Connecting Experts with Podcasts. Building Influence. Creating Opportunities.

© Guests on Air powered by Podcast Guesting Pro. All rights reserved.

Alexis Sikorsky

Alexis Sikorsky

Author of #1 International Bestseller Cashing Out and Special Advisor to Founders

EntrepreneurAuthorLeadership
AboutTopics(3)QuestionsVideos(4)Episodes(25)Media(5)
MEMBER LOGIN

Alexis Sikorsky Podcast Episodes

Resilience Unravelled

Resilience Unravelled

Alexis Sikorsky on Entrepreneurship, Private Equity Exits, and Getting Unstuck at Scale

March 2, 2026

GO TO APPLE PODCASTS

Listen

Your browser does not support audio playback.

About this episode

In this Resilience Unravelled episode, Alexis Sikorsky, a Swiss entrepreneur based in London, recounts building an internet café/ISP in Senegal, fleeing the country with only a suitcase, then returning to Geneva to grow a banking software and internet development business to about $10–11M revenue before the 2008 financial crisis cut 75% of revenue in a day.

After years of survival, he rebuilt to breakeven and sold to private equity on an 11x EBITDA deal with 85% cash and 15% earnout, emphasising that PE deals involve uneven information and founders should do diligence on acquirers by speaking to prior CEOs.

He discusses why most people shouldn’t be entrepreneurs, differentiates “having a job” from owning a company, advises seeking free mentors who’ve done what you’re doing, warns about conflicts with PE-paid advisors and small-company investment banks, explains when to avoid investment unless necessary, and describes his book Cashing Out and his initiative Night Scale to help firms stuck at $5–50M revenue using mission-based, part-time C-level expertise.

00:00 Welcome

00:43 From Geneva to Dakkar

02:03 Building and Losing It All

03:20 Private Equity Exit Playbook

06:24 Chairman Life and Retirement

09:23 Who Should Be Entrepreneur

11:57 Mentors and Real Advice

16:14 Due Diligence on Buyers

21:30 Investment vs Exit Decisions

24:00 Why I Wrote Cashing Out

26:05 Night Scale and Growth Plateaus

27:49 Social Media Reality Check

28:47 Final Thoughts and Goodbye

You can contact us at info@qedod.com

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Alexis Sikorsky Podcast Episodes

The Business Growth Show with Athin Cassiotis

Interview with Alexis Sikorsky

The Business Growth Show with Athin Cassiotis

May 2026

Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat.: Serial Entrepreneur: Secrets Revealed!

EP212: What Private Equity Isn't Telling You Before You Sign with Alexis Sikorsky

Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat.: Serial Entrepreneur: Secrets Revealed!

Apr 2026

The Start, Scale & Succeed Podcast

How to Engineer a Nine-Figure Exit with Alexis Sikorsky (stage 5) - Ep. 386

The Start, Scale & Succeed Podcast

Apr 2026

Us People Podcast

Always Be Supportive - Alexis Sikorsky - Special Advisor to Founders #308

Us People Podcast

Mar 2026

The Business Behind Your Business - Real Advice to Help Small Business Owners Build, Lead and Thrive

Thinking About a Private Equity Exit? Avoid These Costly Founder Mistakes

The Business Behind Your Business - Real Advice to Help Small Business Owners Build, Lead and Thrive

Feb 2026

Sales POP! Podcasts: Insights from Top Experts in Sales, Marketing, Leadership & More.

Scale Your Business Past $5M: Expert Strategies That Actually Work - Alexis Sikorsky

Sales POP! Podcasts: Insights from Top Experts in Sales, Marketing, Leadership & More.

Feb 2026

The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast

Risk, Reward & Resilience:The Entrepreneur’s Journey with Alexis Sikorsky

The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast

Feb 2026

The B2B Growth Blueprint

How Can Founder-Led Companies Break Through Growth Plateaus with Alexis Sikorsky

The B2B Growth Blueprint

Jan 2026

Catalytic Leadership

Why Most Founders Delay a Private Equity Exit by 5 Years

Catalytic Leadership

Jan 2026

MEMBER LOGIN

Existing Podcast Guesting Pro clients only. Contact your Outreach Manager for access.

Latest video

9 Figure Exit How I Built and Sold to Private Equity (Alexis Sikorsky Interview)

9 Figure Exit How I Built and Sold to Private Equity (Alexis Sikorsky Interview)

Latest episodes

The Business Growth Show with Athin Cassiotis

Interview with Alexis Sikorsky

The Business Growth Show with Athin Cassiotis

Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat.: Serial Entrepreneur: Secrets Revealed!

EP212: What Private Equity Isn't Telling You Before You Sign with Alexis Sikorsky

Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat.: Serial Entrepreneur: Secrets Revealed!

The Start, Scale & Succeed Podcast

How to Engineer a Nine-Figure Exit with Alexis Sikorsky (stage 5) - Ep. 386

The Start, Scale & Succeed Podcast

View all episodes →

Key topics

From 5M to 20M: Why Founders Plateau and How to Break the Ceiling

Alexis shares insights on the invisible wall founders hit between $5M and $20M in revenue, and why most never make the leap. He talks through the common traps—delegation hesitation, culture drift, operational sprawl—and how he helps entrepreneurs restructure for scale. As someone who has taken a business through this exact journey, he shows what founders need to stop doing, start tracking, and outsource fast. This is ideal for scale-up audiences stuck in the “successful but stretched” phase.

What Private Equity Isn't Telling You, and What Founders Need to Know Before They Exit

Alexis can discuss what really happens when private equity gets involved, from boardroom dynamics to deal structuring, and why most founders walk into negotiations underprepared and outgunned. Drawing from the sale of his own company and his advisory work, he shares what buyers are really looking for, how to speak their language, and the questions you should ask before they ask you theirs. For founders eyeing an exit, it’s a look behind the curtain that's based not on theory, but hard-earned experience.

Why Most Founder-Led Businesses Fail Post-Acquisition, and What PE Can Do About It

Alexis speaks directly to private equity firms struggling with underperforming founder-led acquisitions. He shares how his APEX methodology helps de-risk deals by building operational maturity _before_ acquisition—ensuring the founder is no longer the bottleneck, systems are scalable, and the leadership bench is strong. Drawing on his own nine-figure exit and his work as a Special Advisor, he highlights how PE firms can partner earlier with advisors like him to improve deal quality, accelerate post-acquisition growth, and protect their returns.

View all topics →