Entrepreneurs spend years hustling to grow their businesses, but too many leave life-changing wealth on the table simply because they don’t know the rules of the exit game. In this episode of BizNinja Entrepreneur Radio, Tyler sits down with private equity expert and author Nick Bradley, who has helped lead more than $5 billion in successful exits, to break down how founders can scale smarter, negotiate better, and prepare themselves emotionally and financially for the biggest moment of their entrepreneurial journey.
• Why founders fail at exits they should win
• The real difference between startup founders vs. scale-up builders
• How private equity actually works behind closed doors
• The two sets of rules in every deal: price vs terms
• Why culture and transferable value matter more than you think
• How roll-ups and acquisitions multiply valuations quickly
• What it means to operate off the buyer’s math
• How founders can prepare emotionally for losing the CEO hat
• Where the biggest growth opportunities are in the next decade
00:00 Welcome to BizNinja & Meet Nick Bradley
01:00 Nick’s First Business and Early Entrepreneurial Spark
03:30 Transition to Corporate and Discovering Private Equity
06:00 Why Founders Fear PE and What They Get Wrong
09:00 The Emotional Rollercoaster After Selling Your Business
11:30 Prize vs Prey: How Buyers Judge Founders
14:00 Price vs Terms: The Rules Most Founders Miss
17:30 Preparing 12–36 Months Before an Exit
19:30 Roll Ups, Arbitrage & Scaling Through Acquisitions
23:00 Culture, Vision & Transferable Value in PE Deals
26:00 Big Industry Opportunities on the Horizon
27:30 Nick’s Move to Dubai & Personal Growth
28:30 Where to Connect with Nick & Final Takeaways
