Alexis Sikorsky

Alexis Sikorsky is a seasoned entrepreneur and strategic advisor who helps founders scale beyond revenue plateaus and prepare for successful exits. With decades of experience in international leadership and boardroom negotiations, Alexis brings both practical know-how and a proven track record. He founded and scaled New Access, a Switzerland-based software company, which he eventually sold in a $100M+ private equity deal. His flagship book, Cashing Out, introduces the APEX methodology – Assess, Plan, Execute, Exit – a framework designed to help founders restructure, scale, and engineer their next chapter with confidence. Now leading Sikorsky Consulting and KnightScale Partners, Alexis works with growth-stage businesses generating $5M+ annually, empowering them to break through invisible walls like delegation hesitation, operational sprawl, and culture drift. His lived experience and transformative insights position him as a trusted advisor for entrepreneurs aiming to scale sustainably and exit strategically.

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Why do so many founders stall between $5M and $20M—and how can they finally break through to sustainable scale?

In this episode of Talking with the Experts, Rose Davidson interviews Alexis Sikorsky, a seasoned entrepreneur and advisor who has personally navigated the highs and lows of scaling. Having founded, grown, and sold New Access in a $100M+ private equity exit, Alexis now dedicates his expertise to guiding founders through the complex “stretch” phase of growth.

Alexis dives deep into the invisible traps founders face: delegation hesitation, culture drift, and operational sprawl. These challenges often leave leaders feeling successful yet stretched to breaking point. With clarity and lived experience, Alexis explains how to overcome these barriers by restructuring operations, tracking the right metrics, and outsourcing strategically.

Central to his approach is the APEX methodology – Assess, Plan, Execute, Exit – a framework that demystifies growth and empowers founders to engineer their next chapter, whether that’s scaling sustainably or preparing for a private equity exit.

This episode delivers not just inspiration but actionable strategies. Alexis’ insights are particularly valuable for growth-stage businesses generating $5M+ in annual revenue who want to break the ceiling and scale confidently.

If you’re a founder stuck in the growth plateau, this conversation will show you how to stop doing what holds you back and start building a business that scales beyond you.

📌 Three Key Takeaways

1. Why founders plateau between $5M and $20M—and the hidden traps that cause it.
2. How to use the APEX methodology to restructure for sustainable scale.
3. What to stop doing, start tracking, and outsource immediately for growth.

Alexis Sikorsky’s Business Exit Experience

• Banking software company was built to $10-12 million revenue with $3 million EBITDA by 2007
• Global financial crisis in 2008 resulted in 75% revenue loss on a single phone call due to 100% customer base being banks
• Five to six years of difficult recovery followed including cutting three-quarters of the company and monthly house mortgaging
• Private equity contacted Alexis in 2014-2015 when he was exhausted and ready to sell
• Honest conversation with French private equity revealed company was at breakeven with no cash
• Promise was made to return to $3-3.5 million EBITDA within two years without auction if reasonable offer was made
• Private equity proposed buying immediately using projected two-year EBITDA with 85% cash and 15% earnout structure
• Transaction completed successfully despite initial disbelief about the unconventional approach

APEX Methodology Framework

• Four-part framework consists of Assess, Plan, Execute and Exit phases designed as guidelines rather than rigid steps
• Assessment phase helps founders define clear company goals and distinguish between lifestyle businesses versus growth-oriented exits
• Companies reaching $6-10 million revenue typically experience serious growing pains that the methodology addresses
• Founders often lack knowledge about their own numbers, customers, unique selling propositions and markets due to confusing urgent tasks with important ones
• Planning phase establishes achievable goals within four-year timeframes and determines growth strategies including organic growth or M&A
• Execution phase involves monthly check-ins through board meetings with plan adjustments and pivots as needed
• Exit phase provides technical knowledge required for private equity transactions to avoid leaving money on the table

Target Client Profile and Service Delivery

• Primary focus targets founder-led businesses generating $8-20 million in revenue who are mission-driven and opportunity-rich
• Companies below this range can typically solve their problems without expert-level intervention
• Ideal clients have been grinding for years to reach $10 million and face growth pains around affording C-level executives
• Two service models include advisory “founder whisperer” role and full-team intervention approach
• Team intervention involves 12-20 experienced professionals including CFO, CTO, head of sales, marketing and HR
• Storm-in approach establishes procedures, transforms companies over several months, installs permanent staff, then withdraws

Exit Strategy and Due Diligence Advice

• Company valuation accuracy is crucial as founders typically undervalue their businesses while private equity excels at evaluation
• Founders should conduct due diligence on private equity firms despite this being rarely practiced
• Six-month due diligence process on companies is compared to a colonoscopy in terms of difficulty and exhaustion
• Two key areas for private equity due diligence include post-acquisition treatment and avoiding “fish and chip” tactics
• Fish and chip tactic involves initial high valuation offers followed by systematic reduction during due diligence process
• Due diligence technique involves requesting five reference contacts from private equity then contacting other portfolio company founders instead
• LinkedIn outreach to previous acquisition founders provides honest feedback about private equity experiences

Book and Contact Information

• Cashing Out book provides knowledge and processes for achieving business exits without being a step-by-step personal development guide
• Book availability includes Amazon, Audible and other standard platforms with easy searchability due to unique author name
• Contact methods include LinkedIn, Instagram and website at asikorsky.com for founders considering exit strategies

• Alexis Sikorsky built a banking software company to $10-12 million revenue with $3 million EBITDA by 2007, but lost 75% of revenue in one phone call during the 2008 financial crisis when all his bank customers were affected.
• After six years of grinding through the crisis, cutting three-quarters of the company and mortgaging his house monthly, Alexis was exhausted and ready to sell by 2014-2015.
• A French private equity firm approached Alexis when his company was barely breakeven at $10-12 million revenue, and he honestly told them he wanted to sell but the company was worth zero at that time.
• Instead of waiting two years as Alexis suggested, the private equity firm asked him to create a business plan in one week and then offered to buy the company immediately using projected EBITDA from two years out with 85% cash and 15% earnout.
• The APEX methodology serves as a guideline for companies hitting serious growing pains at the $6-10 million revenue mark, helping founders with fantastic engines but tiny steering wheels who don’t know where they’re going.
• Assessment reveals that most founders of $10 million companies surprisingly know very little about their businesses, including getting financial numbers only once a year, not knowing their customers’ needs, and lacking clarity on their unique selling proposition.
• Founders must identify tasks they are uniquely qualified to do, with multimillion-dollar company founders focusing primarily on talking to investors, while $8-10 million company founders should handle clients, investors, and strategy.
• Planning requires establishing a specific financial number the founder needs to live comfortably without working, and Alexis only works with clients whose goals are achievable within four years since he doesn’t believe in plans longer than that.
• Execution involves monthly check-ins through board meetings while allowing founders to implement their plans with frequent pivoting and fine-tuning as market conditions change.
• Exiting requires technical knowledge that founders typically lack, and Alexis estimates he would be $50 million richer and sold five years earlier if he had known then what he knows now.
• Alexis targets founder-led businesses generating $8-20 million in revenue, specifically mission-driven founders who have been grinding for years and need C-level expertise they cannot afford.
• Beyond advisory services, Alexis leads a team of 12-20 experienced professionals who storm into companies as a complete package including CFO, CTO, head of sales, marketing, and HR to transform operations before pulling out.
• Founders considering exit should accurately value their company since private equity firms excel at evaluation while founders typically undervalue by about 20%, and should conduct due diligence on potential buyers.
• Due diligence on private equity firms should focus on how they treat founders post-acquisition and avoiding the “fish and chip” tactic where they offer high valuations then systematically reduce them during the six-month due diligence process.

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