# The $50 Million Mistake: Private Equity Secrets to Selling Your Business for 11x EBITDA with Alexis Sikorsky

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-exit-presented-by-flippa-2008365/the-50-million-mistake-private-equity-secrets-to-selling-your-business-for-11x-ebitda-with-alexis-sikorsky
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-exit-presented-by-flippa-2008365/the-50-million-mistake-private-equity-secrets-to-selling-your-business-for-11x-ebitda-with-alexis-sikorsky.md
Podcast: [The Exit - Presented By Flippa](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-exit-presented-by-flippa-2008365)
Published: 2025-12-22T10:00:53+00:00
Episode link: https://soundcloud.com/theexitpodcast/the-50-million-mistake-private-equity-secrets-to-selling-your-business-for-11x-ebitda-with-alexis-sikorsky
Audio file: http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2234091494-theexitpodcast-the-50-million-mistake-private-equity-secrets-to-selling-your-business-for-11x-ebitda-with-alexis-sikorsky.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2075

## Resource

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business, and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- Are you running your business, or is it running you? In this episode, we sit down with Alexis Sikorsky, co-founder of Nightscale, who reveals the brutal truth about the "Grind" and the specific strategies he used to exit his banking software company for a massive multiple. If you are a founder stuck at the $5M–$10M revenue plateau, this episode is a masterclass in cashing out. Alexis breaks down the "$50 Million Mistake", a calculation of the money and time he lost by not knowing the secrets of Private Equity earlier, and how you can avoid it. What You’ll Learn: The "Fish and Chip" Trap: How Private Equity firms lure founders with high valuations only to chip away at the price during due diligence—and how to stop them. Nominal EBITDA vs. EBITDA: The financial metric that matters more than your bottom line. Learn how "dressing the bride" and identifying add-backs can instantly increase your valuation. The Magic Number: Why a $40M valuation is the specific target for a lifestyle where you never have to touch your capital again. The Due Diligence Reverse Card: How to investigate a PE firm by calling the founders they don't want you to talk to. Escaping the Operator Trap: Why you need to fire yourself from day-to-day operations to make your company sellable. -- Alexis Sikorsky is a seasoned entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and #1 international best-selling author who helps founders and SMEs scale with confidence, make smarter strategic decisions, and prepare for long-term growth and success…

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