M&a Masters

When your small business owner client is in a room full of MBAs, they can feel out of their depths… So how do you keep your client’s emotions in check during a high-stakes sale? Alan Clark is here to share his perspective as a sell-side advisor helping clients exit their businesses.  Alan also reveals why he thinks a common 2023 M&A prediction is wrong—and weighs in on a new sell-side reps & warranties product.

In M&A, having a set of core principles to guide your thinking is essential… Ken Heuer of Kidd & Company is here to share the firm’s 3 core principles and how they make business decisions simple. We also discuss What Kidd & Company brings to the table for the lower middle market The emergence of a new reps & warranties product to protect sellers And more

How can M&A firms succeed in the e-commerce niche? Kelcey Lehrich, co-founder and CEO of 365 Holdings, is here to share how he provides e-commerce brands with a permanent home when entrepreneurs are seeking an exit. Kelcey also breaks down what makes consumer products thrive in the marketplace—and why you should treat e-commerce as a channel, not an industry.

As we prepare for the new year, it’s time to set your strategy… “What strategy?,” you might think, “We just need to make more money.” But a business without a strategy is destined for failure. Especially in today’s changing world, where an unexpected crisis could derail your business. And it’s not enough to set a strategy… You have to execute it, too. Liberty Company Insurance Brokers’ own Clint Tripodi is here to talk strategic planning facilitation and executive development.  Clint will show you how to have a successful strategy session—and actually follow through on your plan.

What does it take to bring technology and data capital to middle-market businesses? In today’s digital world, there’s enormous opportunity in helping business owners embrace technology… In this episode, I’m joined by Vinay Bachireddy, managing partner at Weave Growth Partners. Weave Growth Partners is a Silicon Valley firm that backs owners and executives who want to make their businesses more customer-centric using technology and data science. Vinay is here to discuss M&A with a tech focus, Silicon Valley trends for next year, and more.

When you have an indefinite holding period, you’re buying for the long term… What are the strategies of firms that operate in this way? Ben Brown, founder of Alderman Enterprises, is here to share his perspective on M&A. We discuss: Benefits of the buy & hold strategy Why his firm sticks to the lower middle market Ben’s take on reps & warranties insurance And more

There’s enormous opportunity in professionalizing and scaling founder-owned businesses. But what does it take to become a leader in this area? In this episode, I’m joined by Heather Madland of Huron Capital for an inside look at the firm. We’ll also discuss: Opportunities in the service sector M&A in the Midwest The history of Huron Capital Heather’s take on reps & warranties insurance And more

The sell-side of M&A brings unique challenges and opportunities… In this episode, I’m joined by Richard Parker of Roy Street Advisors for an inside look at a sell-side firm. We’ll also cover: Why the first offer isn’t always the best offer The importance of documentation Reps & warranties from a sell-side perspective M&A trends for 2023 And more

Why do M&A Masters love the lower middle market? You get the opportunity to aggressively scale family businesses… In this episode, I’m joined by Justin Smith of LongWater Opportunities, a private equity firm based in the Midwest. Justin’s firm has firsthand experience growing family businesses, and he’s here to share his expertise. We’ll also cover: Why great management teams beat excellent business models every time Investing in the Midwest What Justin looks for in a business And more

What does it take to be an M&A Master for the IT and cybersecurity industries? Jamar Freeman of Moonshot Equity Partners is here to share his firm’s holistic approach to acquiring and building market-leading companies.  Listen to learn: The 4 strategies that set Jamar’s firm apart The advantage of guaranteed payouts Jamar’s take on reps & warranties insurance M&A trend predictions for next year And more

If you’re an independent sponsor or a capital provider, you won’t want to miss the upcoming Independent Sponsor Conference… Featuring one-on-one networking meetings with people hand-selected to match you… This is an unbeatable opportunity to connect with someone and lay the groundwork for deals… In this episode, Jeffrey Brooker, an organizer of the conference, is here to give you all the details on what to expect. Jeffrey also gives insight into the role of an independent sponsor and how it differs from private equity.

M&A is never just about chasing numbers…. It’s about the people who trust you with their business… A business that represents generations of hard work—and a family’s legacy. My guest Chris Parisi knows this well. At Carl Marks Advisors, which has been around since 1925, Chris secures clean exits for lower middle market business owners.  In this episode, Chris shares some of Carl Marks Advisors’ storied history and reveals how he fights for the best outcomes for his clients.

Cloud-based infrastructure is one of the most rapidly expanding industries today… And this episode’s guest, Sean Frank, is an expert on it. As the founder of Cloud Equity Group, Sean invests in lower middle market companies in the web hosting and cloud-based infrastructure sectors. Listen to find out: What Sean looks for in a company The problem with naming firms after the founder Sean’s investment strategies for the lower middle market How reps & warranties insurance has affected the cloud Cloud-based infrastructure predictions for 2023 And more

How do you get owners to stop thinking like operators… And start thinking like investors? For the lower middle market, this mindset shift is crucial for a clean exit. In this episode, I talk to Sly Buford, founder and CEO of Tenth Street Group, which specializes in helping lower middle market businesses grow, scale, and exit. Sly had an unconventional path to becoming an investor, and he’s here to share how he found M&A success.

In this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we sit down with Marty Fahncke to talk about M&A for the lower middle market.Marty is a partner at Westbound Road, LLC and has over 30 years of experience in building and growing businesses. Listen to learn: How businesses can double revenue without increasing sales How owners can leave a legacy with their business Marty’s takes on M&A trends for 2022 And more

You might think of M&A as a zero-sum game… But that’s where many business owners go wrong. It might surprise you to hear that building trust with the opposing side is the key to securing your clean exit. This episode’s guest, Alistair McBride, coaches business owners in the fine art of negotiating M&A deals.  Alistair has seen deals succeed when business owners treat their opponent like their ally. He calls this “the psychological edge of negotiation.” In today’s episode, we discuss how you can use this idea to win over the other side and sell them your vision—so you can both close with maximum value.

On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we’re sitting down with Deborah Smith to talk about real estate, a first on this show!Deborah is the Co-Founder and CEO of The CenterCap Group. The CenterCap Group, LLC, is a boutique investment bank providing strategic advisory, capital-raising, and consulting related services to public and private corporations, owners, operators and investment managers. They are exclusively focused on the real estate sector, with a deep understanding of what drives the industry and the relationships to back that up. Deborah says, “We are all things real estate and we haven’t strayed from that. Our whole goal is to be in the middle… if you think about real estate and you need an advisor, you should call us.”Listen to learn:  Where the interest is in the real estate market right now Why looking at ESG in real estate long-term is now more important than ever Where The CenterCap Group is most dialed in and how they can help when it comes to long-term growth and valuation How reps and w

On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we sit down with Patrick Turner to talk about how his company is transforming good companies into great companies through their partnerships. Patrick Turner is the Managing Director of VSS. VSS is a private investment firm that invests in the information, business services, healthcare and education industries. Since 1987, VSS has partnered with lower middle-market companies to provide management teams with capital solutions to drive growth. Patrick says, “Our focus is on creating value in the companies we invest in. If you don’t grow [your company] you’ll lose it, you can’t stand still. We provide additions that help companies grow. Hopefully, we get involved with them and take them to a different level.”Listen to this episode to learn: What Patrick sees as the key drivers in the current M&A market and how he thinks the investment horizon is changing How VSS differs from other private investment firms The top 3 industries they are looking to partner with His top

On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Jennifer Mandelbaum, Senior Investment Director at Halogen Ventures. Halogen Ventures is a California-based Venture Capital fund focused on investing in early stage consumer technology startups with a female on the founding team.Female led businesses represent a massive opportunity. They deliver higher ROI and deliver higher payouts on exits, but they are still having issues raising money. Halogen Ventures, led by Jesse Draper, is ready to change that by investing in companies creating technologies that are changing lives in the consumer space. Jennifer walks us through:  The key things that separate Halogen from all the other businesses out there, plus their hands-on strategy that supports the whole of every business they work with The 3 word marketing strategy Halogen uses to help women portray the unique gifts they bring to the table How they are jumping into women founded companies that support the changing way families live, work, and shop today Th

Global M&A volumes hit a record in 2021 and that pace is expected to continue as we head into the second quarter of 2022. Family-owned businesses continue to be front and center in many of these deals, which is why I wanted to rewind my episode with James Darnell for my listeners today. I sincerely believe that there is a huge marketplace of companies in the lower middle market that need help. James is the Managing Partner of KLH Capital, a private equity firm that focuses on serving family and founder-owned, lower middle-market companies throughout the United States. M&A Source recognized KLH Capital as the Private Equity Firm of The Year in 2021. At KLH Capital, they are all about added growth and value and helping teams reach new levels of success. Listen to the rewind of this episode to learn: Why KLH Capital is focused on businesses at the intersection of realizing their value and reaching for growth Why overcoming the fear of technology is the secret to unlocking the potential of the family owne