Build and Exit
by Julie Wilkinson
Latest episode
How Michele Hecken Built a Business She Could Sell Without Her |…
How Michele Hecken Built a Business She Could Sell Without Her |…
About this podcast
Most businesses have finance.
Very few leaders fully trust the numbers they are using to make decisions.
The Build & Exit Podcast is for founders, CEOs and business leaders navigating growth, acquisitions, financial clarity and exit readiness.
Hosted by Julie Wilkinson, each episode explores the operational, financial and structural issues that quietly shape business value, visibility and leadership confidence.
Because the biggest business challenges rarely appear when finance is broken.
They appear when finance technically works, but leadership has stopped trusting the numbers they need to run the business with confidence.
Through conversations with founders, investors, advisers and business leaders, we uncover the lessons behind building businesses that create value, improve visibility, strengthen decision-making and reduce dependency on the owner.
Whether you're scaling, preparing for an exit or simply trying to gain greater control of your business, The Build & Exit Podcast provides practical insights from those who have been there before.
Subscribe to follow conversations on growth, acquisitions, financial clarity and building businesses that create long-term value.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 72 episodes
- How Michele Hecken Built a Business She Could Sell Without Her | Build and Exit Podcast · 30 min · Episode 71Michele Hecken built a global business from scratch, grew it to the point where she was working just 4–10 hours a week, and ultimately sold it. In this episode, Michele joins…
- She Bought a Business. It Came With a £677,000 Hidden Tax Liability | Build and Exit Podcast · 30 min · Episode 70Kemi Egan bought a business in 2021. What she did not know was that HMRC had already launched a COP8 fraud investigation into the seller six months before completion. By the time…
- 1.9% of VC Funding Goes to Female Founders. David B Horne Is Trying to Change That. | Build and Exit Podcast · 30 min · Episode 69Less than 2% of VC funding in the UK goes to female founders. That number has barely moved in 16 years. In this episode David B Horne, who has raised over $110 million and…
- Selling My Business Felt Like a Divorce. Here Is What Nobody Tells You. | Build and Exit Podcast · 29 min · Episode 68Most conversations about selling a business focus on the deal. This one focuses on what it actually feels like. Luke Winter co-founded Wallbreaker, a video agency, straight out…
- £3 Million Saved Through Outsourcing: The Strategy Most Businesses Overlook | Build and Exit Podcast · 35 min · Episode 67Nine out of ten businesses that come to market within a year have not sold. Marc Adams has spent four decades on both sides of that statistic. In this episode he joins Julie to…
- Are You Building a Legacy or Building a Job? The Hard Truth About Why Most Businesses Don't Sell · 22 min · Episode 66Of all the businesses that go to market, 75 to 85% do not sell. In this episode Julie Wilkinson breaks down why that happens, what financial controls and governance have to do…
- What Is Adjusted EBITDA and Why It Could Make or Break Your Business Sale | Build and Exit Podcast · 26 min · Episode 65Most business owners go to market expecting a strong valuation and are disappointed. Not because the business is bad. Because the profits they think they have are not the profits…
- Most Businesses Don't Fail Overnight. They Lose Oversight First. | Build & Exit Podcast · 17 min · Episode 64Most businesses do not fail overnight. They lose oversight first. In this episode Julie walks through how financial and legal risk quietly builds inside growing businesses…
- The Operational Risks That Silently Destroy Business Valuations | Build & Exit Podcast · 21 min · Episode 63Most business owners believe their valuation is driven by revenue and profit. Buyers are looking for something else entirely: confidence. Confidence in the numbers. Confidence in…
- Your Systems Are Working. So Why Are You Losing Money? | Build & Exit Podcast · 19 min · Episode 62Nothing is technically broken. Revenue is growing, teams are expanding, activity is high. So why does cash never close where you expect? Why are the same decisions taking longer…
- Your Finance Works. So Why Don't You Trust It? | Build & Exit Podcast · 16 min · Episode 61Your finance is technically working. So why does something still feel off? In this solo episode Julie Wilkinson breaks down one of the most consistent patterns she is seeing…
- Why Your Finance Function Might Be Holding You Back with Julie Wilkinson · 30 min · Episode 60Is your accountant really enough to protect your business? In this episode, I break down the five critical financial skill sets that most business owners are missing. Drawing…
- How a group credit rating dropped by £700k because of one failed acquisition with Gavin Page · 36 min · Episode 59Ever wondered what happens when an acquisition doesn’t go to plan? In this episode, I speak with Gavin Page, a serial entrepreneur with 28 years in business and a decade of…
- Valuations: Fiction vs. Finance: What paper valuations say vs what they really mean · 56 min · Episode 58What really determines the value of a business? In this episode I sit down with Saul Cohen, CEO of The Expert Eye, to explore the mechanics behind valuation and why it is never…
- Grew to £12m per year adding 23x onto the value of the company with Sam Penny · 41 min · Episode 57What happens when a casual side hustle explodes into a million-dollar-a-month enterprise almost overnight? In this episode I am joined by Sam Penny, founder of Cheese Therapy…
- Buy and Build success: From employment to acquiring a £4m group · 34 min · Episode 56What happens when a successful pharmacist gives up his career to buy a care business—just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode, Chike Nwangwu, Managing Director of…
- 134% Swings: Welcome to the Subjective World of Valuations with Rob Goddard · 50 min · Episode 55Think Your Business is Worth More? Here’s What Buyers Are Really Looking At. Sellers often feel let down by their business valuation. There is a key principle that they overlook…
- The hidden truth behind business valuation with Julie Wilkinson · 30 min · Episode 54Are you having a negative impact on the value of your business? So many business owners aren’t aware of the effect they are having on the value of their business before sale…
- Triple Business Value by Changing Operational Structures with Julie Wilkinson · 25 min · Episode 53Will the business you are building last beyond you? Many business owners are building a lifestyle business rather than one for generational wealth. If you want to create a legacy…
- The untold truth - the emotional toll of selling a business with Luke Winter · 33 min · Episode 52Selling your business can feel lonely and emotional. You are parting with the thing you have devoted a significant portion of your life to, and that can feel hard. But beyond…
