11:How Alan McLaren Scaled Two Agencies, Built a Personal Branding Powerhouse, and Prepped for Exit
Alan McLaren, Co-founder, Strata Originals
In this episode of From Angel to Exit, host Bruce sits down with Alan McLaren—co-founder of Strata Originals and veteran entrepreneur—to explore the full arc of building, scaling, and exiting businesses with purpose. With roots in corporate Canada, including leadership roles at Canon and ICON, Alan transitioned to entrepreneurship through an IT security venture that led to a successful exit. He later co-founded two marketing firms, culminating in Strata Originals, a personal branding agency for CEOs and founders.
Alan shares how his corporate foundation in process and financial acumen gave him an edge when launching startups—but also how he had to adapt to embrace creativity, risk, and autonomy. At the heart of his journey is a 25-year partnership with co-founder Leanne, grounded in shared values and complementary working styles. Together, they intentionally built a boutique agency model focused on strategic client relationships and quality over scale.
For founder-CEOs looking to sell or scale, Alan delivers unfiltered insights on what really happens during M&A transactions: the emotional toll, the importance of performance continuity, and why expectations must be grounded. He stresses that the best exits are shaped long before a deal is signed—with personal branding, leadership clarity, and life balance at the core.
Alan also offers practical advice on building a defensible calendar, maintaining physical and mental health, and why cultivating authentic relationships can be more valuable than chasing revenue. His mantra: you’re not just building a business—you’re building a life.
This episode is packed with actionable advice on preparing for business exits, managing founder psychology, and using personal branding to scale influence and valuation.
Key Takeaways
Corporate experience builds foundational skills, but entrepreneurship demands creativity and flexibility.
Aligning values is critical to sustaining long-term business partnerships.
Business exits are emotionally complex—founders must prepare mentally, not just financially.
Personal branding helps founder-CEOs drive visibility, valuation, and thought leadership.
Successful M&A requires operational performance and expectation management through the entire deal.
Founders must prioritize health, relationships, and purpose to avoid post-exit burnout.
Defensible calendars protect time and focus across business and personal priorities.
Leaders who invest in people—not just transactions—enjoy deeper, lasting success.
Contact Information:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanmclaren/
