The Exit Plan Podcast Podcast By Dana Robinson and Nathaniel Broughton cover art

The Exit Plan Podcast

The Exit Plan Podcast

By: Dana Robinson and Nathaniel Broughton
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About this listen

Exit Plan is a podcast for business owners and those who want to be business owners. I’m always in search of the lesser known stories of entrepreneurship. In the Exit Plan podcast, you’ll hear stories from start up to sale, and hear from the professionals who helped business owners achieve their exit. Hosted by me, author and private equity manager Dana Robinson, along with my co-hosts and guests, you’ll hear real stories, tips, and tools that will help you plan for the exit you want, whether you are still working a day job or already running a business. From their studio in sunny San Diego, the Opt Out Life welcomes guests who are solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, travelers, and creatives, who are proof that you can choose lifestyle over money . . . But still make money, too. Each episode of the Opt Out Life podcast combines the incredible entrepreneurial stories of our friends, with an instructional approach to applying the tactics people are using right now to earn passive income and travel the world. Our guests live non-traditional lives, without job titles, and often without jobs at all. They wear t-shirts and have no boss. They spend time doing what they want, traveling and earning substantial income in creative ways. We invite you to join the ranks of people who live the Opt Out Life. Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Driving Customer Experience (ft. Idan Shpizear)
    Jun 3 2025

    When Idan Spizear immigrated from Israel, he started out cleaning carpets, quickly realizing that the real value was in genuinely caring for customers going through tough situations, not just fixing the problem at hand. By always looking for ways to add value—listening, being present, and helping homeowners feel calm through emotional disasters—he built a restoration business that thrives on empathy and human connection. Today, as the founder of 911 Restoration franchise, he focuses on empowering others to grow by making service, innovation, and team accountability the heart of every customer interaction.


    Key themes included:

    1. Customer service as company culture

    2. Entrepreneurial origin story and mindset

    3. Building accountability within teams

    4. Growth challenges for small businesses

    5. The role of innovation and experimentation

    6. Franchise systems and business scaling

    7. Finding fulfillment beyond financial success


    Idan's Website: www.911restorationfranchise.com

    Idan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/911restoration

    Follow Dana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danabrobinson/

    Follow Dana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danarobinsonofficial/

    Subscribe to Dana’s weekly newsletter at https://www.danarobinson.com

    If the information in these conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show, and leave me an honest review.

    Your reviews and feedback will not only help me continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help me reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!

    *Some of these links might be affiliate links. Thank you in advance if you choose to work with one of the companies I believe in. The money I make from your purchase helps to keep the content you enjoy, and rely on to grow your own business, free to you.

    Thanks for tuning into this episode of Exit Plan!

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    59 mins
  • Building Business Value (ft. John Martinka)
    May 27 2025

    John Martinka is all about relationships, whether he’s helping someone buy or sell a business or teaching new advisors about the industry. He believes no one wants to do business without a foundation of trust and mutual respect, and that marketing yourself is just as important as your technical skills. John’s experience—from concert promotion to years of M&A consulting in the Seattle area—taught him that creating authentic relationships, giving back through organizations like Rotary, and helping clients get ready for their “next great adventure” is what makes the work meaningful.


    Key themes included:

    1. Importance of relationship-building in business

    2. Preparing businesses for successful exit

    3. Owner dependency and management delegation

    4. Value drivers for maximizing business sale

    5. Financial systems and accurate reporting

    6. Role of networking versus prospecting

    7. Engaging advisors and consultants effectively

    John's Website: https://nokomisadvisory.com/

    Follow Dana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danabrobinson/

    Follow Dana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danarobinsonofficial/

    Subscribe to Dana’s weekly newsletter at https://www.danarobinson.com

    If the information in these conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show, and leave me an honest review.

    Your reviews and feedback will not only help me continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help me reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!

    *Some of these links might be affiliate links. Thank you in advance if you choose to work with one of the companies I believe in. The money I make from your purchase helps to keep the content you enjoy, and rely on to grow your own business, free to you.

    Thanks for tuning into this episode of Exit Plan!

    Show more Show less
    50 mins
  • Lifestyle vs. Asset Businesses (ft. Saul Cohen)
    May 20 2025

    Saul Cohen, drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey and the experience of watching his father navigate building and exiting a business, now specializes in helping business owners plan for successful exits and avoid common pitfalls. His work focuses on making sure entrepreneurs consciously decide whether they’re building a lifestyle business or an asset to sell, and then guiding them through the next steps—whether that’s careful tax planning, optimizing for risk, or preparing for acquisitions.


    Key themes included:

    1. Difference: Lifestyle vs. Asset/Legacy businesses

    2. Importance of early exit planning

    3. Value of execution over ideas

    4. Learning from business failures

    5. Preparing businesses for acquisition

    6. Wealth transfer and acquisition opportunities

    7. Emotional aspects of business valuation and exit


    Saul's Email: saul.cohen@theexperteye.co.uk

    Saul's Website: https://profitbooster.scoreapp.com/

    Saul's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cohensaul/

    Follow Dana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danabrobinson/

    Follow Dana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danarobinsonofficial/

    Subscribe to Dana’s weekly newsletter at https://www.danarobinson.com

    If the information in these conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show, and leave me an honest review.

    Your reviews and feedback will not only help me continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help me reach even more amazing entrepreneurs just like you!

    *Some of these links might be affiliate links. Thank you in advance if you choose to work with one of the companies I believe in. The money I make from your purchase helps to keep the content you enjoy, and rely on to grow your own business, free to you.

    Thanks for tuning into this episode of Exit Plan!

    Show more Show less
    55 mins
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