Tristan Sternson went from bedroom startup to delivering $290 million worth of exits. In this episode of Flow Zone, he reveals the exact playbook that transformed struggling businesses into acquisition targets, and why most entrepreneurs get turnarounds completely wrong. This isn't theory, it's battle-tested strategy from someone who's bought and sold the same business three times. You'll hear why private equity isn't what you think it is, how he survived Covid with Qantas as his biggest customer, and the one thing that separates $10M businesses from $100M businesses. 0:00 - The $290M Exit Reveal2:30 - Why Turnarounds Aren't Actually Broken8:40 - First Exit: $35M InfoReady Deal That Doubled15:22 - Public vs Private Company Secrets20:15 - Why He Sold at 36 Instead of Pushing Further27:12 - Partnering with Private Equity (Not What You Think)33:59 - Customer Obsession That Changed Everything39:21 - "Choose Your Own Adventure": Writing Your Press Release First43:03 - 22 Team Members Got Equity in the Exit53:12 - Rapid Fire: The #1 Rule for $100M Businesses
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