"Every time I get off the phone with you, I feel better... but I don't call because I don't want to pay the billable hour."

Alexandria Seydel heard this from clients constantly when she was practicing M&A law. So she made a simple offer: "What about once a month you buy me lunch and we go for 90 minutes and you get my brain."

Those lunch conversations changed everything. Alexandria realized she was more energized talking business strategy than drafting legal documents. Now as founder of Ripples Edge Advisors, she helps business owners prepare for exits before they're forced to sell.

Most owners think exit planning means getting financials in order and hoping for the best. Alexandria starts differently. She has clients close their eyes and picture life five years after selling: What does your typical day look like? Who are you spending time with? What gives you purpose?

Those answers determine whether you should target private equity (focused on returns) or strategic buyers (who care about legacy and team). The visioning exercise prevents what Alexandria sees constantly: post-exit depression, even among sellers who make life-changing money.

Right now she's watching clients in tech-adjacent industries get multiple serious offers in the same week. Legal tech, agricultural tech, climate tech - traditional industries adding technology are hot. But success isn't just about timing the market.

"If you were to go to Bali for three weeks, would your business run without you?" That's Alexandria's test for exit readiness. Most entrepreneurs think they're prepared until they actually try stepping away.

In our conversation, Alexandria breaks down her exit readiness assessment, explains why the visioning exercise matters more than most tactical work, and shares what's driving current M&A activity in her clients' industries.

• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/alexandriaseydel

• • •

FOR MORE ON ALEXANDRIA SEYDEL
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandria-seydel/
Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ripples-edge-advisors/
Website: https://www.ripplesedgeadvisors.com/

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Think investors who don't re-up for your next round are doing you a favor?

Not the case!

Most entrepreneurs see this as rejection. But here's what Sahil Patel discovered after 11 years building and selling ER Express: Sometimes the BEST thing that can happen is getting misaligned investors out of your cap table.

His family office investors knew service businesses. But SaaS? Different game entirely.

"The way you look at a SaaS business, you really have to look at unit economics. If you just look at the whole cost, it looks terrible."

The result? A year of treading water while growth stalled.

But here's where it gets interesting: Those same investors offered him a management buyout with seller financing. NON-RECOURSE.

Eight quarters of consecutive growth followed.

We'll dive deep into this (and so much more) in this episode of the DealQuest Podcast!

• How to identify when investor misalignment is killing your business
• Why timing is the entrepreneur's biggest enemy (not money)
• The crisis pivot that doubled his total addressable market
• Building performance-based business models that guarantee results
• And much more

Whether you're navigating complex investor relationships or building systems for sustainable growth, this conversation provides frameworks every business leader needs.
• • •

FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/sahilpatel

• • •

FOR MORE ON SAHIL PATEL
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilanamipatel/
https://www.spiralyze.com/

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
https://www.coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

JP Morgan's latest M&A report reveals something fascinating: despite ongoing uncertainty, global deal volumes hit $2.2 trillion (up 27% year-over-year).

Here's what caught my attention:
- Mega deals increased 57% because bigger players can thrive when smaller competitors freeze up.
- Cross-border activity actually grew 24% despite rising protectionism as companies use M&A to position around trade uncertainties rather than avoid them.
- And get this - AI infrastructure needs will drive $1 trillion in spending over the next 5 years, with data center capacity needing to increase 100-fold.

Technology M&A surged 42%, financial services up 56%, and even media jumped 51% as consolidation becomes a survival strategy.

The bottom line? Uncertainty isn't going away, but markets remain remarkably resilient. Smart deal-makers are learning to operate effectively in permanently uncertain conditions rather than waiting for clarity that may never come.

Listen to my full breakdown on this solo DealQuest episode.

• • •
FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:
https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/JPMorgan2025
• • •

FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/
http://coreykupfer.com/

Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.

Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!