The Portfolio Partnership

Why Budgets/AOPs Fail

by Ian Smith | Sep 20, 2023 | budgets

As we rush towards fall and Q4, every business enters budget season. Large and small businesses alike, we dive deep into the annual ritual of agreeing an operating budget. You’ll see a million blog posts on how to create them. So instead I thought I’d...

The Secret of Serial Successful Acquirers

by Ian Smith | Sep 13, 2023 | Acquisitions, post-acquisition integration

Most PE backed portfolio company CEOs need to execute successful acquisition programs. Every VP of Corporate Development is trying to design a process that delivers value. Family offices are investing in a wide range of diversified assets including scaling by...

Debunking Overnight Success

by Ian Smith | Sep 6, 2023 | Acquisitions, podcast, Scaling

This week I’d like to share an interview I did with Todd Westra from the Growth and Scaling Podcast. It was a great discussion on the some of the myths of entrepreneurship. We discussed a few huge challenges in the market – firstly over 90% of companies...

How will AI Transform M&A?

by Ian Smith | Aug 29, 2023 | Acquisitions

In this post TPP founder Ian Smith walks us through the TPP M&A playbook and invites Kalle Kilpi to predict how AI will transform it. Kalle’s remarkable bio gives him a distinct edge to help us understand the impact. He brings a uniquely relevant background to...

Service Launch – Pre-Sale Operational Excellence

by Ian Smith | Aug 24, 2023 | Execution Tips, Exiting your business, Operational Tips, Scaling, Strategy

This week we are launching a new service dedicated to private company owners who would like to sell their business in 2025 or later. Our Pre-Sale Operational Excellence Service is designed to address the following problem in the market. Hint it is not lipstick on a...

Operational Excellence – Can an Effective 6S Program Affect the Valuation of Your Business?

by Kevin Young | Aug 15, 2023 | 6S, Scaling

We have worked with clients over many years to scale their businesses through operational excellence. We think of it as grooming a company over time for a potential sale even if the shareholders choose to hang on to it. As a private company owner considering floating...

Scaling Private Companies – Challenges & Solutions 2000 to 2023

by Ian Smith | Aug 9, 2023 | Execution Tips, Exiting your business, Family Business, Grooming For Sale, Operational Blueprints, Positioning drives growth, Scaling

As an investment banker in London 23 years ago I wish I knew The Portfolio Partnership (TPP)! I would have said to many clients – you’re not ready for sale. You’re not ready for prime time. You need to scale to the next level to ensure that you and...

How to Deploy Lean Thinking in M&A

by Kevin Young | Jul 13, 2023 | Acquisitions, Lean Six Sigma

Early in my career while working at Sony Chemicals Corporation of America, a division of Sony Corporation, I was trained in Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). Seiichi Nakajima developed Total Productive Maintenance in Japan between 1950 and 1970. Through this...

The Benefits of Simplification

by Ian Smith | Jul 6, 2023 | Leadership

We are traveling this week so a little repeat of a popular post from a few years ago. We all admire a leader who can simplify a complex problem into an understandable, simple, explanation of the essential elements. We are motivated by a leader who can set out a clear,...

Two Tools To Explain Your Financials To An 8th Grader

by Ian Smith | Jun 29, 2023 | Basic Finance

The financial analysis of a business can seem complicated but there really is no need for this complication. Every financial story in any currency, in any sector, and in any business model boils down to two things! Volume and yield. Let’s take a simple example...