Walter Hidalgo Jr. built a chemical company from scratch in 2001, sold it at the perfect time in 2014 (right before oil crashed from $120 to under $20/barrel), and felt completely lost after the exit. After a detour into the restaurant business, he reunited with his 25-year-old son to relaunch the original brand and this time, they're doing it together.

In this episode, Walter opens up about the emotional reality of selling a business you built with your own hands, why cold calling strangers has always worked better for him than calling people he knows, and how his son keeps him from chasing every shiny opportunity that crosses his path.

Whether you're building your first company or thinking about your exit, this conversation is packed with hard-earned wisdom from a serial entrepreneur who's been through the full cycle build, sell, lose yourself, and start again.

Topics covered:

• How he spotted a business opportunity from a customer's truck bed
• Selling at the peak (luck vs. preparation)
• The identity crisis every founder faces after an exit
• Cold calling 101: "A little rejection never killed anybody"
• Father-son dynamics: visionary vs. integrator → Why you should stay in what you know after a liquidity event
• Advice for the next generation of deal makers

Guest: Walter Hidalgo Jr.: Founder, Enviro Chem

Host: Joshua Wilson

Co-host: Jude David, FA Mergers

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In this episode, we sit down with veteran banker and operator Brady Como for a masterclass on debt, risk, and long-term dealmaking.

With decades of experience spanning commercial banking, business liquidations, oilfield services, and real estate investing, Brady shares lessons most dealmakers only learn the hard way.

This conversation explores:

• Why banks are often the least greedy partner in a transaction
• The real difference between consumer debt and producer debt
• How underwriting teaches discipline in dealmaking
• Why experience collecting money matters more than lending it
• How purpose, patience, and people shape long-term success
• What separates producers from consumers in capital allocation
• Why retirement without purpose is a dangerous idea

This episode is a must-watch for entrepreneurs, operators, investors, and the next generation of dealmakers who want to understand how capital actually works in the real world.

In this episode, we sit down with Tim Prevost, a third generation banker who worked his way from shredding paper and serving as a teller to becoming CFO of a community bank.

Tim shares a rare inside look at how deals are evaluated from the banking side, why relationships still matter more than spreadsheets, and how judgment, timing, and trust influence lending, acquisitions, and long-term outcomes.

This conversation covers:

• What commercial bankers actually look for in deals
• How teller-line experience shapes better decision-making
• Why valuation starts with comparable sales, not gut feel
• The parallels between treasure hunting and dealmaking
• Moving from commercial banking into the CFO role
• How banks measure success beyond profit
• Why community banks move faster and think differently
• The importance of trust, follow-through, and doing the next right thing

This episode is for founders, dealmakers, operators, and finance professionals who want to understand how capital decisions are really made.

In this episode, we sit down with Joris Delanoue, founder of Fairmint, to unpack how tokenization and blockchain are reshaping private markets.

Joris explains how Fairmint helps companies put their equity on chain by transforming cap tables into smart contracts, removing unnecessary intermediaries, and unlocking new paths to liquidity while preserving compliance and investor protections.

This conversation covers:

• What it actually means to put equity on chain
• How private company cap tables become smart contracts
• Why over intermediation hurts founders and investors
• The role of transfer agents in a blockchain world
• How tokenization blurs the line between public and private markets
• Liquidity, tender offers, and secondary transactions for private equity
• Why knowledge-based accreditation may replace wealth-based rules
• How regulators, founders, and investors can all win with better rails

This episode is for founders, private equity firms, family offices, investors, and operators who want to understand where capital markets are heading next.

In this episode, we sit down with Marvin Travasos, founder of Coastal Pumping Equipment, to unpack what it really takes to build a durable, multi-location industrial business rooted in faith, leadership, and long-term thinking.

Marvin shares his journey from welder to owner, growing Coastal from a single operation into a four-location company serving oilfield, municipal, and disaster-response markets. More importantly, he explains why investing in people, accountability, and culture created real enterprise value.

This conversation covers:

• Building a capital-intensive business from the ground up
• Why learning the trade matters more than chasing shortcuts
• Scaling from one location to four through necessity and execution
• How training and developing people drives long-term value
• Why accountability is the missing ingredient for most owners
• Faith as a leadership foundation, not a slogan
• Building a company that runs without you
• Why patience is the hardest and most valuable skill in business

This episode is for founders, operators, family business owners, and leaders who want to build something real and lasting.

In this episode, we sit down with Jared and Rachel Doise, husband-and-wife founders of Legends Born Grill, a nine location restaurant and bar concept built over more than 20 years in Acadiana.

This is a real conversation about building a business together, navigating risk, staying grounded in values, and choosing sustainability over ego-driven growth. Jared and Rachel share how they balance vision and discipline, emotion and logic, faith and execution.

This conversation covers:

• How a career detour led to building a nine-location business
• Why Rachel’s conservative financial discipline kept the company alive
• How to grow without losing culture or values
• The role of faith, humility, and gratitude in leadership
• Managing risk without chasing scale for scale’s sake
• Why launching people matters as much as launching locations
• How marriage survives pressure when business gets hard

This episode is for founders, family business owners, operators, and couples building something together who want to grow without losing what matters most.

In this episode, we sit down with Kristine Goebel, founder of Accompany Suite, to unpack the real reasons companies struggle during growth, acquisitions, and exits.

Kristine shares how emotional intelligence, communication, and leadership behavior directly impact profitability, retention, and deal outcomes. Drawing from her experience with Toyota, wealth advisory firms, and middle-market companies, she explains why most operational problems are actually people problems.

This conversation covers:

• Why emotions quietly limit scale and valuation
• How fear, anger, and risk show up in leadership behavior
• The hidden culture risks in mergers and acquisitions
• Why work-life balance is the wrong conversation
• How transparency builds trust before an exit
• What private equity groups often miss during integration
• Why mindset determines whether change actually sticks

This episode is essential listening for founders, operators, private equity teams, and family offices focused on sustainable growth and successful exits.

In this episode, we sit down with Mike Flash, former co-owner of Dixie Electric, a second-generation family business founded in 1979 and successfully exited after more than four decades.

Mike shares the deeply personal story behind selling a family business that carried his parents’ names, supported generations of employees, and became part of the fabric of the local community. This is a rare, honest look at what happens before, during, and after the sale when legacy matters as much as price.

This conversation covers:

• What it’s like to exit a multi-generation family business
• Why Mike walked away from buyers who wouldn’t protect his employees
• The emotional weight of selling something tied to family identity
• Why most owners underestimate how complex exits really are
• The difference between running a business and selling one
• Life after the sale and navigating the transition from owner to employee
• Honoring legacy through leadership, faith, and giving back

This episode is for family business owners, founders, and operators who want to exit well without compromising values, people, or purpose.