From dog genetics to bootstrapping to an eight-figure exit , Conor Tomkies has done it all. As the founder of Support Ninja, Conor scaled a bootstrapped business into a middle eight-figure success story, managing thousands of employees worldwide. After selling to private equity, Conor is now building Operator Equity and Entrepreneur Cooperative, empowering founders to scale and exit with purpose.

Conor Tomkies shares how he leveraged strategic legal and operational efficiencies to save millions during acquisitions. He highlights his founder-first approach with Operator Equity, focused on scaling SaaS businesses using EOS, and discusses the startup shift from venture-backed moonshots to sustainable, profitable growth.

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Here's what you'll find in this episode:

• 00:00 Introduction

  
  



• 00:37 Dog genetics and the birth of Support Ninja

  
  



• 02:54 Bootstrapping vs. raising venture capital

  
  



• 05:30 Lessons from selling to private equity

  
  



• 10:14 Why EOS is a game-changer for scaling companies

  
  



• 18:34 Operator Equity’s focus on SaaS and ecosystem synergy

  
  



• 27:00 Common founder mistakes and the value of recurring revenue

  
  



• 30:45 The rise of moonshots and the future of venture capital

  
  

  
  

  
  

ABOUT CONOR TOMKIES

Conor Tomkies is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and post-exit founder with a passion for creating scalable businesses and empowering other entrepreneurs. He founded Support Ninja, a bootstrapped outsourcing company that scaled into a middle eight-figure success story and sold it to private equity. Now leading Operator Equity, Conor focuses on acquiring and scaling SaaS businesses using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), helping founders navigate successful exits with a streamlined 45-day process that prioritizes simplicity and a human touch.

Conor is also the co-founder of Entrepreneur Cooperative (ECo) and host of the Made It Podcast. Through ECo, he has built a community where seasoned founders share experiences, collaborate, and gain insider strategies for navigating business sales and life beyond the exit. It’s the network every entrepreneur wishes they had when starting out, focused on meaningful growth, impactful exits, and supporting the next generation of founders.

Connect with Conor:

• Website: operatorequity.com

  
  



• Entrepreneur Cooperative: entrepreneurcooperative.com

  
  



• X (formerly Twitter): @conortomkies_

  
  

  
  

  
  

ABOUT JASON

Jason Kirby is the co-founder of Thunder VC. He is a serial entrepreneur with 4 multi-million exits and decades of experience in fundraising and business building. He has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs in his career on fundraising, investing, capital strategy, and business development.

You can reach out to Jason through:

Email: jason@thunder.vc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby/

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