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


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What happens when the company you spent 30 years building is nearly destroyed after you sell it? In this episode of The Exit, host Steve McGarry sits down with Jeffrey House, founder of Ace Cider, to discuss how he helped pioneer America's modern hard cider industry, built a nationally recognized brand, and eventually sold the business for nearly $60 million. Starting with just $1,000 and a move from England to California, Jeffrey went from importing British beer to founding Ace Cider in 1993, growing it into a nationally distributed brand with approximately 20% annual growth and 11 consecutive Hot Brand awards.


Despite decades of success, personal health challenges and mounting business pressures led Jeffrey to sell Ace Cider to Vintage Wine Estates in 2021. But when the acquiring company spiraled into bankruptcy, Jeffrey watched his life's work nearly disappear before returning to help revive the brand. Jeffrey and Steve explore the challenges of bootstrapping a consumer brand, navigating acquisition negotiations, knowing when to exit, and the unexpected consequences of selling a business. Jeffrey also shares insights from his book, The Cider King, and the lessons he learned about entrepreneurship, resilience, and protecting a legacy


LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-house-33900a31/


Grab a Copy of His Book - https://www.ciderking.net/


Ace Cider Website - https://acecider.com/



Key Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Jeffrey House and Ace Cider
03:10 Jeffrey House's background and early career
06:31 Founding Thames America Trading Company
08:04 Discovering the opportunity in hard cider
10:19 Launching Ace Cider in California
11:47 Bootstrapping and growing the business
13:43 Product innovation and national expansion
15:14 The decision to sell Ace Cider
17:38 Health challenges and the $60 million offer
20:16 Navigating the acquisition process
22:39 Vintage Wine Estates' bankruptcy and Ace Cider's decline
24:08 Attempting to buy back the business
26:48 Returning to revive Ace Cider
28:16 The Cider King and personal stories
29:28 Lessons learned and advice to entrepreneurs
31:26 Where to find Jeffrey House and his book


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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

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


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What does a private equity buyer really look for in a business, and how can founders make sure they’re choosing the right buyer in return? In this episode of The Exit, Steve McGarry sits down with Sequoya Borgman, Founder and CEO of Borgman Capital, to explore the buy side of lower-middle-market M&A. Drawing on decades of experience working on transactions and more than 20 acquisitions since launching Borgman Capital, Sequoya explains what makes a company attractive to buyers, why preparing for a sale can take years, and how factors like cash flow, management, culture, and seller expectations can shape a deal.

Sequoya also breaks down how a leveraged buyout works, what happens between signing an LOI and closing a transaction, and why sellers should vet potential buyers just as carefully as buyers vet them. He and Steve discuss keeping management teams motivated after an acquisition, misconceptions about private equity, the impact of elevated valuations and private credit on today’s deal market, and why some firms are holding onto investments longer. Throughout the conversation, Sequoya returns to one of the most important lessons from his career: successful deals ultimately depend on working with good people, aligning incentives, and knowing when to walk away.


LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sequoya-borgman-8a6057a/

Website - https://www.borgmancapital.com/


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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

On this episode of The Exit, presented by Flippa, Steve McGarry sits down with Elliot Omanson, CEO of OWLFI, to discuss the decisions that determine whether an owner walks away from an exit with wealth preserved—or leaves money on the table.

Elliot explains how to know when to walk away, how to think about exit timing, and why tax strategy should be part of the plan well before a transaction closes. They also discuss Elliot’s book, Keep What You’ve Earned, and practical ways business owners can protect the wealth they’ve built.

Learn more:
OWLFI: https://owlfi.com
Elliot Omanson: https://elliotomanson.com
Connect with Elliot on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-omanson/
Get your Flippa business valuation: https://flippa.com/exit

The Exit is presented by Flippa.