May 19, 2025 • 8 mins
In this debut episode of Exit-Ed, host Gabriela Smith lays the foundation for a bold new podcast that dives deep into the untold stories of everyday entrepreneurs who’ve built, scaled, and exited real businesses—without the flash and fame.
Gaby, an attorney-turned-founder, shares her perspective from almost two decades of experience working with entrepreneurs from inception to exit. From multi-million-dollar acquisitions to navigating lawsuits, family tensions, and burnout, she’s seen it all. And now, she’s handing the mic to the founders behind the scenes of the global economy.
This is a show about the builders who made something from nothing.
Connect with Exit-Ed:
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exitedstories
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gabriela Smith (00:01):
Welcome to Exit-Ed, stories from grind to
sale. This is the podcast wherewe dive into the journeys of
founders who have navigated thepath from building their
companies to successful exits.We interview entrepreneurs from
around The US and around theglobe, exploring their
experiences, scaling processes,and the lessons they've learned.
(00:22):
We'll talk about the good, thebad, and the ugly. We're excited
to have you with us.
Let's get started, and let's getexcited. Welcome to Exit-Ed.
Let's talk about exits. My nameis Gabby Smith, and on paper,
I'm technically an attorney. Butin my heart, I'm an entrepreneur
who happens to be a lawyer, andI have walked the walk of an
(00:45):
entrepreneur for many, manyyears, as legal counsel, and
even more recently as anentrepreneur myself.
I've had the privilege ofworking with founders from
around the globe, peoplebuilding across borders,
industries, and generations.I've seen companies from their
first messy contracts all theway to multimillion dollar
exits. I've seen the lawsuits.I've seen the happy endings.
(01:08):
I've seen the divorces, both inbusiness and in personal life.
I've seen the successes. I'veseen the marriage between
companies. And I've seen thedeals that happened, but also
the deals that didn't happen. Ihave seen a lot. And there is
one thing that I learned.
I learned that the journeys ofentrepreneurs are never linear,
(01:30):
very rarely linear. The life ofan entrepreneur is never easy.
And one other thing that Inoticed is that the spotlight is
always on the billion dollarexit. The light shines very,
very bright on the unicorns, themagazine covers, the celebrity
investors, the celebritystartups, the IPOs. It's all
(01:50):
over the news, but those aren'tthe only stories.
Those are not even the mostcommon stories. That is why I
started Exit-Ed. Exit-Ed isabout entrepreneurs who built
real companies and made realexits. You may not see them in
the national spotlights, butthese people are making their
mark. They are reshapingindustries, disrupting norms,
(02:13):
and even driving change withintheir communities, spheres of
influence, and so forth.
Thousands of new businesses arestarting every single day, And
thousands of companies arescaling literally right now as I
speak, some where they're goingto go out and get sold, and some
are going to get passed away.That's something that people
(02:34):
don't think about. If you'rebuilding a business, you're
either going to pass it off toyour family, a friend, or
something, or you're going tosell it. But whatever you're
scaling, there's going to be anend as to what's going to happen
to it, obviously, within yourlifetime. So what are you going
to do with it?
So here, at Exit-Ed, we talk tothose people building those
(02:57):
companies. We talk to theentrepreneurs behind these huge,
huge economy of businesses thatare getting built and scaled
every single day. And what Ialso found, besides I discussed
a little bit about the spotlightand the sexy things, the
celebrities backing companies,the investors backing companies.
(03:18):
But most companies don't havethat. And most companies don't
come from somebody who built acompany out of an Ivy League
school with all the contactsthat it gives you.
Most companies are not built bypeople with rich parents or
people that come fromgenerational wealth or
entrepreneurship, or inheritedinfluence, the founders that we
(03:39):
talk to are founders thatcreated something out of
nothing. They created a businessidea. They created their own
connections. They created abusiness process, and they
created their own success. Andagain, they're not going to be
possibly in the nationalspotlight in the next cover of
Forbes, or maybe someday, butthe ones that I talked to
(04:01):
haven't been there yet.
But they build some amazingthings, and they build and they
exit, and they do it reallywell. And when they do exit,
whether it is for $5,000,000 for$50,000,000 some for
$100,000,000 or more, it's ahuge deal because it changes
everything for them. And whatdoes it change? Well, we'll find
(04:24):
out. Well, I'm going to talk tothem, and they'll tell us.
These founders are all aboutimpact. They're about achieving,
changing their generation,changing their entire
communities. And sometimes, itis also about proving something
to someone else. We'll see. Butabove all, something that I've
seen is that these founders wantto have a good life.
(04:47):
And here at Exit-Ed, we alsowill talk about the part that
nobody sees in that process ofscaling a company, finding the
idea, creating the connections,creating the service or the
product. And what is happeningbehind all of that effort? Well,
we'll talk about the longnights, the personal guarantees
(05:09):
to get those lines of credit, orget whatever loan you need to
scale the business if you chooseto get a loan. We'll talk about
the uncertainty, the unfairnessthat business can bring
sometimes, the fights thathappen sometimes, which
unfortunately are normal or canbe normal sometimes, and I
expect it even, The cheating,the conviction to keep going,
(05:33):
all this grit that entrepreneurshave, sometimes they go without
salaries. They even mortgagetheir homes, they get family
loans, they just go all in.
And sometimes we don't hearabout that. Again, we keep
hearing about this spotlight. Wesee about the beautiful part.
But in this podcast, in Exit-Ed,we're going to get into the
(05:54):
details. And one thing thatwe're going to learn is that
entrepreneurs don't necessarilyplay it safe.
I would say I have not talked toa single entrepreneur that wants
to play it safe. And the otherthing that I'm learning about
the entrepreneurs, and we'lllearn a lot about in this
podcast, is, in fact, about theprocess of learning. And they
(06:14):
go, of course, through theprocesses of building from
founding the company to findingthis market fit of the service
or product to the hiring andscaling that the scare of hiring
or even firing. The first timeyou hire, the first time you
fire, how does it work? What'sgoing through their heads?
We'll talk about the brokenprocesses in a business, the
(06:38):
good hires and the bad hires,the delayed payments, the
sleepless nights, all of it.We're going to talk to the heart
of the founders, and we're goingto learn about how to get
exited. So welcome to Exit-Ed.This is the podcast where
successful founders will sharetheir untold stories behind
(06:59):
building, scaling, and sellingtheir companies. In each dynamic
episode, I promise you we willgo beyond the headlines, and we
will explore the challenges, thestrategies, and the pivotal
moments that shaped the journeysof entrepreneurs around the
world.
This is real business built byreal people. These are the
(07:21):
founders who built somethingfrom nothing. I love that
phrase. And at Exit-Ed, we willspotlight the true builders
behind thriving companies, theones you don't always see in the
headlines but who are poweringthe heartbeat of the global
economy. From the long nightsspent grinding and high stakes
(07:42):
conversations that led to theirsuccessful exits, our guests
will offer practical insights,hard won lessons, and candid
reflection for anyone on thepath to success, whether you're
an entrepreneur, or preparingfor a sale, or an investor
looking to understand foundingdynamics or a business leader
(08:02):
seeking strategic growth, thispodcast is for you.
Learn from those who have beenthere. Get excited. Thank you
for tuning into this episode ofExit-Ed. We are passionate about
supporting founders at everystage of their journey from
scaling up to planning an exit.If you enjoyed this episode, it
(08:24):
would mean a lot to me if youwould leave us a five star
rating on your preferredplatform.
If you know a founder who wouldbenefit from our insights or
wants to learn more aboutexiting a business, let them
know about our podcast, Exit-Ed.To stay in touch with us, you
can follow us on LinkedIn,TikToks, and many other
platforms. We are building avibrant community of founders.
(08:44):
See you next time. Thanks, guys.
Welcome to Exit-Ed, stories from grind to
sale. This is the podcast wherewe dive into the journeys of
founders who have navigated thepath from building their
companies to successful exits.We interview entrepreneurs from
around The US and around theglobe, exploring their
experiences, scaling processes,and the lessons they've learned.
(00:22):
We'll talk about the good, thebad, and the ugly. We're excited
to have you with us.
Let's get started, and let's getexcited. Welcome to Exit-Ed.
Let's talk about exits. My nameis Gabby Smith, and on paper,
I'm technically an attorney. Butin my heart, I'm an entrepreneur
who happens to be a lawyer, andI have walked the walk of an
(00:45):
entrepreneur for many, manyyears, as legal counsel, and
even more recently as anentrepreneur myself.
I've had the privilege ofworking with founders from
around the globe, peoplebuilding across borders,
industries, and generations.I've seen companies from their
first messy contracts all theway to multimillion dollar
exits. I've seen the lawsuits.I've seen the happy endings.
(01:08):
I've seen the divorces, both inbusiness and in personal life.
I've seen the successes. I'veseen the marriage between
companies. And I've seen thedeals that happened, but also
the deals that didn't happen. Ihave seen a lot. And there is
one thing that I learned.
I learned that the journeys ofentrepreneurs are never linear,
(01:30):
very rarely linear. The life ofan entrepreneur is never easy.
And one other thing that Inoticed is that the spotlight is
always on the billion dollarexit. The light shines very,
very bright on the unicorns, themagazine covers, the celebrity
investors, the celebritystartups, the IPOs. It's all
(01:50):
over the news, but those aren'tthe only stories.
Those are not even the mostcommon stories. That is why I
started Exit-Ed. Exit-Ed isabout entrepreneurs who built
real companies and made realexits. You may not see them in
the national spotlights, butthese people are making their
mark. They are reshapingindustries, disrupting norms,
(02:13):
and even driving change withintheir communities, spheres of
influence, and so forth.
Thousands of new businesses arestarting every single day, And
thousands of companies arescaling literally right now as I
speak, some where they're goingto go out and get sold, and some
are going to get passed away.That's something that people
(02:34):
don't think about. If you'rebuilding a business, you're
either going to pass it off toyour family, a friend, or
something, or you're going tosell it. But whatever you're
scaling, there's going to be anend as to what's going to happen
to it, obviously, within yourlifetime. So what are you going
to do with it?
So here, at Exit-Ed, we talk tothose people building those
(02:57):
companies. We talk to theentrepreneurs behind these huge,
huge economy of businesses thatare getting built and scaled
every single day. And what Ialso found, besides I discussed
a little bit about the spotlightand the sexy things, the
celebrities backing companies,the investors backing companies.
(03:18):
But most companies don't havethat. And most companies don't
come from somebody who built acompany out of an Ivy League
school with all the contactsthat it gives you.
Most companies are not built bypeople with rich parents or
people that come fromgenerational wealth or
entrepreneurship, or inheritedinfluence, the founders that we
(03:39):
talk to are founders thatcreated something out of
nothing. They created a businessidea. They created their own
connections. They created abusiness process, and they
created their own success. Andagain, they're not going to be
possibly in the nationalspotlight in the next cover of
Forbes, or maybe someday, butthe ones that I talked to
(04:01):
haven't been there yet.
But they build some amazingthings, and they build and they
exit, and they do it reallywell. And when they do exit,
whether it is for $5,000,000 for$50,000,000 some for
$100,000,000 or more, it's ahuge deal because it changes
everything for them. And whatdoes it change? Well, we'll find
(04:24):
out. Well, I'm going to talk tothem, and they'll tell us.
These founders are all aboutimpact. They're about achieving,
changing their generation,changing their entire
communities. And sometimes, itis also about proving something
to someone else. We'll see. Butabove all, something that I've
seen is that these founders wantto have a good life.
(04:47):
And here at Exit-Ed, we alsowill talk about the part that
nobody sees in that process ofscaling a company, finding the
idea, creating the connections,creating the service or the
product. And what is happeningbehind all of that effort? Well,
we'll talk about the longnights, the personal guarantees
(05:09):
to get those lines of credit, orget whatever loan you need to
scale the business if you chooseto get a loan. We'll talk about
the uncertainty, the unfairnessthat business can bring
sometimes, the fights thathappen sometimes, which
unfortunately are normal or canbe normal sometimes, and I
expect it even, The cheating,the conviction to keep going,
(05:33):
all this grit that entrepreneurshave, sometimes they go without
salaries. They even mortgagetheir homes, they get family
loans, they just go all in.
And sometimes we don't hearabout that. Again, we keep
hearing about this spotlight. Wesee about the beautiful part.
But in this podcast, in Exit-Ed,we're going to get into the
(05:54):
details. And one thing thatwe're going to learn is that
entrepreneurs don't necessarilyplay it safe.
I would say I have not talked toa single entrepreneur that wants
to play it safe. And the otherthing that I'm learning about
the entrepreneurs, and we'lllearn a lot about in this
podcast, is, in fact, about theprocess of learning. And they
(06:14):
go, of course, through theprocesses of building from
founding the company to findingthis market fit of the service
or product to the hiring andscaling that the scare of hiring
or even firing. The first timeyou hire, the first time you
fire, how does it work? What'sgoing through their heads?
We'll talk about the brokenprocesses in a business, the
(06:38):
good hires and the bad hires,the delayed payments, the
sleepless nights, all of it.We're going to talk to the heart
of the founders, and we're goingto learn about how to get
exited. So welcome to Exit-Ed.This is the podcast where
successful founders will sharetheir untold stories behind
(06:59):
building, scaling, and sellingtheir companies. In each dynamic
episode, I promise you we willgo beyond the headlines, and we
will explore the challenges, thestrategies, and the pivotal
moments that shaped the journeysof entrepreneurs around the
world.
This is real business built byreal people. These are the
(07:21):
founders who built somethingfrom nothing. I love that
phrase. And at Exit-Ed, we willspotlight the true builders
behind thriving companies, theones you don't always see in the
headlines but who are poweringthe heartbeat of the global
economy. From the long nightsspent grinding and high stakes
(07:42):
conversations that led to theirsuccessful exits, our guests
will offer practical insights,hard won lessons, and candid
reflection for anyone on thepath to success, whether you're
an entrepreneur, or preparingfor a sale, or an investor
looking to understand foundingdynamics or a business leader
(08:02):
seeking strategic growth, thispodcast is for you.
Learn from those who have beenthere. Get excited. Thank you
for tuning into this episode ofExit-Ed. We are passionate about
supporting founders at everystage of their journey from
scaling up to planning an exit.If you enjoyed this episode, it
(08:24):
would mean a lot to me if youwould leave us a five star
rating on your preferredplatform.
If you know a founder who wouldbenefit from our insights or
wants to learn more aboutexiting a business, let them
know about our podcast, Exit-Ed.To stay in touch with us, you
can follow us on LinkedIn,TikToks, and many other
platforms. We are building avibrant community of founders.
(08:44):
See you next time. Thanks, guys.
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