This week our host Steve McGarry sits down with Ryan Frankel. Ryan is the exited founder of “Verbalize It”, and the Current Founder and CEO of “This App Saves Lives”. Ryan talks about his experience getting sick while traveling and how being unable to communicate with the medical personnel there led him to the idea of developing the translation app, Verbalize It. The two also sit down and discuss some of the details and the steps that Ryan took before the company was purchased by Smartling in 2016. Steve asks Ryan about the right time to sell a business, and Ryan talks about where he is at today with his current company. 


Ryans’ current company, This App Saves Lives, focuses on putting a serious dent in distracted driving by rewarding individuals who choose not to use their phones while driving. Drivers are rewarded by major brands with incentives while driving undistracted. “This App Saves Lives” is a mobile application that was founded after Ryan was severely injured while cycling and being struck by a distracted driver.


LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanvfrankel/

Twitter - @Rvfrankel - https://twitter.com/rvfrankel

Website - https://www.thisappsaveslives.com/

About Me - https://about.me/ryanfrankel



The Exit Meetups - https://flippa.com/the-exit-meetups/




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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Making an Impact from Personal Experience with Ryan Frankel

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In this episode of The Exit, serial entrepreneur and investor Divya Gugnani, founder and CEO of 5 Senses, unpacks her journey from Goldman Sachs to co-founding five companies and selling three, including Send the Trend to QVC. With a background in finance and private equity, Divya attributes her entrepreneurial staying power to strong cash management and a focus on fundamentals.
She shares lessons from building early ventures, from auto parts to culinary media, and how creating hyper-personalized shopping experiences led to her fastest success, selling Send the Trend just 11 months after raising funding. Time at QVC gave her valuable insights into product storytelling, ultimately inspiring her to launch beauty brand Wander Beauty, which became her third successful exit.
Divya’s exit advice is clear: get your house in order early (books, legal, taxes), know what you want from a deal, and hire strong operators so you can focus on the sale process. She emphasizes selling on the upswing when growth and profitability are aligned, creating competition among buyers, and avoiding short-term revenue plays that dilute brand value.
Today, Divya shares her entrepreneurial lessons and AI insights via TikTok, continuing to inspire founders globally.


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Divya Gugnani is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and author with over 20 years of experience building and backing businesses. She is the Founding Partner of Concept to Co., investing in 80+ companies, and the Founder & CEO of 5 SENS, a fine fragrance brand. Previously, she co-founded Wander Beauty, later acquired by Nameless CPG, and Send the Trend, acquired by QVC. Divya began her career in finance at Goldman Sachs, Investcorp, and FirstMark Capital before becoming an “accidental entrepreneur.” Featured widely in top media outlets, she is also the author of Sexy Women Eat, and regularly mentors founders and lectures at leading universities. She holds a B.S. from Cornell, an MBA from Harvard, and trained at the French Culinary Institute.


Website - https://5sens.co/  

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@dgugnani 


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The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/


Timing, Focus, and Bold Moves: How Divya Gugnani Builds and Sells Businesses

The Exit - Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on https://flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Timing, Focus, and Bold Moves: How Divya Gugnani Builds and Sells Businesses

The Exit - Presented By Flippa

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