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Episode 244

Exit-Ready: How Women-Led Businesses Can Scale, Sell, and Own Their Worth

In this episode of The Exit: Aggie Chydzinski and Cristy O’Connor, co-founders of Athena Advisory Collective and hosts of the Badass Women in Business podcast share share the real, tactical advice most founders never hear. Between them they have had multiple exits—including turning around failing fitness franchises and scaling operations in manufacturing and tech.

Whether you’re just starting out or already thinking about your second act, this episode will challenge how you think about value, preparedness, and exit timing—especially for women-led businesses.

What you’ll learn:

  • Why building a business that runs without you is the path to premium valuation
  • The Five Ds that force exits—and how to be ready before one hits
  • Why human capital, culture, and clean financials matter more than you think
  • How underpricing services holds women founders back—and how to fix it
  • Why founders (especially women) need to show up with unapologetic confidence—and pitch like they mean it
  • How Cristy rebuilt toxic team cultures and why hiring aligned people from day one is crucial
  • The role of “woo” (like astrology-based assessments) in team alignment and enterprise value

Plus, they break down the gender gap in VC and offer a bold but refreshing take: stop siloing women. Fund the best businesses—no matter who’s leading them.

This is a candid, insightful, and empowering conversation for any founder—but especially those ready to own their value and prepare for a life-changing exit.

Personal &/or Company Bio: Aggie Chydzinski and Cristy O’Connor are the co-founders of Athena Advisory Collective. At Athena, they partner with women-owned businesses and partnerships navigating the real complexities of growth. Athena works alongside these businesses to implement strategies that grow enterprise value and strengthen exit readiness. Whether it is optimizing sales, improving operations, or developing leadership, they help these owners build a business that is scalable, aligned, and ready for what is next. With a focus on clarity, accountability, and measurable impact, Athena Advisory Collective supports the vision of these women-owned businesses every step of the way.

Website: https://www.athenaac.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athenaadvisorycollective

Badass Women in Business Podcast: https://badasswomeninbusinesspodcast.com/

YOUR HOST

Steve McGarry

An entrepreneur, content creator, and investor based in sunny Tampa, Florida. In 2015, while living in San Francisco, Steve sold his first fintech startup LendLayer to Max Levchin’s (founder of PayPal) consumer finance company Affirm.

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