#170: How One Week Killed the Perfect Billion Dollar Deal

On today’s episode, I’m talking with Sunny Vanderbeck. He’s here today to share his wild and crazy ride as an entrepreneur and now as a private equity investor. Through his professional and personal journeys, Sunny realized that “business” is so ingrained in people who you are and what your legacy is, which is why he started Satori Capital. Sunny and I talk about how to figure out what is important to you, how to determine what’s important when you sell your business, and how to make your business even more valuable than it is now.

What you will learn:

• Sunny’s professional and entrepreneurial background
• How to determine what’s important to you when you sell your business
• What you should look for in a buyer
• How to make a list of who you care about and how you should figure out what you want to do with them during your exit
• “The One-Year Trap”
• How the same things that make your company more valuable will make it more transferable 
• Ways to ask yourself one of the most important questions as a CEO, founder, or owner: 
  • At 5:00 PM, what are your employees’ mindsets?
  • How does that impact your culture, your business, and your legacy
• The moment you decide to sell to a third party, the entire process is optimized for two things (1) the highest price and (2) the highest probability of close
• How to ask the crazy questions

Takeaway:

It’s not just about your money, it’s about your legacy. What can you do with your company now and as you plan your exit strategy, in order to cement the kind of legacy you want? Write down who you care about, and what your optimal future is. 

Links and Resources:

Sunny Vanderbeck, website

Satori Capital

“Selling Without Selling Out” by Sunny Vanderbeck, Amazon

ARKONA Boot Camp

Reach out to me if you have questions about the boot camp! 

You can also reach out to me via email at [email protected] or on my LinkedIn

About Sunny:

Sunny was no stranger to proving out the principles of conscious capitalism. He had already done so in his previous business venture, which he founded after serving as a Section Leader in the U.S. Army’s 2nd Ranger Battalion and leading a team at Microsoft. Data Return, the managed services, and utility computing company he launched in 1996, sustained 40 percent quarter-over-quarter growth for more than three years and reached a $3 billion market capitalization, making Sunny one of the youngest CEOs ever to lead a NASDAQ company. Just as important, it had reached those milestones while serving all of its stakeholders, nurturing a conscious culture, and maintaining a long-term perspective on success.

In addition to Satori, Sunny also speaks publicly and advises businesses on topics such as business strategy, capital allocation, and conscious capitalism. He is regularly interviewed about conscious capitalism and often points to data that show companies with a stakeholder-centric approach outperforming the S&P 500. He also actively develops awareness and support for sustainable business models through the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), showing CEOs and business owners how they can achieve success without sacrificing their values.