We Build Business Owners, Not Just Businesses

Most people think you need a groundbreaking idea to build wealth. I thought that too—until I got fired from my six-figure job in financial services while making offers on my first business acquisition.

That same month, my offer got accepted.

I had spent years in the financial services sector, including time at Wells Fargo, but I had been secretly learning mergers and acquisitions from a mentor who raised $320 million from Goldman Sachs and completed over $5 billion in transactions. He taught me what most people never learn: the wealthiest people don't start from scratch—they use the private equity playbook to acquire, build, and sell.

That first deal almost destroyed me. I ended up $240,000 in debt overnight. But because I had structured it correctly, I walked away clean. Structure protects you when things go wrong—and they will.

Over the next decade, I founded six profitable businesses—three hit seven figures. I acquired equity in two more and successfully exited two, including Fresh Heritage, the men's grooming brand I built with my brother from zero to multiple seven figures in four years.

Fresh Heritage was acquired by a $250M private equity firm. I stayed on as an advisor and watched them acquire 20+ companies in two years—learning the playbook from the inside as both operator and dealmaker.

Across all my ventures and advisory work, I've been involved in nine transactions totaling over $50 million in combined enterprise value. I've raised over $15 million in capital and helped companies collectively generating $96M+ in annual revenue grow and exit successfully.

The pattern became clear: real wealth comes from mastering all three phases—acquire, build, and sell.

But none of that would have been possible without the turning point in 2019.

Fresh Heritage was growing fast—but falling apart. Cash flow problems. Supply chain chaos. Team burnout. I was working 80-hour weeks and considering shutting it down.

That's when my wife, Natarcia, walked away from her six-figure healthcare executive role. After a medical emergency forced her to step back, she realized she wasn't put on this earth to climb someone else's ladder.

She joined as COO and took over operations, systems, and team development—everything I was terrible at. Within months, we cut expenses, rebuilt our systems, and scaled back to consistent six-figure months with 40% profit margins.

Her superpower? Getting people unstuck. She built the infrastructure that allowed the business to run without me and helped me see what I was really good at—and what I needed to let go of.

With her systems in place, we had a business that was sellable. And when the PE firm came calling, we were ready.

After our exit, we kept seeing the same problem: talented people trapped in W2 jobs or grinding in businesses they built from scratch, with no clear path to freedom.

Most don't have a mentor who raised $320M from Goldman Sachs. They don't have a partner who can build operational excellence from chaos. And they certainly don't have access to the private equity playbook that creates generational wealth.

That's why companies like Amazon, Shopify, UPS, and JPMorgan Chase's Black Ambition hired us to train their business owner communities. They saw what we saw: the private equity playbook works—but only if you have access to it.

Right now, there's a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Baby Boomers are retiring in record numbers, and profitable businesses are hitting the market at rates we won't see again after 2030. These aren't struggling startups—they're cash-flowing, systems-driven businesses that can be acquired without the 5-year grind to profitability or the 90% failure rate most startups face.

That's why we created Codner & Co.

We help ambitious professionals become confident business owners by teaching them how to Acquire, Build, and Sell businesses the smart way—using the same strategies private equity firms use, but made accessible for everyday people.

Whether you're a high-income W2 earner looking to take control of your future, or an existing business owner ready to grow through acquisition, we've been on both sides of the table.

Natarcia leads our clients through the operational and mindset shifts that turn overwhelmed professionals into confident owners. I lead the deal strategy, structuring, and M&A process that makes acquisition realistic—even if you've never done it before.

Together, we've built a proven system to help you acquire businesses, scale them with systems, and exit on your terms—without the startup risk or the guesswork.

The opportunity is here. The window is open.

Let's build your freedom together.