Exit-Ed: Behind the Curtain of Exits

In the trailer for Exit-ed, host Gabriela Smith introduces a podcast dedicated to shining a light on the untold, real stories of entrepreneurs who have built and sold their companies—without making the national headlines. Drawing on her dual identity as a lawyer and entrepreneur, Gabriela shares her perspective on how entrepreneurial journeys are rarely linear, often underrepresented, and vastly more diverse than the high-profile unicorn exits featured in the media.

The podcast will explore the gritty, authentic paths of founders—from ideation to scaling, connecting, and ultimately exiting their businesses. It promises insider conversations that dive into the heart of entrepreneurship, discussing the risks, challenges, strategies, and pivotal moments behind successful exits. The show aims to inspire and inform entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders by going beyond the glossy headlines to reveal the real dynamics of building and selling companies.

Connect with Exit-Ed:
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exitedstories

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exit-ed/

Episode Transcript

Gabriela Smith (00:00):
Welcome to Exit-ed. Let's talk about exits.
My name is Gaby Smith, and inpaper, I'm technically an
attorney. But in my heart, I'man entrepreneur who happens to
be a lawyer, and I have walkedthe walk of an entrepreneur for
many, many years, as legalcounsel, and even more recently
as an entrepreneur myself. I'vehad the privilege of working

(00:21):
with founders from around theglobe, and there is one thing
that I learned.
I learned that the journeys ofentrepreneurs are never linear,
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,

(00:42):
very bright on the unicorns, themagazine covers, the celebrity
investors, the celebritystartups, the IPOs. It's all
over the news.
But those aren't the onlystories. Those are not even the
most common stories. That is whyI started Excedent. Excedent is
about entrepreneurs who buildreal companies and made real

(01:04):
exits. You may not see them inthe national spotlights, but
these people are making theirmark.
So here at we talk to thosepeople building those companies.
We talk to the entrepreneursbehind these huge, huge economy
of businesses that are gettingbuilt and scaled every single
day. Here at Exodet, we alsowill talk about the part that

(01:28):
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. And
one thing that we're going tolearn is that entrepreneurs
don't necessarily play it safe.I would say I have not talked to
a single entrepreneur that wantsto play it safe.

(01:48):
We're going to talk to the heartof the founders, and we're going
to learn about how to getexited. So welcome to Exit-ed.
This is the podcast wheresuccessful founders will share
their untold stories behindbuilding, scaling, and selling
their companies. In each dynamicepisode, I promise you, we will
go beyond the headlines, and wewill explore the challenges, the

(02:12):
strategies, and the pivotalmoments that shaped the journeys
of entrepreneurs around theworld. Whether you're an
entrepreneur, or preparing for asale, or an investor looking to
understand founding dynamics, ora business leader seeking
strategic growth, this podcastis for you.
Learn from those who have beenthere. Get excited.