At their first trade market, Elise Colomb's daughter spotted a Good Morning America producer at the booth while Elise was busy with a customer. No card, no contact. The call came the following Monday anyway. Elise on the national Mother's Day feature that put Sorority and Sisterhood in front of the whole country, and watching orders roll in time zone by time zone. Full conversation: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/zero-investors-all-sisterhood-bootstrapping-a-licensed-brand-elise-colomb/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zero-investors-all-sisterhood-bootstrapping-a/id1839586881?i=1000795921965&uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OvXBhhw9feUy8cjg2AzIB Guest: Elise Colomb, Co-Founder, Designer & Creative Director, Sorority and Sisterhood — https://www.instagram.com/ecolomb/ Host: Joshua Wilson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ Co-host: Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner, FA Mergers — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/ The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers — https://famergers.com. Informational and educational content only; not investment, legal, or tax advice. Full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ESSAEY0czE0 #TheDealPodcast #SmallBusiness #Bootstrapping #WomenInBusiness #FounderStory A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

"You're like, 'I'm not on track for my revenue goals.' Well — what are your leading indicators that you can push and pull on? Like levers that you can control." Destin Ortego on building a chain of leading indicators underneath the one number that actually measures growth, and why a lagging indicator tells you something is wrong but never what to do about it. 🎧 Full episode: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/the-opportunity-machine-powering-louisianas-startup-boom-destin-ortego/ 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-opportunity-machine-powering-louisianas-startup/id1839586881?i=1000769468992 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3qVUmXD1MG7N4hchdDMMs8 Guest: Destin Ortego, Executive Director of Opportunity Machine — https://www.linkedin.com/in/destin-ortego/ Host: Joshua Wilson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ Co-host: Scott Shea — https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/ The Deal Podcast is brought to you by FA Mergers, which helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process from valuation to close — https://www.famergers.com/ For informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here is investment, legal, or tax advice. #TheDealPodcast #LeadingIndicators #KPIs #RevenueGrowth #BusinessStrategy #BusinessOwners #LowerMiddleMarket A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Kevin Granger tells the whole arc: Baton Rouge, a music degree he loved but couldn't give his life to, nursing school, a mission trip to Mexico that redirected everything, and the job he now shares with the man he once hired. 🎧 Full episode: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/from-career-to-calling-inside-family-missions-company-with-saul-keeton-kevin-granger/ 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-career-to-calling-inside-family-missions-company/id1839586881?i=1000771667620&uo=4 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/45FK4UjMAakxCYg2C3y0F2 Guests: Saul Keeton, Director of Mission Advancement, Family Missions Company — https://www.instagram.com/saulkeeton · Kevin Granger, Special Projects Officer, Family Missions Company — https://www.instagram.com/kevinjgranger · https://www.familymissionscompany.com/ Host: Joshua Wilson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ Co-host: Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/ The Deal Podcast is brought to you by FA Mergers, which helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process from valuation to close — https://www.famergers.com/ For informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here is investment, legal, or tax advice. #TheDealPodcast #CareerChange #Vocation #FaithAndBusiness #BatonRouge #Louisiana #Purpose A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

How do you grow a business to a national footprint without a single outside investor? Elise Colomb did it with a sketchpad, two co-founders, and every dollar reinvested. -------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY -------------------------------------------------- Host Joshua Wilson and co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner of FA Mergers, sit down with Elise Colomb, Co-Founder, Designer, and Creative Director of Sorority and Sisterhood, a hand-drawn luxury pajama and lifestyle brand. A former nurse and pharmaceutical rep, Elise turned art she sold from home into a licensed product line with co-founders Virginia and Kait. The three self-funded the company, never took outside capital, and run a nationwide wholesale business with no staff. Elise breaks down how university and sorority licensing works, how royalties and rep commissions shape pricing, how the team kills ideas that don't clear the margin bar, and why faith guided the leap. A candid, practical look at bootstrapped growth. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS ANSWERED -------------------------------------------------- How do you grow a business without outside investors? How do you self-fund a startup from your own earnings? How does university licensing work for small brands? How do sorority licensing partnerships work? How do licensing royalties affect product pricing? How do you decide which product ideas to kill? How do three co-founders divide roles with no staff? How do you know when to leave a job and take the leap? What does it take to start a business later in your career? -------------------------------------------------- CHAPTERS -------------------------------------------------- 0:00:00 Welcome and Elise's Story 0:01:36 From Nurse to Pharma Sales to Artist 0:04:13 Sorority Resumes and a Friend's Big Idea 0:05:57 The Pajama Exchange That Sparked the Brand 0:08:58 Jude's Take: A True Zero-to-One Story 0:10:09 How University and Sorority Licensing Works 0:18:16 Dividing Roles and Running the Numbers 0:20:07 Faith, Joy, and Creating with God-Given Talent 0:24:25 The Good Morning America Moment 0:29:36 How to Kill Ideas: Profit Decides 0:37:30 Advice for Taking the Leap 0:39:00 Questions from Past Guests: Stewardship and Legacy -------------------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH ELISE COLOMB -------------------------------------------------- Website: https://sororityandsisterhood.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecolomb/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Sorority-and-Sisterhood/100090936670055/ -------------------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH JOSHUA WILSON -------------------------------------------------- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ -------------------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH CO-HOST JUDE DAVID -------------------------------------------------- Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner, FA Mergers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/ Website: https://famergers.com -------------------------------------------------- THINKING ABOUT A TRANSACTION? -------------------------------------------------- FA Mergers advises lower-middle-market business owners on preparing for and navigating a sale. Start the conversation at https://famergers.com -------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW THE DEAL PODCAST -------------------------------------------------- Full episode: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/zero-investors-all-sisterhood-bootstrapping-a-licensed-brand-elise-colomb/ Website: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deal-podcast/id1839586881 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4skq1omu4ipg0m9tqYWEau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-deal-podcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson | Network Director Trisha Goddard Disclaimer: Joshua Wilson is a licensed Florida real estate broker and holds FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licensure. The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers and is produced for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, legal or tax advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to pursue or avoid any transaction. All views and opinions expressed by the hosts, co-hosts, and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of FA Mergers, One Iron Network LLC, any regulatory agency, or any employer. Listeners should consult their own legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any business, financial, or transaction decision. This podcast does not constitute a solicitation or recommendation for any financial products or services. Let's Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ To Contact Us, Please Visit: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/contact/

Asked how discernment actually works in the middle of a live deal, Mark Weber describes setting the parameters before he needs them — the way you set a ceiling before walking into an auction. When the inspection comes back and the other side won't meet the number, he doesn't renegotiate with himself. He treats it as a closed door and walks. Featuring Mark Weber, CEO of Mark Weber Enterprises, with co-host Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner at FA Mergers. Full episode: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/eat-what-you-kill-the-bet-on-yourself-model-mark-weber/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eat-what-you-kill-the-bet-on-yourself-model-mark-weber/id1839586881?i=1000773713192&uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Uwrc7wZywGI3aL9xw5XfS Hosted by Joshua Wilson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers — https://www.famergers.com/ #TheDealPodcast #Dealmaking #Discipline #BusinessOwners #Discernment A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

"If you're living in America and you haven't heard about Jesus, your head's under a rock." Saul Keeton on the gap that drives Family Missions Company's urgency — and why the people they serve are living and dying without ever meeting a single Christian. 🎧 Full episode: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/from-career-to-calling-inside-family-missions-company-with-saul-keeton-kevin-granger/ 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-career-to-calling-inside-family-missions-company/id1839586881?i=1000771667620&uo=4 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/45FK4UjMAakxCYg2C3y0F2 Guests: Saul Keeton, Director of Mission Advancement, Family Missions Company — https://www.instagram.com/saulkeeton · Kevin Granger, Special Projects Officer, Family Missions Company — https://www.instagram.com/kevinjgranger · https://www.familymissionscompany.com/ Host: Joshua Wilson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ Co-host: Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/ The Deal Podcast is brought to you by FA Mergers, which helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process from valuation to close — https://www.famergers.com/ For informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here is investment, legal, or tax advice. #TheDealPodcast #Missions #Evangelism #FaithAndBusiness #GlobalMissions #CatholicMissions #Purpose A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Most owners treat legacy as a project for after the exit. Margaret Trahan, Executive Director of the Catholic Legacy Foundation of Acadiana, argues it starts much earlier: the moment you see everything you have, including your life, as something entrusted to you, and ask how you will honor it. 🎧 Full episode: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/from-exit-to-endowment-monica-zuschlag-margaret-trahan/ 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-exit-to-endowment-building-a-legacy-that/id1839586881?i=1000793214361&uo=4 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4LGeE46IG8idGCQlmYIY91 Guests: Monica Zuschlag, Board Chairman, and Margaret Trahan, Executive Director, Catholic Legacy Foundation of Acadiana 💼 Monica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicazuschlag/ 💼 Margaret: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-trahan-7426a49/ Host: Joshua Wilson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ Co-host: Jude David, JD, DCL, MBA, Managing Partner, FA Mergers — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/ The Deal Podcast is presented by FA Mergers — https://www.famergers.com/ For education only. Not tax, legal, or investment advice. Full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4SgxaSmLzCQ #TheDealPodcast #Stewardship #LegacyPlanning #BusinessOwners #Leadership A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson

Jude David of FA Mergers on the leadership signal that separates owner-dependent companies from ones buyers want. Full episode: https://www.thedealpodcast.com/relationships-are-the-product-how-an-engineering-firm-wins-work-aaron-travasos/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deal-podcast/id1839586881 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4skq1omu4ipg0m9tqYWEau Guest: Aaron Travasos, P.E., Principal at Gregory Consulting and Controls — https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-travasos-p-e-098863118/ Co-host: Jude David, Managing Partner of FA Mergers — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-david-jd-dcl-mba-172a6a76/ Host: Joshua Wilson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ Presented by FA Mergers, which advises founders, investors and business owners through the full M&A process, from valuation to close — https://www.famergers.com/ Educational content only. Nothing here is investment, legal or tax advice, or a solicitation. Full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OI9eePf8wW0 #ExitPlanning #Leadership #MandA #BusinessValue #TheDealPodcast A One Iron Network production: Executive Producer Joshua Wilson