Earn-Outs: You Haven’t Earned It Yet
The psychology, structure, and negotiation of a successful earn-out. Earn-outs are a familiar feature of acquisition negotiations. Too often, they are presented as a convenient way to bridge the gap between what a seller wants and what a buyer is prepared to pay. But...
The Implications of the Latest M&A Integration Research
Stress-Test Your Acquisition Playbook Every acquisition begins with a convincing story about the future. The Investment Thesis sets out the strategic ambition: new customers, additional capabilities, reduced costs, or accelerated growth. The search identifies...
How AI Is Transforming the Acquisition Process
I’ll be writing on the LInkedIn platform going forward on a weekly basis so please sign up for my newsletter over there! AI isn’t going to make you a successful acquirer. But it can make a successful acquirer significantly better. The best...
How We Turned a $1 Million Loss Into a $3 Million Profit
The Operating Decisions That Transformed the Business It was early 2002 when I moved the family to Boston from London to sharpen my operator skills and drive the growth of a software business. I had been enjoying fractional operating partner roles since my retirement...
Successful Acquisitions Are Driven By Operators, Not Dealmakers
I recently listened again to an old interview with Warren Buffett explaining how he decides whether to buy a business. His framework is wonderfully simple. He looks for four things: A business he understands It has an enduring competitive advantage Run by management...
Would You Buy Your Own Company?
This is a practical briefing aimed at private company owners, CEOs, CFOs, and the trusted advisers around them. It is also delivered as a keynote or workshop event. The Big Idea: Flip the Lens Most owners have spent a career looking out from inside the business — at...
Management Buy – Outs – An Overview
Selling to management may be the obvious choice for service based businesses eg marketing agencies, residential architecture firms, managed IT services, engineering practices etc. However these are particularly tricky transactions to execute. One main reason being...
Running a Business Vs Value Creation
Most owners know how to run their business to consistently make payroll. However, the creation of a sustainable business that buyers want to buy is a much rarer achievement than you think. McKinsey published a white paper in February which highlighted some stunning...
Trigger Points Part 2
As you drive your business forward it’s easy to underestimate the power of Trigger Points. Everyone gets so busy and distracted with noise. It might be gas prices, tariffs, personal stuff, competitor behavior, employee actions, health, or any number of things...Operational Excellence For Exits
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