Gal Danay - How to Survive When Your Model Collapses Overnight

If this was useful, the letter goes further: one short insider note each week on what I'm seeing in live deals right now. It's free, it's two minutes, and replies come straight to me. Join at https://thejmichael.com/letter. Grow Your Wealth: https://rebrand.ly/dbd-investment-47fca2 | Get your copy of Feel Fully Alive: https://rebrand.ly/83d770 What if the business that changes your life is one you never set out to build? Gal Danay never planned to sell macaroons. A two-week holiday pop-up in Bryant Park turned into $250,000 in nine weeks, and he and his partners looked at each other and said, Woops, we have a business. In this episode, J. Michael Fischer Jr. talks with the co-founder of Woops! about turning an accident into a national franchise. They get into why a CPA background saved the company when COVID knocked revenue to zero overnight, why he built a franchise he wishes he'd had as a young franchisee, and how the model keeps changing as shoppers leave the mall for a trailer that comes to them. If you are building something that has to survive what you cannot predict, this is the operator's view most founders get too late. Watch now. ⌛ Timestamps: 00:00 — The simple idea that turned into something nobody saw coming 03:07 — The accounting instinct that carried the company through COVID 06:01 — The side hustle that pulled in a quarter million in nine weeks 08:30 — The moment mall leasing agents started calling them 09:08 — Where the name Woops actually came from 09:50 — Why he bet the whole company on franchising 10:50 — Inside the 10,000-square-foot bakery he ran before he was ready 11:52 — The sourcing move that quietly helped them survive 14:40 — The uncomfortable truth about the mall business today 14:56 — The new model that brings the shop to the customer 17:41 — The four months revenue sat at zero 18:51 — How a cold call turned into a seven-figure customer 20:32 — The one document every partnership needs from day one 23:25 — The small yes that changed the course of his life 📌 About the Guest Gal Danay is a co-founder of Woops!, the macaroon and gifting brand that grew from a 2012 holiday pop-up at Bryant Park into a national franchise with roughly 50 locations. A certified public accountant and Pace University graduate, he started his career as a managing partner and franchisee of Aroma Espresso Bar in Manhattan, then helped build Woops! from its first mall kiosk onward. He has led the company's bakery and franchise operations and held senior financial and executive leadership roles, and is widely regarded as a franchising expert. Order Woops! macaroons and gifting at bywoops.com, through the Woops! app, or on Instagram at @bywoops. 🔗 Connect with Gal:   / gal-danay   🌐Learn more about Woops!: https://bywoops.com |   / bywoops   📌 Important Links Learn More About DBD Investment Bank: https://rebrand.ly/dimensionsf37f2b Connect with Michael: https://rebrand.ly/7e3544 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on business growth, exits, and what it really takes to build lasting success. #BusinessExit #ExitStrategy #GoingBeyondTheDeal #jmichaelfischerjr #Entrepreneurship #InvestmentBanking #DealMaking