The Growth + Exit Podcast

Expert Advice for Middle Market Business Owners on Growing, De-Risking, and Exiting Their Business

Latest Episodes

In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett sits down with Gabriel Arguello, Founder and CEO of Rent 2 Own Trailers, to discuss how to scale a business while building strong customer relationships. Gabriel shares insights on overcoming financial challenges, maintaining quality control through vertical integration, and using servant leadership to inspire teams.
In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett sits down with Davis Anderson, Founder of The Manufacturers’ Collective, to discuss generational succession in family-owned businesses. Davis shares the lessons he learned from his leadership role, the importance of early succession planning, and advice for navigating difficult family discussions.
In this episode of Growth + Exit, Susan Kearney talks with Doug Tatum, Chairman of Newport LLC, about capital market readiness for emerging growth companies. Doug talks about the rise of private equity add-on deals, the differences between platform and tuck-in strategies, and why founders must shift from an operator to an investor mindset to protect and grow their wealth.
In this episode of Growth + Exit, Heather Bennett sits down with Arlin Sorensen, VP of Ecosystem Evangelism for IT Nation at ConnectWise, to discuss effective growth strategies for businesses. Arlin shares his experience on building loyal teams, handling acquisitions, and the importance of life planning post-exit.

Welcome to the Growth + Exit Podcast, where business owners, CEOs, and industry experts share the inside story of how they’ve grown, strengthened, and successfully exited their companies.

Hosted by Newport Managing Directors Heather Bennett and Susan Kearney, each episode offers candid conversations and practical insights tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of mid-market, privately held businesses.

New episodes drop twice a month.

Meet Your Hosts

Heather Bennett

Heather Bennett

Managing Director, Newport LLC

Corporate leader turned growth strategist, Heather brings 20+ years of experience managing $100MM brands, advising CEOs and entrepreneurs, and helping businesses scale through innovation, marketing, and executive development.

Susan Kearney

Susan Kearney

Managing Director, Newport LLC

A serial entrepreneur, growth expert, and digital innovator, Susan has founded, built, and sold several businesses; partnered successfully with both VC and PE investors; and participated in both buy and sell-side transactions. She leverages this expertise to help business owners scale and exit their companies successfully.

Big news! 🎉 Newport has been named to Inc. Magazine’s 2025 Power Partner Awards list, recognizing the top B2B companies making an impact around the world.

Newport Logo Stacked

10 Strategies to Finance the Growth of Your Business

Fill out the form below to download the infographic.