NINE FIGURE
EXITS
TALENT • CAPITAL • GROWTH • AI
Conversations with operators who built and exited $50M+ businesses and the dealmakers who fund them. Real numbers. Real playbooks. Real lessons from manufacturing, services, and trades.
MANUFACTURING
HOME SERVICES
SPECIALTY TRADES
DISTRIBUTION
FOUR THINGS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER
Every episode maps to one of four pillars — the levers that determine whether you exit at 5x or 10x.
TALENT
Building the leadership team that de-risks your business from key-person dependency. The #1 valuation killer — and how operators who’ve exited solved it.
CAPITAL
Deal structures, EBITDA adjustments, quality of earnings, and what PE firms actually look for. Direct conversations with the people who write the checks.
GROWTH
Scaling playbooks from founders who’ve done it. Adding locations, professionalizing management, and building revenue systems that work without the founder.
AI
Practical AI implementation for sales, operations, and decision-making. What to deploy, what to skip, and why PE firms are asking every portfolio company about it.
GET IN THE ROOM
Live conversations, pitch practice with PE firms, and AI implementation workshops. Register for what’s next.
April
February
April
April
DOUG FOLEY
Founder of Foley Media, an AI consulting firm that helps PE-backed companies build the go-to-market systems that drive exit-ready valuations. International bestselling author of AI Sales Engine. TEDx speaker. Strategic advisor to companies doing $20M–$200M preparing for the most important transaction of their lives.
THE COMMUNITY
We’re building a curated community for $20M+ operators — weekly expert calls, monthly pitch practice with PE firms, AI implementation labs, and an annual Pitch Fest where members present to real capital partners.
It’s not open yet. But when it is, the people on this list get first access.
WATCH THE SHOW.
Real operators. Real exits. Real numbers. Every episode covers the Talent, Capital, Growth, and AI decisions that determine whether you exit at 5x or 10x.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions? We have answers!
What is the Nine Figure Exits podcast about?
Nine Figure Exits is a podcast for founders and operators of $20M+ businesses who are building toward a nine-figure exit. Hosted by Doug Foley, each episode is a candid conversation with the operators, private equity buyers, and dealmakers who have done it, across the themes of talent, capital, growth, and AI.
What is a nine figure exit?
A nine-figure exit is the sale of a company for a price between $100 million and $999 million, so named because the sale price has nine digits before the decimal. By the same logic, an eight-figure exit is $10M to $99M, and a ten-figure exit is $1 billion or more.
How do private equity firms value a $50M services business?
Most PE buyers value a services business as a multiple of its adjusted EBITDA rather than its revenue. The multiple depends on the growth rate, margins, how much of the revenue is recurring, customer and owner concentration, and the strength of the management team. Buyers normalize EBITDA with add-backs and confirm it through a quality-of-earnings review before settling on a price.
What is a quality of earnings (QoE) report?
A quality of earnings report is a due-diligence analysis, usually performed by an accounting firm, that tests how accurate and sustainable a company’s reported profits really are. It normalizes EBITDA and scrutinizes revenue recognition, one-time items, and working capital, giving the buyer confidence in the numbers behind the purchase price.
What is an equity rollover, and what does "second bite of the apple" mean?
An equity rollover is when a seller reinvests part of their sale proceeds into equity of the buyer or the combined company instead of taking all cash at closing. The “second bite of the apple” is the payout the seller earns later, when that rolled equity is sold again at the next, often larger, exit.
What is the difference between a platform and a bolt-on acquisition?
A platform is the initial, larger business a private equity firm acquires to anchor its investment in an industry. Bolt-ons (also called add-ons) are smaller companies acquired afterward and folded into the platform to grow it faster, which is the core of a buy-and-build or roll-up strategy.
What is an LOI in an M&A deal?
An LOI, or letter of intent, is a mostly non-binding document that lays out the key proposed terms of a deal, such as price, structure, exclusivity, and timeline, before the parties commit to full due diligence and a binding purchase agreement.
What multiples do home-services businesses sell for?
Home-services businesses such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and garage-door companies have drawn heavy private equity interest, and valuations vary widely with size and quality. Small single-location operators typically sell for low EBITDA multiples, while larger, well-run platforms with recurring revenue and strong management command meaningfully higher ones. Specific ranges shift with the market, so treat any single number as a snapshot rather than a rule.
NOW PLAYING
Every episode features operators and dealmakers sharing real numbers, real playbooks, and real lessons.