Randolph Love III | The Liquidity Journal | Summer 2025

10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day and most have no succession plan for their businesses. Cameron Bishop is proving that an exit doesn't have to mean surrender. It can mean strategy.

From scaling Intertec Publishing, a modest $7 million firm at the time, into a $400 million industry titan, to co-founding Ascend Media, building it from a kitchen-table startup to a $120 million powerhouse backed by J.P. Morgan Chase. Now, he’s guiding others through their final and often most misunderstood chapter: the exit.

In a revealing conversation on The Entreprenudist Podcast: The Place To Hear Real Entrepreneurs and Business Owners Bare It All, Bishop shares hard truths and strategic insights for entrepreneurs looking to unlock the true value of their businesses.

“Most owners spend 95% of their time working in the business, not on it,” Bishop said. “They’re building income, but not value. There’s a difference.”

Now serving as a Managing Director at Raincatcher, a Denver-based investment banking firm focused on lower middle-market business owners, Bishop works primarily with companies earning $1M to $10M in EBITDA. This niche, often too complex for traditional business brokers and too small for bulge-bracket banks, is exactly where Bishop’s experience shines.

Why Most Businesses Don’t Sell

In what he candidly calls “Dr. Phil work,” Bishop coaches business owners not just through the financials, but also the psychological journey of letting go.

“About 70–80% of businesses that try to sell... don’t,” he said. “And it’s not because they’re bad businesses, it’s because they didn’t plan properly. They waited too long, or they never professionalized their books.”

Among the top deal-killers Bishop identifies:

• Poor accounting practices: “Cash basis accounting won’t cut it. Buyers need GAAP-compliant, accrual-based financials.”

• Owner dependency: “If your business can’t function when you go on vacation, it’s not sellable.”

• Lack of succession planning: “Many owners assume their kids want the business. Most haven’t even asked.”

His team at Raincatcher steps in to correct the course, turning chaos into clarity. They don’t just match sellers with buyers, they prep the business for a successful transaction, from reformatting financials to structuring seller notes and earn-outs.

Why the Time to Exit Is Now

Post-COVID, Bishop has noticed a shift. Before the pandemic, most business owners wanted to exit to travel or enjoy retirement. Today, many are just exhausted.

“They’re tired,” he said. “Supply chain disruptions, hiring headaches, inflation; these things crushed their optimism. They’re ready to move on but don’t know how.”

That's where Raincatcher’s hands-on, full-cycle approach comes in. Unlike some firms that disappear after securing a buyer, Bishop's team remains embedded through closing, often acting as a sanity-saving liaison between owners, lawyers, lenders, and tax specialists.

“We bring Wall Street sophistication downstream,” Bishop noted. “We hold your hand from engagement to wire transfer.”

What Sets Raincatcher Apart

The difference, Bishop explains, is service.

Raincatcher doesn’t just broker deals, they shape outcomes. Their team prepares bespoke marketing materials, organizes competitive auctions to drive value, and walks clients through every stage, translating legalese and financial jargon into business-owner language.

And unlike traditional firms that may prioritize volume, Raincatcher specializes in lower middle market companies, a space Bishop knows intimately after decades navigating the private equity world.

The Exit is the Strategy

For Bishop, the best exits are not reactive, they’re engineered. His parting advice to business owners?

“Assume you’ll sell someday, even if you think you won’t. That means professionalizing early. Structure wisely. And most of all… get help.”

Because in business, as in life, doing it alone doesn’t always pay.

If you're a business owner thinking about your future, don’t wait for the stress to force your hand. Visit Raincatcher.com/contact and connect with Cameron Bishop today.

Watch the full interview!

About Cameron Bishop

Cameron Bishop is a seasoned executive, investment banker, and serial entrepreneur. He scaled Intertec Publishing from $7M to $400M, co-founded Ascend Media, and has led exit planning strategies for companies ranging from $2M to $100M. Currently a Managing Director at Raincatcher, Bishop brings decades of M&A experience, strategic insight, and practical compassion to every client he serves.