What if the same company could give you four bites of the apple? Steven Pivnik did exactly that — and nearly lost it all in between.

In this episode of The Deal Podcast, host Joshua Wilson sits down with Steven Pivnik, serial founder, endurance athlete, and exit advisor who built and monetized the same software company four separate times before finally selling to a $4 billion competitor. Steven shares the real story behind the wins — and the gut-punch in the middle when he came back from a two-year contract to find fraud, falsified financials, and a company one month from bankruptcy. From immigrating from the former Soviet Union as a toddler to coding Pac-Man on a Commodore 64 to climbing Mount Everest at 55, Steven's story is a masterclass in pattern recognition, founder resilience, and the discipline it takes to actually build something worth selling. Now an executive coach with The CEO Project and exit advisor with Acresis, he helps founders avoid the mistakes that nearly cost him everything.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How Steven licensed the same software to IBM and Microsoft in back-to-back deals
• The "MBA in a box" he got working under a seasoned management team post-acquisition
• Why pattern recognition is the most underrated founder skill
• The fraud and betrayal that nearly killed his company while he was away
• Why he interviewed every employee on day one of his return — and cut from 30 to 8
• How he made good on two missed payrolls over 12 months after coming back
• The KPI discipline that separated his second act from his first
• Bringing in a CEO for the final exit — and how to "love like you've never lost"
• His ideal client profile: 10+ years in business, $10M+ revenue, 90% of net worth tied up
• The transformation founders experience when accountability replaces "we've always done it this way"

🤝 Connect with Steven Pivnik: 🌐 https://www.stevenpivnik.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenpivnik/

🎙️ Built to Finish Podcast: https://stevenpivnik.com/podcast/

📘 Built to Finish (Book): Available on Amazon:https://a.co/d/0g77FiBE

💼 Thinking About a Transaction? FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk. 🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast: 🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

DISCLAIMER The Deal Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial or investment decisions.

What does it take to turn a text message into a viral brand? Bryan McGehee, founder of Gatr Coolers, did exactly that — starting from a camper with his wife and kids, betting his house on a cooler company, and going full-time the same month COVID shut the world down.

Bryan McGehee is the founder of Gatr Coolers, a premium customizable cooler and drinkware brand built out of Thibodaux, Louisiana. Bryan spent years working pipeline jobs, living in hotels and campers, before a text from his brother Mitch sparked an idea that became a decade-long entrepreneurial ride. Joining host Joshua Wilson is co-host Scott Shea, who first connected with Bryan through shared business experiences and knew his story needed to be told.

In this episode, Bryan gets raw about the real cost of building a manufacturing company in South Louisiana — hurricanes, inventory tax, staffing wars with oilfield wages, and supply chain chaos that left him waiting on last year's inventory well into this year. He also breaks down the marketing playbook that helped Gatr grow to 50,000 Instagram followers, 50,000 on Facebook, and hundreds of thousands on an email list — almost entirely without paid ads.

🎯 What We Cover:

• How a Thanksgiving text from his brother Mitch became Gatr Coolers
• Why Bryan went full-time in March 2020 — and signed a building lease two weeks before COVID
• The "wife test" that shaped every marketing decision Gatr ever made
• Why he ditched influencer culture in favor of real users and user-generated content
• How strategic product partnerships with brands like Realtree and Benelli generated 60–80K emails at a time
• The hidden costs that blindside Louisiana manufacturers: inventory tax, hurricane shutdowns, insurance
• Why he tells college students most of them probably shouldn't start a business
• What it felt like when a customer cried opening a custom cup engraved with her late sister's photo
• His five-year vision: US manufacturing, new product lines, and changing Thibodaux's economy
• The brand-naming logic behind dropping the "o"

🤝 Connect with Bryan McGehee: 🌐 https://gatrcoolers.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-mcgehee-38b75268/ 📘 https://www.facebook.com/gatrcoolers 📸 https://www.instagram.com/gatrcoolers/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Scott Shea: 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction? FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk. 🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast: 🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

DISCLAIMER The Deal Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial or investment decisions.

What if the biggest mistake you're making isn't a bad deal or a wrong hire — but spending your life doing things you're capable of instead of things you were made for?

Dominic Dupré grew up watching four cousins build successful companies in Louisiana's energy corridor. He graduated into the shale boom, swung sledgehammers on a workover rig, and had his entrepreneurial dreams derailed by the 2014 oil bust — only to be called back into the family business to turn around a failing crude hauling division. What followed was one of the most clarifying journeys we've heard on this show: from survival mode to self-discovery, from operator to investor.

Today Dominic is the founding member of Tule Creek Capital, a Gulf Coast investment firm focused on heavy industrial and environmental businesses. Joining host Joshua Wilson is co-host Scott Shea, who first crossed paths with Dominic when FA Mergers was working a logistics deal — and the connection stuck.

🎯 What We Cover:

• Growing up in a Cajun entrepreneurial family and why business was Sunday dinner conversation
• Why Dominic never wanted to work in the family business — and what changed
• The 2014 oil bust: what happened, who got hurt, and what it taught a young entrepreneur
• Turning around a failing crude hauling division inside Dupré Logistics
• How the family business exit was structured and what made the transition work
• Moving from operator mindset to investor mindset — and the gaps in between
• Why Tule Creek Capital over-indexes on culture and gut instinct in deal evaluation
• The key man risk problem that disqualifies most SMB sellers before diligence even starts
• How to know when you've found your highest and best use as a founder
• Rich Dad Poor Dad, Traction, and the books that shaped how Dominic thinks about wealth and growth

🤝 Connect with Dominic Dupré: 🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/guests/dominic-dupre/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-dupre/

🤝 Connect with Co-Host Scott Shea: 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/escottshea/

💼 Thinking About a Transaction? FA Mergers helps founders, investors, and business owners navigate the full M&A process — from valuation to close. If you're exploring a sale, acquisition, or capital raise, let's talk. 🔗 https://www.famergers.com/

🎙️ Follow The Deal Podcast: 🌐 https://www.thedealpodcast.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrucewilson/ ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@dealpodcast

DISCLAIMER The Deal Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing discussed constitutes investment advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial or investment decisions.