Ever heard of a Sharkpreneur™? Gerard Perillo of Shark Team EXP in Destin has just trademarked the term following his recent Amazon book launch of the same name; Sharkpreneur: Bite-sized Strategies For Selling Your Business with The Shark Team.
“My book is a roadmap for business owners to prepare their businesses for sale,” Gerard said. “We are going to create a community of business owners that we call Sharkpreneurs.”
In his book, Gerard defines the term. “A Sharkpreneur™ is a savvy business owner who navigates the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship with the precision and agility of a shark. Harnessing keen instincts, a Sharkpreneur anticipates market shifts, capitalizes on opportunities with swift decisions, and confidently tackles challenges head-on. With a hunger for success and an unyielding drive, they dominate their niche, always staying ahead of the competition. In a sea of business ventures, a Sharkpreneur stands out, leading with vision, adaptability, and relentless determination. All of the Shark Team’s clients are Sharkpreneurs.”
But why the term shark? Gerard is not only an ICON Business Broker with every certification you can imagine to his name, but he also developed software for valuing businesses and launched it with Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington back in 2021.
“During the pandemic, we knew businesses were all going to be impacted, so I developed a software called Today’s VAL that determines the value of your business,” Gerard said. “The idea behind it was so that businesses would be able to know how the pandemic impacted them. Just like your credit score, if you own a business, you should know what it’s worth. Our mission is to have every business owner know the value of their business so that they know the right time to exit, sell their business and retire.”
Currently, Gerard’s team is the only brokerage in the U.S. that offers Today’s VAL, his unique software that integrates directly with QuickBooks. Gerard explained that Shark Team EXP not only knows what they are doing and has the credentials to back it up; but they are dedicated to creating a community of business owners who cheer one another on and share like-minded goals to strive for the best possible outcome in creating, buying and selling their businesses.
“There really is no other business brokerage in the United States that has our credentials,” Gerard said. “We are relentless and tenacious in pursuing our clients and have a 96 percent close rate. We know what we are doing so we don’t over-inflate or understate the price, therefore maximizing what the owner receives when selling the business. We have closed 285 million businesses over the past 20 years both on a local and national level.”
When asked about his team, Gerard said he has the best of the best serving right here on the Emerald Coast.
"With the Shark Team, I have an incredible team," he said. "In this industry, it’s dominated by men, so I like to promote our women Kelly Schmidt and Angel Orth. These two women are my shining stars, my closers and the ones I am pushing to take over the business brokerage industry, both are very successful women with a 100-pecent close rate."
For Gerard, the Emerald Coast is close to his heart because he is a Northwest Florida native. Born and raised in Fort Walton Beach, Gerard said he just helped his own parents sell their local favorite, long-time family eatery Joe & Eddies Restaurant.
"My parents owned and operated Joe and Eddies Restaurant since 1954, and we just sold it a little over a year ago,” Gerard said. “Most business owners are very emotionally attached to their businesses and do not know what to do when they are ready to retire. We are here to help them, to show them the steps to sell their business before they are forced to sell. I really have a passion for the mom and pop businesses because they drive this country and make it what it is today, so we want to be there to help them.”
Find Shark Team EXP at www.sharkteamflorida.com or check out Gerard Perillo's book, Sharkpreneur: Bite-Sized Strategies for Selling Your Business With the Shark Team on Amazon.
“We are going to create a community of business owners that we call Sharkpreneurs.”