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 diff...
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 ...
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 y...
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 t...
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...
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 t...
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 ...
If the past two years have taught us anything, it is we need to have a thriving manufacturing sector. With the inability to meet supplies of offshore parts with demand here at home and the new instability in Europe and it’s more important than ever to have a thriving US manufacturing sector. That’s why today, on M&A Masters, I am rewinding my conversation with Jessica Ginsberg. Jessica is the Director of Business Development for LFM Capital, a private equity firm founded by operators and eng...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, I’m revisiting my conversation with Ryan Milligan, Partner at ParkerGale. I am rewinding this episode for two reasons. The first is that the ParkerGale Capital podcast, The Private Equity Funcast opened the entire private equity world to me over five years ago. The second reason is in our conversation. Ryan and I dove deep into how ParkerGale uses a tool to actively measure culture to create improvements and make companies better places to work. As you ...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, to celebrate International Women’s Week we’re rewinding my conversation with Suzanne Yoon. In 2020, Suzanne’s firm, Kinzie Capital Partners, in Chicago was honored by the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) as the North American female-founded firm of the year. The Wall Street Journal has also recognized her as a top female dealmaker. We asked Suzanne how she felt about these honors, she said, “Companies outperform when they have diversity in ...
Today on M&A Masters, we’re rewinding my interview with Jon Finger, a Partner at McGuireWoods in Dallas. The reason I want to take you back to this show is because of the unique things Jon’s practice is bringing to the M&A space. They were the first to dedicate themselves to introducing independent sponsors to their capital partners. Jon says, “As we were building the network, and our practice was evolving, what we like to think was our secret sauce was our ability to introduce investmen...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we’re sitting down with Renny Sie, Vice President of Business Development and Investor Relations at the private equity firm Boyne Capital. Established in 2006, Boyne Capital takes a different approach to investing—one that forges lasting and collaborative relationships with companies whose founders and families are still deeply involved in growing their businesses. It’s a term they call a value cultivator approach. Renny says, “Partnership is extremely ...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we sit down with Laurin Parthemos to talk about culture. Laurin is a Principal at Kotter, a company named after Dr. John Kotter, the world’s foremost change expert. Kotter’s approach to merger & acquisition integration focuses on culture and people first. Laurin says, “Culture is more and more seen as that differentiator within an industry to say we have a strong culture where people want to work.” Listen as she walks us through: Three ways to ackno...
This week on M&A Masters, I want to revisit with you a special episode featuring the conversation I had with Domenic Rinaldi. Domenic is the President and Managing Partner of Sun Acquisitions, a buy-side and sell-side M&A advising firm. Domenic also hosts his own podcast, M&A Unplugged, ranked among the top M&A podcasts in 2021. Listen to this special rewind episode as Domenic walks us through: Too big to be small and too small to be enterprise: why Sun Acquisitions loves the low...
This week on M&A Masters, we’re doing a special rewind of my sit down with Dena Jalbert, Founder and CEO of Align Business Advisory Services. I think it’s worth revisiting this episode for two reasons. 1) Dena’s name appeared on Mergers and Acquisitions Magazine’s list of the Top 25 Most Influential Women in Mid Market M&A. 2) Her company, Align, is unique in their commitment to the lower middle market—a vast marketplace that is highly underserved. By bringing their expertise to the owne...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we sit down with Samantha Ory to talk about choosing partnership over buyout. Samantha’s company, Ouroboros Group, is a private investment firm specializing in middle market corporate acquisitions and operations in the manufacturing, healthcare, and consumer sectors. Samantha says, “I found that there is this segment of outlier companies and CEOs who are looking for something a little bit different. We cater a lot to the CEOs. We always ask ‘what can we...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Lorraine Wilson, Chief Impact Officer and Head of ESG Methodology at Novata. Novota’s mission is to empower general partners in the private market to collect, analyze, and report relevant ESG data. Lorraine says, “ESG is evolving. Novata offers a standard process for analysis... using metrics most applicable to the private market.” As ESG begins permeating the private sectors, it’s becoming top of mind for investors and in the boardroom. L...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we are replaying one of our most popular episodes. Gus Marshall, Head of Transaction Liability at CFC Underwriting, Ltd. CFC is a specialist insurance provider, pioneer in emerging risk, and market leader in cyber and transactional liability. We are talking with Gus about CFC's exciting new product launch, Transaction Liability Private Enterprise (TLPE). Gus says, “Reps and warranties insurance is currently Wall Street and we want to make it Main Street...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Kresimir Peharda, corporate and M&A attorney with YK Law. Kresimir is the Chair of the firm’s Cannabis Practice. As federal legalization inches ever closer, we invited him on the show to discuss the ins and outs and the rise of M&A in the world of cannabis. Listen as he walks us through: Improvements are happening and usage is up, but what challenges lie ahead for M&A in the cannabis industry How cannabis regulations affect dea...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Michael Kornman of NCK Capital. NCK Capital acquires controlling interests in lower-middle market companies and takes them to the next level with “right-fit” capital structures, inspiring management incentives, and nurturing support. Michael says, “We love the lower middle market. It’s a great place to build value…” Listen as he walks us through: Why NCK Capital loves the lower-middle market, their unique perspective and target markets Thr...
Our guest for this week’s episode of M&A Masters is Gina Cocking, CEO and Managing Director of Colonnade Advisors LLC. Colonnade Advisors is a boutique investment banking firm that specializes in merger and acquisition advisory services, providing financial advice to business owners interested in selling their companies, buying competitors, and raising capital. Gina was employee number one at Colonnade, then left to pursue other interests. She returned to Colonnade Advisors as a Managing Dir...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we are replaying one of our most popular episodes featuring Codie Sanchez. Codie is the managing director of Entourage Effect Capital Partners and one of the most sought out speakers in the cannabis business. She also co-leads Unconventional Acquisitions, an educational resource making the buying of businesses accessible to anyone willing to put in the work. Codie says, “If you have the mindset to be an entrepreneur and to get to go and grind and build ...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Ron Edmonds founder and president of The Principium Group. The Principium Group is one of the most recognized names in lawn and landscape mergers & acquisitions, or as I say, the Match.com of landscaping, one of those niches hiding in plain sight in M&A. This is an exciting area in the industry, so listen in as Ron walks us through: How The Principium Group joins buyers and sellers to create a more positive experience for both side...
On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Skip Maner. Skip is a General Partner of NewSpring Capital and founder of the firm’s dedicated buyout strategy, NewSpring Holdings, and was recently featured in Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine. For over 20 years, NewSpring Capital has been seizing compelling opportunities and offering a fresh approach to building businesses in the lower middle market. There’s a lot more to them than meets the eye and we have just the right person to wa...
