Jessica Fialkovich’s company Exit Factor, which assists entrepreneurs with selling their companies, has come into the world of franchising during what she called a critical time for businesses.
“Baby Boomers are retiring and it’s going to cause the biggest mass-exit of businesses that we’re ever going to see in our lifetimes over the next 10 years,” Fialkovich said. “Because of that, we have aggressive growth goals because we want to get to those businesses before they make some major mistakes.”
Fialkovich said less than 20 percent of all businesses are able to sell, with eight out of 10 often going out of business and getting nothing for their efforts. Even when businesses are sold, they’re not always entirely successful, as Fialkovich learned herself.
“I had built and sold a luxury wine business that I exited in 2012,” Fialkovich said. “At that time when I sold my company, I realized I walked away from that sale and didn’t get everything out of it I wanted. I started thinking about how I could have done better, and what I could have done in advance.”
In the following years, Fialkovich started franchising with brokerage brand Transworld Business Advisors. As a franchisee, the idea of improving exit strategies for businesses stayed in Fialkovich’s mind and, in 2018, she began formalizing a program for business owners.
Exit Factor Founder Jessica Fialkovich
She launched the brand that year, originally under the name Prep-To-Sell. After some beta-testing, the company rebranded to Exit Factor. A few years later, Fialkovich received a suggestion to franchise the brand with Starpoint Brands, a company she was already familiar with.
Related: Exit Factor joins United Franchise Group’s Business Consulting Division
“We’re still franchisees with Transworld and we’ve known the leadership really well,” Fialkovich said. Transworld Business Advisors is in the Starpoint Brands portfolio, which is part of United Franchise Group.
Fialkovich knows United Franchise Group “CEO Ray Titus as a personal mentor and as a friend,” she said. “We had ongoing discussions and when I started Exit Factor, he said we should bring it into Starpoint Brands and make it a franchise.”
Exit Factor joined Starpoint Brands in 2022. Last year, Fialkovich said the company had a soft start to franchising by offering ownership to those already in the Starpoint portfolio. The brand officially launched its franchise system at the start of 2024, though, and she said they’re looking for potential owners who are service-minded.
“Our franchisees are going to be helping with something close to an entrepreneur’s heart,” Fialkovich said. “We want the people who have a mindset of serving and helping people. We’re also looking for people who have a consulting background or coaching background. We also want past business owners who’ve successfully exited themselves and want to teach others.”
The initial investment range to open an Exit Factor is between $59,415 and $82,345.
The brand has plans to open in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Texas and Utah. In the next three years, Fialkovich said the goal is to be in every major market in the U.S.
“My overarching purpose with Exit Factor is to get more businesses sold and for more money,” Fialkovich said. “Our job is to reverse those existing statistics when it comes to business exits.”