Co-founder, Exit Forward
Bodie Czeladka
Bodie Czeladka founded Dilate in 2012 and spent fourteen years building it into one of Western Australia’s most established full-funnel agencies, growing it from a one-person business to a team of more than eighty across four countries.
Over that time he navigated six equity transactions: bringing in outside investors, backing internal leaders with real equity, and running a staged succession that ended with him stepping back from the day-to-day while retaining a meaningful stake. He co-founded Exit Forward in 2026 to give other founders the partner he could not find when he needed one.
connect on linkedinExperience
the track
record.
- Founded Dilate in 2012 and led it for fourteen years
- Completed six equity transactions as a founder, on both sides of the table
- Ran a staged succession and stepped back without selling out
- Has since acquired and integrated three businesses through Exit Forward
Writing
by bodie.
- Exit & Succession
Founder exit strategy: four routes out
Most exit planning starts and ends with a trade sale. There are four routes an Australian founder actually has, and the right one depends less on the business than on what you want your life to look like afterwards.
- Exit & Succession
Letting go without disappearing
The founders who step back best are the ones who stay useful in a smaller, sharper way. What that actually looks like, and the handover mistakes that undo it.
- Growth & Systems
How to create an effective leadership layer before you need one
The 2IC you need in three years has to be built now. How to find them, what to hand over first, and why most founders leave it until the handover is already forced.
- Growth & Systems
Working through a growth plateau
Revenue flat for two years is rarely a market problem. It is usually the same three constraints, and none of them are fixed by working harder.