In this episode of 4200% Build, Scale, Sell, host Anthony Geraci sits down with Eddie Wilson, CEO of Collective Influence and known as the “King of Exits” with over 100 company exits to his name. Eddie shares his entrepreneurial journey from launching his first ad agency at age 23 to developing an operating system that scales businesses to a billion dollars. He talks about the accidental exit that launched his M&A career, his Empire Operating System framework, and how he balances building companies with making a global impact through his nonprofit efforts. Tune in for genuine insights on leadership, growth, and creating a purpose-driven legacy.
(00:00:00) Eddie's early influences and his family's entrepreneurial roots(00:01:57) Launching his first ad agency at 23 and overcoming risk aversion(00:03:08) How he planned his leap from employee to entrepreneur(00:04:31) Scaling an ad agency to $30M and the accidental exit that changed everything(00:07:22) What he learned from being outplayed by the world's largest ad agency(00:09:54) Building the Empire Operating System to scale any company(00:11:27) Understanding the five phases of business from startup to succession(00:12:32) Identifying single points of failure and when you're ready to scale(00:15:00) Why the secret to scaling is people—and how Eddie finds the right ones(00:17:06) What Collective Influence looks for in acquisitions and distressed businesses(00:18:17) Growing the nation's largest business tour, Aspire, and its impact(00:20:12) Why Eddie's true passion is global impact through Impact Others
Links:
Anthony Geraci on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-geraci
Eddie Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiewilsonofficial
Collective Influence: https://collectiveinfluence.com/
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