Fulfilling the potential of your business | The Portfolio Partnership

How To Scale 98% of US Companies

by Ian Smith | May 18, 2023 | Scaling

Hard to believe but 98% of US companies employ less than 100 people. Take a look at the table below created from the latest US Census data. The green cells represent the companies employing 99 people or less or 98.1% of US companies, 6 million out of 6.1 million (who...

Fulfilling The Potential Of Your Business – My New Book

by Ian Smith | Sep 15, 2011 | New Book Fulfilling The Potential Of Your Business

SUMMARY In the summer of 2008, I started blogging on a regular basis. I had a simple objective: to share short, sharp pieces of operational advice that had worked for me over the last 25 years. Specifically I aspired to help business owners and their teams: Run their...

Fulfilling the Potential of Your Business – 9 Questions You Need to Answer

by Ian Smith | Jul 22, 2011 | Building Business Value, Grooming For Sale, Operational Tips

When I started blogging in the summer of 2008 on a regular basis I had a simple objective, to share short, sharp pieces of operational advice that had worked for me over the last 25 years. Specifically I aspired to help owners and their teams make their businesses:...

Private Companies & the Conglomerate Discount

by Ian Smith | Jul 15, 2011 | Conglomerate Discount, Grooming For Sale, Maximize exit proceeds, Positioning drives growth, Repositioning

Global divestments hit a record 50% of all M&A deals this year as large public companies rushed to tidy up their portfolios and focus on their core businesses. Many businesses including Ebay, Fortune Brands, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sara Lee, ITT and Marathon Oil...