We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marissa Levin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I have been an entrepreneur for 30 years. At 57 years old, I am now running my 4th and 5th business. The energy of entrepreneurship pulses through my veins in every moment. I am a Creator. I am a Visionary. I view the entire world as my client – I see myself in service to the entire world, to elevate humanity through my gifts of creation, communication, and connection.

I believe my path of entrepreneurship is my vehicle for awakening. It is part of my soul’s curriculum. Everyone in the world has their own personal path for awakening. Part of mine happens to be the path of entrepreneurship. When I was younger, this path artificially inflated my ego, my identity, and my self-worth. I correlated my self-worth to the roles/identities of a CEO, an industry leader, a media personality, a speaker, an author. 

When I walked away from my first company that I started from nothing and built to about $14 million, I went through a dark night of the soul, I had to disassociate from that identity. Who was I without that title? That brand? Those employees? 

When I sold my second company, once again I had to disassociate from the outcome of the transaction as we were going through the process – coming back to the Self that knew that no matter what the end game was, I was still whole, And then once the transaction went through – once we were acquired – I had to reconnect to the Self that was not defined by that brand. 

So my entrepreneurial journey has been one of becoming, and of unbecoming. 

People have asked me if I worry about money. If I miss “security.” I see “security” as a myth, and I see the pursuit of security as a tradeoff for freedom. I could never work for anyone. My spirit needs freedom. I need the freedom to create, to manifest what I envision, to forever be in an expansive state. I flow very much like a river. And honestly, I love that about myself.

Many, many years ago, I remember wishing I was content with “sameness.” With being ok and happy doing the same thing for decades. I longed for that feeling of being settled. I can see why people seek it and are happy with it. I finally arrived at that place of deep self-awareness and self-love, and the knowing that my soul is one that is in constant motion and expansion. I see the world as one big playground…. as one giant classroom. I am always in a place of observation and learning. 

Am I “happier” as a business owner? I’m just happy. As me. As a soul on a journey who happens to own businesses.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started my first business 30 years ago after my boss told me I would never be worth more than $34,000 to his company. My undergraduate degree was in English; entrepreneurship wasn’t really on the radar. My mom taught me “to never let anyone determine your value or your worth.” When my boss capped my value, I knew it was time to go. I launched my first business with a 4-month $35,000 contract and grew it to $14 million before walking away due to personal and professional reasons. My Master’s Degree was in Organizational Development and Instructional Design, and I built a wonderful training & human capital firm.

My favorite part about building my first business was creating a culture where employees felt valued and safe. This likely grew out of my own experience of feeling devalued and unsafe in my previous company. This also led to the creation of my next company, Successful Culture, which I grew for 13 years until my partner & I successfully sold it. 

My current leadership development and education companies focus on Conscious Leadership (i5 Conscious Leadership, LLC) and Joyful Leadership through my umbrella brand, Marissa International LLC. My lifetime legacy mission (LLM) is to empower 1 billion people to live their most joyful lives.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

I sold my company, Successful Culture International (SCI), in June 2022, after growing it for 13 years. I initially launched it as a solopreneur, following my exit from my first company, Information Experts (IE), which I grew to $14 million with about 80 employees, When I left IE, I was exhausted, burned out, and a little broken, My personal life was presenting tremendous challenges, as I was sandwiched between child care and elder care, and economic/legislative conditions forced me to make major changes in my company. There were also additional personal reasons that drove my decision to leave IE which was a very difficult decision. In my 7th year of running SCI, I partnered with a long-time colleague/friend to expand our business. We did very well. Covid triggered many personal and professional changes for my partner and me, and we decided to sell. 

Our sales process was not typical. I had identified a buyer that I have known for more than 20 years and we were very aligned in our values, ethics, mission, and vision. My partner and I were most focused om cultural alignment, rather than maximum sales price. The process still took a year of due diligence, and alignment. 

For business owners considering selling, here are a few insights:
1: The time to start preparing for sale is not when you are exhausted and burned out. The due diligence process is rigorous, even for simple transactions. I encourage all business owners to consider from the beginning what their end game is. And seek out the expertise from those that have accomplished what you want. There are no unique situations. Learn from those who have already walked the path you want to walk. 

2: Cultural alignment is essential. The percentage of mergers that fail due to cultural misalignment ranges from 30% (Deloitte) to 75% (Financier Worldwide). 

3: Not much is discussed about the mental health & well-being of the seller beyond a company sale. Business owners often struggle with loss of identity and purpose following a sale. I encourage sellers to consider what life will look like post-sale as they go through the process.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Reputations are not built with slick marketing. They are built with consistency. Integrity will always be essential to building and maintaining a strong reputation. In addition, people do business with people they know, like, and trust. Today, more than ever before, people can sense ulterior motives and a lack of authenticity. Transparency is essential to building a strong reputation. No one expects perfection. When you make a mistake, own it. Learn from it. Choose humility, honesty, compassion, service to others, and kindness as your moral compass.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marissalevin_official/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissalevin1/