Scale to Exit™ with Alejandra Santos

Are you an aspiring business owner with big dreams and a vision? Then this is your podcast. Alejandra Santos is a seasoned business owner, strategist, Fractional COFO, and Certified Exit Planner who has helped hundreds of businesses scale lean and prepare for an exit. In this podcast, she shares the secret sauce of what makes a business valuable, interviews successful entrepreneurs, and shares mistakes so you can get the roadmap you need to build or scale your company for an exit. Alejandra Santos is the proud owner and CEO of Into the Next Consulting™, The Educated CEO™, Comeverge™, and the Scale to Exit podcast™. Connect with her on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/aalejandrasantos and www.thealejandrasantos.com Is your business truly scale-ready or exit-ready? Discover the answer with our proprietary Scale and Exit Readiness Index™

Scale to Exit™ with Alejandra Santos is a business podcast hosted by Alejandra Santos, with 45 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Alejandra Santos hosts Scale to Exit™ with Alejandra Santos, a business show with 45 episodes published.

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  Episode #40

  How to Align Yourself to Your Type of Exit with Alejandra Santos

  Nov 7, 202518 minS5

  Not every exit looks like selling your company for millions — and not every founder wants that. In this solo episode, Alejandra Santos breaks down the different types of exits founders and business owners can pursue — from strategic sales and recapitalizations to management buyouts, family transitions, and simply stepping back from day-to-day operations. You’ll learn how to: 💡 Define what “exit” truly means for you 💡 Identify your “freedom number” — the number that gives you the life you actually want 💡 Understand how personal factors (like health, burnout, or retirement goals) influence your ideal exit path 💡 Evaluate the trade-offs between selling, staying involved, or delegating operations Whether you’re building toward retirement, preparing for a market-timed sale, or simply craving more freedom from your business, this episode helps you get clear, grounded, and aligned with your next move. You can connect with Alejandra Santos https://www.linkedin.com/in/aalejandrasantos www.intothenext.com www.thealejandrasantos.com

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  Episode #39

  Bootstrapped to Exit: How Justin Gray Built, Sold & Now Backs Founders

  Oct 29, 20251h 1mS4

  Serial entrepreneur turned VC, Justin Gray, joins Alejandra to unpack how he built LeadMD from a bedroom idea to $17M in revenue, exited at the top of the market, and why his operator-immersive VC model bets on singles, doubles, and triples, not unicorn lottery tickets. We get tactical on making revenue predictable, using equity to retain A-players, diagnosing a real pipeline (not hope), and knowing when it’s time to sell emotionally and operationally. If you’re scaling a services or vertical SaaS company, this is your masterclass. You’ll learn: bootstrapping vs. VC, GTM hiring that actually works, partner ecosystems that spark M&A, and how to prep your business so buyers believe your forecast. Hit follow, share with a founder friend! Show notes/highlights. Bootstrapping mindset vs. venture fuel Building predictable revenue (and what “real pipeline” means) Equity as a retention engine in services Timing the exit: performance + founder energy Operator-immersive VC: hands-on GTM help Partners as your M&A on-ramp You can connect with Justin Gray on https://www.linkedin.com/in/inrevenue/

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  Episode #38

  Turning Big Vision into Real Results: How to Align Your Team Using the Balanced Scorecard with Alejandra Santos

  Oct 15, 202517 minS4

  Every founder starts with a vision, but somewhere between the whiteboard and the workday, that vision gets lost in the noise of operations. In this episode, Alejandra Santos breaks down how to use the Balanced Scorecard to turn your vision and mission into a living, breathing strategy that guides every decision across your business. Discover how to align your leadership team, define what success actually looks like, and create clarity so every employee understands how their role contributes to the bigger picture. Whether you’re preparing for an exit or simply want more freedom, structure, and focus, this episode will help you build a company that runs with intention, not by accident. Connect with Alejandra Santos https://www.linkedin.com/in/aalejandrasantos www.thealejandrasantos.com www.intothenext.com

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  Episode #37

  From Red Picnic Basket to 6 Locations: How Amy Chinian Is Disrupting Lice Care

  Oct 10, 20251 hourS4

  In this conversation, Amy shares how an “itchy” crisis during pregnancy led to the creation of a purpose-driven company with six locations, a private-label product line, and thousands of happy families. We cover the real costs of Amazon, why YouTube & micro-influencers are next, how to keep rent low while expanding, protecting culture when hiring, and what buyers look for when you’re planning an exit. You’ll learn: How to test new markets before signing a lease The hiring lens Amy uses to find needle-in-a-haystack teammates Diversifying revenue: salon, in-home, schools/camps, Amazon, DTC The KPIs that make your business predictable (and acquirable) Preparing for exit: moving to employees, reviews, and repeatable ops Connect with Amy: myhairhelpers.com • TikTok/IG/FB/YT: @myhairhelpers Free resource mentioned: Scale & Exit Readiness Index™ (Alejandra’s quick assessment) Into the Next Enterprises

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  Episode #36

  Exit Strategy as a Business Strategy for Hiring & Retaining Employees with Alejandra Santos

  Oct 1, 202525 minS4

  Exit planning isn’t something you only think about when you’re ready to sell it’s something you build every single day through the choices you make about your team. In this solo episode of Scale to Exit, Alejandra Santos dives deep into why employees are one of the most important and overlooked multipliers of business value. From hiring and training to incentives, culture, and retention, every decision shapes whether your company will be worth 2x or 5x in a future transaction. Alejandra shares practical strategies for turning everyday employee decisions into long-term value drivers, including: How to hire with exit in mind (long-term value vs. quick fixes). Why training and development increase both continuity and company worth. The power of equity, incentives, and culture in retaining A-players. How employees can be your biggest multiplier or your biggest risk. If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not planning to exit anytime soon, so why does this matter?” this episode is for you. Learn how building a transferable, scalable business starts with the people decisions you’re making right now. You can connect with Alejandra Santos www.thealejandrasantos.com www.intothenext.com or email her at alejandra@thealejandrasantos.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/aalejandrasantos

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