I failed at five companies in my teens and twenties. Every single one.

People saw me as a "wantrepreneur" who couldn't actually lead. I didn't know if I had what it took to build something that lasted.

Everything changed when I got married and my wife agreed to let me quit my job for one more shot. I couldn't let this one fail.

So I read every business book I could find. I learned to grow a company the right way. That company grew 31% annually for 10 years straight, from $0 to $2M.

Here's what I learned: Most business owners get stuck at predictable revenue plateaus: $500K, $2M, $5M. The problem isn't strategy. It's isolation.

You're making critical decisions alone that could make or break your business. You need other successful owners who've been where you're going.

That's why I founded The Arena, a revenue accelerator for $200K-$10M business owners. We host peer groups of 6-8 founders who meet monthly (virtually) to solve real problems and break through plateaus together.

Our members grew an average of 15.5% last year:

- One member grew 77% and successfully exited
- Another navigated a difficult partner breakup and grew 23%
- An owner who thought "non-growth was fine" changed his mind and grew 17%

This isn't consulting. It's founders helping founders with battle-tested experience.

Ready to break past your next revenue plateau? Let's talk about whether The Arena is right for you. 

Schedule a call (https://calendly.com/the-arena-network/strategy-call) or send me a message.

The best time to solve tomorrow's problems is with today's peer group.

Luke Womack

Kumo

Building a better way to buy a business. Acquired Feb of 2025

Chief Executive Officer

BuildYourOrg

Leading a team of incredible industry leaders focused on providing professional services and software for SMB Business Owners who want to take things to the next level using well-known business frameworks like the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) coupled with growth-through-acquisition strategies.

Chief Executive Officer / Co-Founder

Acme House Company

Integrator

SpotOn

Primarily focused on the migration and integration of the Appetize Product and its team members into the SpotOn ecosystem.

SVP Product

Appetize

Appetize was sold to SpotOn in September, 2021 for $415M. While CPO at Appetize lead a Product team of 40+ and partnered with an Engineering Team of 200+ Team members to develop best in class Enterprise Omni-Channel Point of Sale, Embedded Payments and extended software solutions including Kiosk, Mobile Ordering, and API Suite to enable Appetize to scale primarily within the Sports, Entertainment, Amusement Park and Managed Food Service Provider industries.

Chief Product Officer / Co-Founder

At Appetize Pratts is working to provide the absolute best mobile ordering experience on both the venue and customer side. He has maintained Appetize’s relationships with their current customers and trained its personnel to use its system, while creating a repeatable operational model that will be mostly hands off, simple, and deployable for Appetize’s next customers.

Chief Operating Officer / Co-Founder

Helping Buyers Search, Package, Connect & Close Deals! 🚀

At Kumo (withkumo.com), we're redefining how small business acquisitions happen. We believe that acquiring a business should be as seamless as starting one, and we're here to equip buyers with the right tools, network, and expertise to make that happen.

Whether you're a first-time buyer or an experienced entrepreneur, we help you find the right deal, structure it properly, connect with the right people, and close with confidence.

Why Now?
Market dynamics have created unparalleled opportunities for smart, strategic acquisitions:

✅ AI & Automation Are Transforming Operations
Most small businesses underutilize AI and automation to optimize sales, marketing, and operations. We help buyers identify opportunities to implement scalable systems post-acquisition.

✅ A Wave of Small Business Exits Is Underway
Thousands of retiring owners are looking for the right buyer—someone who will continue their legacy. With our network and platform, you can find, evaluate, and acquire these businesses efficiently.

✅ Private Equity Firms Are Overcrowding the Market
Competition is fierce for high-value platform businesses. We believe that you—a strategic, hands-on operator—are 1-2 acquisitions away from turning your business into an attractive platform company.

How We Help
At Kumo, we make the acquisition journey frictionless by providing:

🔎 Search – Discover off-market and on-market deals that fit your goals
📦 Package – Structure the deal with expert insights and financial modeling
🤝 Connect – Tap into a network of lenders, investors, and sellers
✅ Close – Execute deals with confidence, backed by our technology and team

If you're ready to leverage acquisitions as a growth strategy, let's talk!

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The Battle

Luke Womack

Jason Pratts

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