Kristie S hifflette built a 13-location Orangetheory Fitness empire from scratch—bootstrapping a capital-hungry business, personally guaranteeing leases, and taking on risk most founders wouldn't touch. In the end, it paid off for Kristie and in this episode, y ou'll discover how to: Bootstrap a capital-intensive business without giving up control Reduce your risk when taking on an investor Attract entrepreneurial employees who will care as much as you do Think about the $10 million milestone (and why it matters to private equity) Know when to take some chips off the table—and when to double down Ace management presentations with an acquirer Play hard to get (even when you want to sell) Get an acquirer to bump up their offer Max out an earn-out payment—even if you don't quite hit your targets Spot an acquisition offer that's likely to be re-traded
