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Hi, I’m Erica!

I’m a 4th-generation entrepreneur, and over the past 17 years, I’ve founded and exited 9 companies.

I’d like to share with you a personal story about where my journey began…

Growing up, my family owned and operated a martial arts school. My dad, alongside my mom and a team of his black belt students, built the building by hand in 1980. Our home was attached to the dojo, a constant reminder of their commitment to their craft and their community.

I remember hearing stories about my mom, 9 months pregnant with me, doing side splits while teaching aerobics classes in the dojo. My dad taught black belt classes with me on his shoulder as an infant.

My parents’ passion for entrepreneurship and service shaped my dream of owning a martial arts school of my own one day.

At age 18, after years of business training and working for my dad, I opened my first branch location. Over the next eight years, I scaled it into one of the world’s top martial arts schools—managing 26 employees and multiple programs in a 10,000 sq/ft state-of-the-art facility. By 26, I had achieved the lifetime goal I set as a teenager.

I owned one of the top martial arts schools in the world.

But I wanted to do more. I wanted to share the systems I’d developed with other martial arts school owners to help them transform their businesses. This dream led me to launch my first consulting company in 2015. In just 2.5 years, we helped hundreds of school owners serve more families, create jobs, expand to multiple locations, and significantly increase profitability.

Our clients collectively added an additional $10 million in top line revenue after implementing our systems in those first 2.5 years.

Since then, I’ve continued my journey by founding and exiting seven additional businesses across industries, each time refining my expertise in scaling, growth strategy, and maximizing enterprise value. This work fueled my passion for helping business owners begin with the end in mind.

That’s why I earned my Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation. As a CEPA, I specialize in guiding entrepreneurs like you through three critical phases:

Strategic Growth: Helping you streamline operations, improve profitability, and increase your business’s enterprise value.

Value Enhancement: Identifying and implementing changes that make your business more attractive to buyers, partners, or investors.

Exit Planning: Designing a step-by-step roadmap to ensure you achieve your personal, financial, and professional goals when it’s time to sell, transfer, or scale back.

Whether you want to double your revenue, expand to new locations, or prepare your business for a successful exit, I’m here to help you achieve those goals faster and with greater ease.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I’d love to learn more about yours and explore how we can make your vision a reality.

To your success,

Erica Vellanti
President
Vellanti Ventures