
Greetings from Ripples Edge!
Hello and Welcome,
We’re delighted to have you on board as we launch the inaugural edition of The Ripple Effect — your source for insights, inspiration, and connection from Ripples Edge Advisors. Whether you’re considering your business legacy or looking to create meaningful impact, this journey is about more than just exit strategies — it’s about the positive ripples every founder can make.
This newsletter is here to spark fresh conversations, keep you updated on what’s new in the world of growth and transition, and encourage you to share your thoughts and experiences. We invite you to follow along, respond, and help us build a community that values learning, legacy, and the ripple effect of smart decisions.
Let’s inspire one another and stay connected as we set in motion the ripples of lasting value.
Okay, now we promise we’re done with the puns….for a while.
Kimberly Wasney & Alex Seydel
Co-Founders, Ripples Edge Advisors
Ripples in Action
Recently, we had a conversation with a founder whose business had attracted a surprise offer from a private equity firm. At first glance, the deal seemed fair enough. But as she talked about her journey, one thing stood out: her genuine pride in her team and her deep concern for what would happen to them once she stepped away.
During negotiations, she asked the buyer about the future of her people. Their response stopped her in her tracks: “You actually care about what happens to your people after you leave?”
In that moment, she realized the deal wasn’t aligned with her values or vision for her legacy.
When she reached out to Ripples Edge Advisors, it wasn’t just to explore her options, but to make sure her exit would be something she could celebrate, not regret. Together, we walked through a strategic exit workshop to clarify her core values, define her ideal outcomes, and sketch a roadmap for a transition that honors what matters most.
Here’s something we hear time and again: the deepest regret isn’t always selling the business — it’s how the sale was handled.
“I wish I hadn’t sold to this buyer.”
“I wish I had listened to my gut.”
Your legacy should never be left to chance. Protecting what you’ve built means making sure your exit story is one you’re proud to share.
Exit Essentials
Want to try a core values exercise on your own?
TRY THIS PROMPT
Name the three best leaders you’ve had in your life. Managers, coaches, peer leaders, whoever. Now list the three traits that made each of them a great leader.
Was it their open communication? Their commitment to innovation? Their focus on the human behind the role?
Start to look for patterns about what you admire in other leaders and you’ll tease out your core values as a leader yourself.
Making Waves
Did you know that 75% of businesses that go to market never sell? Ripples Edge Advisors Co-Founder Alex Seydel and financial advisor Allie Beckmann of Liberated Financial joined Beatrice Gutknecht on The Art of Positioning podcast to explore why (and how to fix it).
Ripples Edge is a proud Bronze Sponsor of the upcoming Professional Women’s Club of Chicago Holiday Progressive Luncheon. In Chicago? Join Kim Wasney as her guest.
We are opening up three Strategic Planning workshop slots in January. Join us for a half-day session to build your annual plan for 2026.
Email us at hello@ripplesedgeadvisors.com for more information.
We’d love to hear from you!
Thank you for reading and being part of the Ripples Edge Advisors community.
Your feedback means a lot—contact us to share your thoughts or questions. And if you know a business owner who’s considering their legacy or exploring what comes next, we’d be honored if you’d refer them our way.