How Losing A Job Led to Buying It: Matt Cobb’s Story | Scaling the Gap Ep 76

What if the business that fired you ended up being your biggest blessing?

In this episode of Scaling the Gap, host Madeleine MacRae sits down with Matt Cobb, co-owner of Southern Traditions Window Fashions, for a conversation that hits every note: grit, failure, rebuilding, and leading with purpose.

Matt shares his unconventional journey: laid off with a newborn at home, he eventually became co-owner of the very company that had let him go. It was a powerful full-circle moment, but the real test came later. When COVID struck, it threatened to unravel everything they’d built. Partnership tensions flared, operations were thrown into chaos, and doubts crept in. As Matt describes it, it was their hardest season yet. But it also became their turning point.

By focusing on their individual strengths instead of trying to fix every weakness, Matt and his partners found a new rhythm. They learned that alignment matters more than agreement, and that the best partnerships are rooted not in similarity, but in complementary skills and deep trust.

This episode is a masterclass in navigating business breakpoints, surviving a global crisis, and building a leadership team that thrives through it—not in spite of it. Because success isn’t just about revenue, it’s about what you’re building outside the office, too.

Key Takeaways

• Why getting fired can be the greatest pivot point of your career
• The true value of buying a business with legacy—and the risk it carries
• What makes a business partnership thrive (and the red flags to avoid)
• Why working in your zone of genius is the ultimate growth strategy
• The dangers of panic hiring and how to build sustainable teams
• How a childhood road trip memory became Matt’s north star for defining success

In This Episode

• [00:00:00] Introduction to Matt Cobb
• [00:04:09] Acquiring Southern Traditions: The Panera Bread deal  
• [00:08:32] The power of partnership 
• [00:12:09] Gallup StrengthsFinder and focusing on strengths, not weaknesses  
• [00:16:01] Challenges and growth edges in partnership  
• [00:17:55] Navigating COVID-19 and difficult decisions  
• [00:22:03] Post-COVID growth and hiring lessons  
• [00:24:56] Defining and measuring success  
• [00:28:24] Personal success algorithm and reflection  
• [00:31:56] Contact information and closing thoughts 

Notable Quotes

• [02:20] "Our story was kind of one of those good old-fashioned American underdog stories... that transition from employee to former employee." — Matt Cobb

• [06:44] “And for us, what we thought we were buying and what we were always, we were buying the longevity and the reputation of Southern Traditions because we had been a part of this growth.” — Matt Cobb

• [07:48] “There is something to buying a business that already has a firm foundation, especially a really great reputation in your marketplace. You gain something that you would have had to build.” — Madeleine MacRae

• [10:53] “So many business owners actually cap out their own growth because they spend an inordinate amount of time backfilling weaknesses.” — Madeleine MacRae

• [13:56] “You can go twice as far with half as much effort when you work in a zone of strength versus when you work in a zone of weakness.” — Madeleine MacRae

• [15:09] “If you have a weakness that lands you in the ditch every time, build a bridge.” — Madeleine MacRae

• [16:45] “We walked in the door day one, and our debt service, monthly debt service, was just under 20% of revenue. 20% going to pay off buying this...