#101 - Penny Zamkov (MyChapterRoom)

Penny Zamkov joins Carrie Kerpen to share how she built My Chapter Room over nearly 25 years and eventually decided to sell before reaching burnout. She talks about scaling the business, finding the right acquirer, and why preserving the company’s future mattered just as much as getting the deal done.----This episode is sponsored by:Luminary, a global professional community where founders, investors, and professionals come together to learn, connect, and grow. Use code WHISPER10 for 10% off your first 12 months of membership at www.weareluminary.com. The Whisper Group helps women founders get exit-ready by connecting them with experienced exited entrepreneurs for the strategy, guidance, and support they need to prepare for a successful exit. Learn more at www.wearethewhispergroup.com.----1:10 - Welcome & Penny's Background  3:01 - The Origin of My Chapter Room  6:02 - Scaling Through Goldman Sachs  9:00 - The Sales Challenge  11:12 - Landing a National Account & COVID  13:55 - Deciding It's Time to Exit  15:29 - Finding the Right Acquirer  17:35 - Why Phired Up  20:01 - Navigating the Acquisition Process  22:31 - Life After the Exit — KPJ Collective  24:36 - Reflections & Regrets  

Gail Becker shares how she left corporate America, invested in an idea almost no manufacturer wanted to make, and built CAULIPOWER into a major frozen food brand. Years later, her exit brought the story full circle when the manufacturer that took a chance on her at the beginning became part of the deal.This episode is sponsored by:Luminary, a global professional community where founders, investors, and professionals come together to learn, connect, and grow. Use code WHISPER10 for 10% off your first 12 months of membership at www.weareluminary.com. The Whisper Group helps women founders get exit-ready by connecting them with experienced exited entrepreneurs for the strategy, guidance, and support they need to prepare for a successful exit. Learn more at www.wearethewhispergroup.com.2:40 - CAULIPOWER's Origin Story4:57 - Taking the Leap6:44 - Funding & Scaling Frozen Food10:24 - Raising VC & Going into Walmart13:06 - Cauliflower as a Movement15:57 - Finding a Manufacturer18:53 - The Exit Story24:49 - Post-Deal Feelings27:42 - Advice for Founders30:07 - Tuning Out the Noise

Carey Peters shares the story behind building Health Coach Institute to nine figures, taking on private equity, losing control, and navigating a final sale that didn't happen the way she expected. It's a candid conversation about ownership, investor dynamics, founder knowledge, and what Carey learned when things went sideways.You can find Carey at www.CareyPeters.com----This episode is sponsored by Jessika Graham. Jessika Graham is an M&A attorney who works closely with female founders helping them understand the deal, protect their interests, and move through the sale process with clarity.Connect with Jessika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgrahamesq/----2:12 - From Actress to Coach: An Unconventional Start6:36 - Struggling as a Coach & Meeting Stacy7:35 - Co-founding Holistic MBA14:20 - Building Health Coach Institute (HCI)17:14 - The Platform Play & Acquiring Schools22:55 - Taking Private Equity: What Changed32:24 - The Final Sale: When Things Go Sideways38:42 - Reflections: Surrender, Growth & What's Next

M&A attorney Jessika Graham joins Carrie Kerpen to break down what founders need to know before an exit, from getting your contracts and IP in order to choosing the right attorney, understanding what you're signing, protecting your leverage, and why ChatGPT should never replace real legal counsel during a transaction.----This episode is sponsored by Jessika Graham. Jessika Graham is an M&A attorney who works closely with female founders on the sell side, helping them understand the deal, protect their interests, and move through the sale process with clarity. Connect with Jessika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgrahamesq/----2:23 - Jessica's Path Into Law3:00 - From Bankruptcy to Transactional Law5:56 - Finding Her Place in M&A8:14 - Championing Female Founders11:26 - What Makes or Breaks a Deal13:21 - Hiring the Right M&A Attorney16:06 - EBITDA & Educating on Instagram18:35 - ChatGPT in Legal20:36 - Privilege, Trust & Walking Through Documents21:50 - The Missing Link in Legal23:13 - Transparent Pricing24:55 - Final Advice for Female Founders

Ingrid Zapata Read joins Carrie Kerpen to share how she built Working Momkind into a community of more than 250,000 moms, stepped into a new chapter, and later realized the brand, audience, and partnerships she had built were valuable enough to sell.----This episode is sponsored by:Luminary, a global professional community where founders, investors, and professionals come together to learn, connect, and grow. Use code WHISPER10 for 10% off your first 12 months of membership at www.weareluminary.com. The Whisper Group helps women founders get exit-ready by connecting them with experienced exited entrepreneurs for the strategy, guidance, and support they need to prepare for a successful exit. Learn more at www.wearethewhispergroup.com.----1:17 - Meet Ingrid Zapata Reid3:16 - Building Working Momkind7:32 - Growing the Private Community9:17 - Monetizing & Becoming the Queen of Pivoting14:30 - Deciding to Sell19:48 - Valuing the Asset22:23 - The Deal & Partnership with Trish25:00 - What's Next for Ingrid

Carrie Kerpen sits down with Jessica Zweig to talk about building SimplyBe., hitting burnout, and choosing an exit that gave her freedom. Jessica shares how she negotiated with buyers, protected her team, and stepped into her next chapter without apologizing for wanting more.4:30 - Building SimplyBe8:02 - Burnout and the Decision to Sell11:52 - The Egypt Trip and Mindset Shift14:48 - Negotiating the Hawk Media Deal22:06 - Life After the Exit25:59 - Building the Feminine Frequency Business School29:24 - Closing Thoughts

Sharon Thony Lee sold SLT Consulting to Fiverr just two years after starting the agency and spent the next five years operating it inside the public company. Then she realized something she hadn't considered before: she could buy it back.Sharon shares what it took to become an owner again, how she's running SLTC differently this time, and why she's already building toward another potential exit.----This episode is sponsored by Luminary, a global professional community where founders, investors, and professionals come together to learn, connect, and grow. Use code WHISPER10 for 10% off your first 12 months of membership at www.weareluminary.com.----1:09 - Welcome Back & Recap2:12 - SLTC's Origin & Sale to Fiverr3:14 - Realizing She Could Buy It Back9:55 - The Back-of-the-Napkin Moment13:20 - Running SLTC Differently15:39 - The Future & Next Exit Plan

Cate Luzio joins Carrie Kerpen to break down how founders can use acquisitions to grow. She shares what buyers actually look for, why profit matters more than potential, and how to evaluate whether a company is truly worth acquiring.----This episode is sponsored by Luminary, a global professional community where founders, investors, and professionals come together to learn, connect, and grow. Use code WHISPER10 for 10% off your first 12 months of membership at www.weareluminary.com.----2:32 - Leaving Corporate America6:01 - Building the Original Business Plan9:11 - Bootstrapping vs. Raising Funds15:20 - Building the Partner Network & COVID Pivot18:39 - Surviving COVID & Digital Membership21:28 - First Acquisition: Declare27:02 - Sourcing Acquisitions Through Luminary Members30:40 - Deal Structuring & Lessons From Failed Deals35:22 - Exit Planning Philosophy38:04 - Advice for Women Entrepreneurs & Closing

Bridget Firtle joins Carrie Kerpen to share how she built Owney’s Rum, sold it, stepped away, and bought the brand back. This conversation is about identity, timing, founder instinct, and what changes when you get the chance to build again with more experience and a bigger vision.----This episode is sponsored by Luminary, a global professional community where founders, investors, and professionals come together to learn, connect, and grow. Use code WHISPER10 for 10% off your first 12 months of membership at www.weareluminary.com.----2:20 - The Buyback Story Begins4:36 - Untangling Identity from Owney’s6:26 - How the Deal Came Together12:18 - 20s vs. 40s: Building With More Wisdom16:11 - Building Beyond Owney’s: The Bigger Vision17:50 - Lessons Learned & What's Next

Carrie Kerpen sits down with Sharon Gillenwater to unpack how she went from a $25 million exit to trying to buy back the company she sold and deciding to rebuild from scratch.-----This episode is sponsored by Luminary, a global professional community where founders, investors, and professionals come together to learn, connect, and grow. Use code WHISPER10 for 10% off your first 12 months of membership at www.weareluminary.com.----1:05 - From TikTok Fame to Shutdown1:58 - Trying to Buy the Company Back7:30 - No Non-Compete, Deciding to Rebuild9:33 - Customer Demand Forces the Decision13:55 - Funding the Restart18:06 - Building with AI, Then and Now22:50 - What Winning Looks Like This Time23:46 - Thinking About the Next Exit