20: Struggling to Scale Your Expertise? How Thomas Michael Turned SAP Training into a 7-Figure SaaS Exit

Written By Bruce Eckfeldt

Thomas Michael, SAP Expert, Advisor

In this powerful episode of From Angel to Exit, host Bruce Eckfeldt interviews Thomas Michael, a former SAP consultant who built and sold a highly profitable online training business. What began as a simple effort to avoid travel turned into a scalable company that ultimately attracted private equity buyers—and achieved a no-earnout, mostly upfront exit.

Thomas dives into the early days of bootstrapping his company—creating SAP courses solo, then slowly growing a team and a product catalog. With guidance from peer groups like Vistage and EO, and later his own high-powered advisory board, he engineered a strategic pivot to a SaaS subscription model. This shift didn’t just modernize the business—it doubled his exit multiple.

Throughout the conversation, Thomas emphasizes the importance of preparing for exit years in advance. From assembling airtight financials to making himself redundant in operations, he was ready when opportunity struck. But even with a successful exit, the emotional and personal aftermath was unexpected: the silence after Slack messages stopped, the identity shift, and the surprising difficulty of post-exit purpose.

Thomas is now working on six new AI-powered ventures—not out of necessity, but passion. He candidly shares how freedom, not money, was always his driving force, and offers rich insight for founders aiming for similar autonomy.

Whether you're years from exiting or in the middle of planning, this episode is packed with strategic, emotional, and tactical wisdom for building—and leaving—a great business.

Key Takeaways

  • Switching to SaaS doubled the exit multiple through recurring revenue.

  • Preparing for an exit can take 1–2 years—start early and organize everything.

  • Making yourself unimportant in the business is key to a clean transition.

  • Culture by design significantly improves team morale and buyer appeal.

  • A good advisory board can add millions in value pre-exit.

  • Many buyers will lowball; knowing industry multiples is essential.

  • Post-exit identity loss is real—plan ahead for your next chapter.
    Don't underestimate the power of financial and operational clarity in due diligence.

Contact Information:

Bruce Eckfeldt
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19: Managing Mid-Performer Assets: A Tactic for Founders Facing M&A Stagnation