Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brad Gaulin, Chief Transformation Officer of MExit Inc., located in Calgary, AB, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Every business owner deserves a great exit, but only 1 in 10 succeed. MExit™ (Maximum-value Exit planning & execution) has a proven "Know to Grow to Sell" program for small-medium business owners, providing the people, tools & processes they need to sell their businesses for more! We give business owners the personal & financial legacy they truly want from their business.

Tell us about yourself

I believe every business owner deserves a great exit, and we are committed to ensuring a lot more are successful in achieving it. I've been doing business growth transformation business coaching for the last 14 years, helping companies that are stuck and can't grow to unleash transformational growth. I've found it typically requires a trigger to make that transformation decision happen.

For every business owner, there comes the point when they realize they want to go onto the next phase of their lives, and to do so, they need to harvest the wealth they've created in their business and get it out. The key to doing this is transforming the organization so the people staying in business, the next generation of leaders, are empowered to grow the business and take it to the next level. To transform a business to be salable, we must grow the people to build a great team, who will then grow the business and make it attractive to a strategic buyer. The work of growing people as leaders and growing teams to be highly effective and permeating that throughout an organization is hugely rewarding and keeps me jumping out of bed every morning.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My passion as a serial entrepreneur is continually turning ideas and visions into successful businesses. MExit is startup number 10 for me; I've had executive roles in big companies, consulting roles, and the combination of transforming businesses to make others successful, and doing it as a business is the best thing I've done.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Tenacity and being patient enough to wait as other people catch up to your ideas, vision, and pace of action. Entrepreneurs go at the speed of thought; others, especially in dealing with bigger organizations, as customers, don't move at entrepreneur speed.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Move before you are ready - start pitching your business before you have your product or service nailed down. Ready - Fire - Aim, Fire-Aim, Fire-Aim.
  2. Focus on finding the first customers who are willing to champion and help you define a winning product or service. You don't need a finished product; I've had the best success when I have customers helping me define the product they are willing to buy
  3. People are the key to success and the most important decision you'll make in your business, get the right people on your bus, get them in the right seats, and get the wrong people off ASAP. If I can't say, "how did I ever live without this person" or "I am so lucky to be able to work with them" after 60 days, then they are the wrong person. Find people more talented than you to be on your team.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.mexit.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradgaulin/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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