Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jo Stapleton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jo, appreciate you joining us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on?
Story: Unlocking Growth Before Exit — The Power of One Strategic Hire
A mid-market B2B services company came to Exeo Advisors considering a sale. The founder was burnt out, the business was flatlining in revenue, and buyer interest was lukewarm at best. They had a strong client base and solid recurring revenue, but they lacked a clear growth engine — and the founder was still too involved in day-to-day operations.
During our initial Total Exit Value diagnostic, we uncovered that their biggest constraint wasn’t the market or the product. It was the founder. Everything flowed through them, from sales to project delivery to approvals. The business was stable — but it wasn’t scalable or sellable in its current form.
The Advice:
We told them to pause the sale process for 12 months and make one strategic hire: a seasoned operator who could take over the internal management of the company and free up the founder to focus on growth and transition planning.
The Result:
That single hire changed everything. Within six months, the company’s margins improved due to better operational efficiency. Client satisfaction went up. The founder was no longer the bottleneck — and, for the first time, could work on the business instead of in it. With clearer financials and a stronger growth story, we re-entered the market a year later and generated multiple LOIs, ultimately securing a deal 1.5x higher than the original valuation.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m Jo Stapleton, co-founder of Exeo Advisors and ExitEngine™, and co-host of The ExitEngine™ Podcast. My mission is to help business owners maximize their company’s value and saleability and engineer exits on their own terms. 
Journey into the Industry:
My path to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and exit planning is a long a winding one. Started in Public Relations and Advertising, became a copywriter, a creative director, then founded the digital marketing arm of an advertising agency which I parlayed into a separate firm that we then sold in 2011. After that exit I began an entrepreneurial journey where I found myself starting a handful of other companies, exits for which were not as successful. Thats where my exit planning journey really began. Successfuly building and selling a business was followed by a prolonged period of starting and then then losing several others. I hit rock-bottom with losing everything. But once the smoke cleared, what remained was a deep-seated passion for empowering other entrepreneurs to keep them from making the same mistakes I made. I wne to towokr for a mid-market M&A Intermdieary firm where I really saw how mid-market businesses were just no selling because they didn;t know some of the ufndamental things that would help them sell. I recognized the need for comprehensive guidance in this critical phase. This realization led to the creation of Exeo Advisors and ExitEngine™, platforms dedicated to providing strategic advice and support throughout the exit planning process.
Services and Solutions:
At Exeo Advisors and ExitEngine™, we offer a suite of services tailored to business owners contemplating an exit: 
• Exit Planning: Crafting personalized strategies to enhance business value and ensure a smooth transition. 
• M&A Advisory: Navigating the complexities of mergers and acquisitions to achieve optimal outcomes. 
• Value Enhancement: Identifying and implementing initiatives that increase company valuation.
• Educational Resources: Through The ExitEngine™ Podcast, we provide insights and discussions on exit planning and business optimization. 
Unique Approach:
What sets us apart is our holistic and empathetic approach. We understand that exiting a business is not just a financial decision but an emotional journey. Our team invests time in understanding each client’s unique goals and challenges, ensuring that our strategies align with their vision and values. 
Pride in Achievements:
I’m particularly proud of the impact we’ve made through The ExitEngine™ Podcast. By sharing expert insights and real-life stories, we’ve built a community where business owners can learn, relate, and prepare for their own transitions.  
Key Takeaways for Clients and Followers:
• Empowerment through Knowledge: We believe that informed decisions lead to successful outcomes. Our resources are designed to equip business owners with the knowledge they need.
• Personalized Strategies: Recognizing that no two businesses are alike, we tailor our approaches to fit the specific needs and aspirations of each client.
• Commitment to Excellence: Our dedication to achieving the best possible results drives us to continually refine our methods and stay abreast of industry trends.
In essence, my work revolves around guiding business owners through one of the most significant phases of their entrepreneurial journey, ensuring they transition successfully and on their own terms.
We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.
Yes, I’ve been directly involved in selling businesses — both as an advisor and as a principal.
A Few Key Lessons From the Journey:
1. You Are Too Close to See the Blind Spots
As a founder, it’s easy to be overly optimistic or deeply attached to what you’ve built. When you’re preparing for a sale, objectivity is everything. In my case, working with third-party advisors—even though I am one—was essential in uncovering risks and opportunities that weren’t visible from the inside.
2. Buyers Don’t Pay for Potential — They Pay for Proof
This is one of the biggest mindset shifts entrepreneurs need to make. We fall in love with what could be, but buyers pay for what is. Solid financials, systems that run without you, documented processes, and scalable growth levers are what command premium valuations. Potential is a bonus — not a substitute for readiness.
3. Structure Matters Just As Much as Price
The headline valuation is important, but how the deal is structured is what determines how much you really walk away with — and how risky that journey is. In the REA deal, a thoughtful earnout and equity rollover were critical to aligning incentives, maintaining continuity, and maximizing long-term upside. Founders need to look beyond the cash-at-close and consider all aspects of the deal structure.
4. Transitions Are Emotional
Even in the cleanest deal, letting go of something you built is hard. Whether it’s handing off leadership, dealing with team dynamics, or saying goodbye to clients you’ve worked with for years, it’s a deeply human process. That’s why emotional readiness is just as important as financial and operational readiness.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d offer entrepreneurs thinking about selling: Start exit planning long before you’re ready to sell. The earlier you begin building a company that can thrive without you, the more options, leverage, and value you’ll have when the time comes.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned working with hundreds of clients, it’s this:
The ability to pivot isn’t just valuable — it’s essential.
At Exeo Advisors and ExitEngine™, we often meet founders who are laser-focused on a particular path to exit — a specific valuation, a type of buyer, or a tight timeline. But the reality is, exiting a business is rarely linear. It’s not a checklist; it’s a dynamic, living strategy that evolves as your business — and the market — evolves.
And that’s where pivoting comes in.
I’ve seen clients dramatically increase the value of their business simply by pivoting their positioning — shifting from being seen as a service provider to a platform. Others have pivoted their leadership structure, empowering a second-in-command to run the day-to-day, which instantly boosted their saleability. Some have even pivoted their exit timeline, realizing that a longer path could lead to a bigger outcome — or that an earlier exit could free them for their next big idea.
In every case, the pivot wasn’t a sign of failure. It was a strategic adjustment — the mark of a founder who’s in tune with their business and willing to adapt in pursuit of something greater.
The truth is, pivoting is not a detour — it’s the road. Especially in exit planning, where new information, new buyers, and new goals constantly reshape the landscape.
As exit planners our job is to help clients recognize those pivot points early — and act on them confidently. Because the most successful exits are rarely the ones that go exactly to plan. They’re the ones where the founder stayed flexible, coachable, and courageous enough to evolve.
So if you’re in the middle of planning your exit and something feels off, don’t panic — pivot. That next move might be the one that changes everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.exeoadvisors.com.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exitengine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exitenginecommunity
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jostapleton/
- Twitter: https://x.com/JLion
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@exitenginecommunity
- Other: http://community.myexitengine.com
http://podcast.myexitengine.com