Institutional Financial Leadership.
Built with an Operator’s Perspective.
Trinity 718 is a strategic finance and operations advisory firm serving founder-led and PE-sponsored businesses in fitness, health & wellness, franchise systems, and CPG.
We don’t speak fancy “financeese”.
T718 simply shares the experience of having:
• Scaled a fitness platform from 15 to 73 locations,
• Grown CPG brands from $0M to $100M,
• Managed a multi-brand portfolio with $300M in revenues,
• Executed $60M in acquisitions,
• Raised $25M in credit facilities, and
• Supported a $400M exit
Samuel Paik
Founder & Managing Principal
For more than 20+ years, Sam has operated inside the financial and operational mechanics of high-growth brands. Having sat in the executive seat as a PE-backed platform CFO and multi-brand CPG Chief Financial & Operations Officer, Sam knows firsthand that a spreadsheet alone never solved a real-world operational crisis.
True financial leadership requires operational empathy—the kind that is only forged by leading through intense market pressures.
Fiduciary & Platform Governance
While Sam’s marquee platform outcomes - including a $400M exit of a CPG brand and 500% scale of an multi-unit fitness platform - are highlights in his career, his broader worldview is anchored in corporate stewardship and responsible capitalism:
Board Leadership: Active director across multiple corporate and organizational entities, advising on long-term capitalization and scaling strategies.
Professional Honors: Recognized nationally as a NACVA "40 Under 40" award winner for exceptional financial stewardship.
Restructuring Oversight: Appointed Chairman of the Unsecured Creditors Committee during a bankruptcy case, protecting the unsecured creditors’ interests.
The Core Thesis
Sam founded Trinity 718 because he kept seeing the same pattern: Founder-led businesses making irreversible decisions - revenues expansion, new locations, major hires, capital raises - without the financial infrastructure to support them. Not because they weren't smart. But because they didn't have a real partner in the room.
Trinity 718 was founded to be that real partner in the room.
The goal isn't simply to grow revenue. It's to help founders build businesses that endure.
Credentials
Earned:
CPA and CGMA
(Inactive)
Alumnus:
University at Buffalo
B.S. in Accounting
& Finance
20+ Years
Experience:
CFO of a PE-backed multi-unit fitness and longevity platform
CFO of a multi-brand CPG portfolio
Head of Accounting for an international multi-brand retail co
CPA and Audit Manager for a Top 5 Global Firm
Fiduciary &
Board Leadership:
Trinity Baptist Church NYC
(Board of Trustees, Vice Chairperson)
Watodoo LLC
(Board of Advisors, former)
Chairman of Unsecured Creditors Committee
(for a 2020 bankrupty case)
OUR FOUNDATIONS.
Responsible Capitalism
We reject the philosophy of growth at all costs. True enterprise value is built through an ethical, balanced approach to profit—maximizing returns for investors while fiercely protecting the stability of your employees and the trust of your customers.Rock-Solid Foundations
We do not manufacture superficial, "hockey-stick" growth metrics just to satisfy a short-term narrative. We build bulletproof financial infrastructures engineered to withstand macroeconomic headwinds, ensuring your platform is stable enough to support massive, long-term scale.Straight Talk
Financial engineering is inherently complex, but our communication isn't. We do not hide behind dense corporate jargon or try to impress you with convoluted slides. We translate complex data into clear, transparent, and immediately actionable business decisions.Generational Stewardship
We do not optimize your business for the next 90 days at the expense of your next 10 years. Every model, debt structure, and operational policy we deploy is designed to protect your equity and preserve structural value through every phase of scale, transition, and ultimate exit.READY TO CONNECT?
Schedule a conversation directly on our calendar.
Eliminate the corporate back-and-forth. Select a time directly on Sam’s calendar to discuss your platform's operational goals. All preliminary consultations are strictly confidential and complimentary.