What happens when a $180,000 M&A attorney has a panic attack on the way to work and throws away his legal career for escape rooms? Raleigh Williams built Alcatraz Escape Games from zero to a $26 million exit across four entertainment brands in Utah, Arizona, and Texas. After leaving a prestigious law firm against his father's wishes, Raleigh spent two years in his in-laws' basement before creating an entertainment empire. In this episode of Startups with Stu, host Stuart Draper explores Raleigh's transformation from self-employed business owner to asset builder, including the brutal reality of being told his profitable business was "worth zero" by strategic buyers. Raleigh shares insights on the three stages of entrepreneurship, surviving COVID with $350,000 monthly rent obligations, and why he represented himself through nine transactions instead of using investment bankers. He reveals the mindset shifts required to build a sell-able business and his current work helping entrepreneurs through exitOS and his book "The Creator's Call."

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What happens when a former security company CEO discovers a protein bar so good his kids beg for it daily? Jason Christensen went from teaching business students to building Blue Unicorn, a protein bar brand growing 25% month-over-month with 50% subscription sales. After selling his first company to private equity and spending five years as a BYU professor, Jason stumbled into the food industry when he tasted Dr. Luke Tolley's "unicorn" creation - a fluffy protein bar with impossible nutrition that actually tastes like dessert. In this episode of Startups with Stu, host Stuart Draper dives into Jason's transition from service-based business to consumer products, including the nightmare of promising 3,000 bars before knowing how to make them and the expensive lessons of manufacturing mistakes. Jason shares insights on building subscription-based food businesses, leveraging university partnerships for talent, and the emotional decision to leave comfortable retirement for the startup grind. He reveals why parents hide Blue Unicorn bars from their kids and his strategy for geographic retail expansion across western states.

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What happens when a successful NYC model loses everything, battles depression, and discovers her life purpose through a rescue horse? Natalia Graf-Anders transformed her darkest moment into a multi-million dollar equestrian empire that's revolutionizing how women see themselves in riding apparel. After years of modeling and corporate sales left her empty and dependent on Adderall, Natalia moved back home with nothing but found healing through horses. In this episode of Startups with Stu, host Stuart Draper explores Natalia's journey from three products in her apartment to building Sync Equestrian into a business targeting $5-6 million this year, up from $2.1 million last year. Natalia reveals her psychology-based advertising strategies, the manifestation practices that fuel her success, and her approach to building an empowerment-focused brand that sets trends instead of following them. She shares insights on nervous system training for money mindset, the importance of trusting business intuition, and scaling from solo founder to leading a team while maintaining authentic brand messaging.

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