Scaling | The Portfolio Partnership

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...

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 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...

Are You Fit to be an Acquirer?

by Ian Smith | Apr 13, 2023 | Acquisitions

I was listening to an old Warren Buffet interview about his philosophies on business and specifically acquisitions. He summarized how he decides on acquisitions using four key criteria (size criteria is at least $75m earnings): A business he understands It has an...

Fractional Senior Management – One Solution to Scaling

by Ian Smith | Oct 28, 2019 | Leadership, Management, Scaling, Strategy

Over the last 10 years, I’ve built The Portfolio Partnership (TPP) on the basis of a simple value proposition. The leadership of private companies requires experienced help at an affordable price to fulfill their potential. What they didn’t need was another report...