Aug 24, 2026 · 24 min · 10 segments
From running two successful marketing businesses to shutting one down and selling the other, Mikhailla Fitzgerald has lived through the parts of leadership most founders don’t talk about.Today I’m…
Mikhailla FitzgeraldGuestJess WhatmanHost
In the space of a week, I received two calls from two separate companies.

I started to just do a little bit more research, realized at the time a lot of businesses were being acquired and what happens when acquisitions happen, other businesses build stronger, bigger together and sort of cuts out a lot of the small guys.

I decided to go back to the first conversation and go, all right, let's just explore

I remember going to like the school mums and like meeting for the first time people in a new grade and they're like, oh, what do you do for work? And I'm like, I don't know how to answer this question.
A lot of people might be following you on Instagram, but you've actually built some incredible businesses.
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In the space of a week, I received two calls from two separate companies.

I started to just do a little bit more research, realized at the time a lot of businesses were being acquired and what happens when acquisitions happen, other businesses build stronger, bigger together and sort of cuts out a lot of the small guys.

I decided to go back to the first conversation and go, all right, let's just explore

I remember going to like the school mums and like meeting for the first time people in a new grade and they're like, oh, what do you do for work? And I'm like, I don't know how to answer this question.
A lot of people might be following you on Instagram, but you've actually built some incredible businesses.