Building Transferable Businesses: Greg DeSimone's Client-First Approach to Business Exits

🎙️ Prepared to Sell: Greg DeSimone's Journey From Corporate Finance to Exit Advisory

In this episode, Greg DeSimone, founder and president of Catapult Advisory Group, shares how a corporate finance career built on compliance work and 80-hour weeks led to a panic disorder diagnosis, an unceremonious firing, and eventually a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm built on honest referrals rather than hard selling. Greg opens up about the staff revolt that reshaped his leadership style, the moment he walked out of a New York office and kept walking, and how he built Catapult from six LinkedIn contacts into a firm serving family businesses nationwide.

✨ Key Insights You'll Learn:

• Spent four years auditing companies at Deloitte before moving into controller roles

• Cut a monthly close cycle from roughly 25 days to 8 by moving routine work earlier in the month

• Generated over a million dollars in unbudgeted revenue by convincing two large clients to buy out discontinued software licenses

• Survived a staff revolt at Domain Home that reshaped how he communicated with his team

• Migrated five company acquisitions onto Oracle Financials while at Staples

• Developed general panic disorder while working 60 to 80 hour weeks at Princeton Review

• Was fired after a subordinate's uncaught error delayed a public filing, and walked away without severance or bonus

• Founded Catapult Advisory Group in 2008 during the financial crisis through a partnership with Focal Point Business Coaching

• Built his first clients from just six honest, no-pressure conversations with LinkedIn contacts

• Tracks referrals given versus received and has averaged nearly two back for every one given

🌟 Greg's Key Mentors:

• The CEO and CFO of Domain Home: Mentored him early in his career and helped him see the human side of leading a finance team

• His Staff at Domain Home: Their pushback, though painful, taught him how to lead without demotivating people

• David Humphrey and Jeff Muir: Mentors at B Connecticut Advisors who helped him jumpstart the transactional side of his advisory work

• His Wife: Urged him to walk away from a toxic work environment rather than accept a face-saving compromise

👉 Hear how a finance executive who once developed panic disorder from corporate pressure built an exit planning firm rooted in honesty, patience, and helping family businesses transfer well.

🔗 Connect with Greg DeSimone:

Website: catapultadvisorygroup.com

📄 Transcript Available: Building Transferable Businesses:  Greg DeSimone's Client-First Approach to Business Exits

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