Facing the Worst-Case Scenario: How Jed Morris Lost His Business and Rebuilt His Life

My Guest Jed Morris is the Founder and Managing Partner of Sunset Coast Capital, where he leads investments in U.S.-based aerospace and defence businesses. He specializes in helping acquisition entrepreneurs and independent sponsors navigate the complexities of small business ownership, diligence, and operator readiness. Jed’s career began in the U.S. Air Force, where he heldContinue reading “Facing the Worst-Case Scenario: How Jed Morris Lost His Business and Rebuilt His Life”

Leverage: Doing More With Less

Listen to this Blog Post “Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.”– Archimedes “Leverage” is one of those concepts that tends to be interpreted as being more complex than it actually is. The simplest way to define leverage might be “the ability to do moreContinue reading “Leverage: Doing More With Less”

Evaluating The Most Common Forms of Debt Used to Finance Small Business Acquisitions

Listen to this Blog Post Though it is correct to suggest that all acquisitions are funded through some combination of cash-on-hand, debt, or equity, it’s also a bit of an oversimplification. Indeed, the financing options available to prospective acquirors are numerous, and in today’s blog post, I focus specifically on debt, and evaluate the fourContinue reading “Evaluating The Most Common Forms of Debt Used to Finance Small Business Acquisitions”

From $7M to $50M via 14 Acquisitions: A Consolidation Success Story With Jay Davis & Jason Pananos

My Guests After graduating from business school in 2008, Jay Davis & Jason Pananos acquired Vector Disease Control, a company that they grew from ~$7M to ~$50M in revenue in 7 years through successfully executing on 14 bolt-on acquisitions. They were able to grow the business by a 43% compounded annual growth rate before sellingContinue reading “From $7M to $50M via 14 Acquisitions: A Consolidation Success Story With Jay Davis & Jason Pananos”

Why You May Want to Reconsider Your Industry Roll-up Strategy

Listen to this Blog Post In its simplest form, a “roll-up” or consolidation thesis would see the acquisition of a single (often larger) “platform” company, to be followed by subsequent acquisitions of other (often smaller) “bolt-on” companies within the same industry. The industries in which this thesis is most prevalent tend to demonstrate the followingContinue reading “Why You May Want to Reconsider Your Industry Roll-up Strategy”

Profit Before Anything Else: With Mike Michalowicz, Author of “Profit First”

My Guest Today I’m joined by entrepreneur, investor, and best-selling author, Mike Michalowicz. Mike is the author of nine books, most notably Profit First, which boasts ~8,700 ratings on Amazon.com with an average rating of 4.8 stars. The book outlines a deceptively simple yet highly effective system to help businesses hit their target profit numbersContinue reading “Profit Before Anything Else: With Mike Michalowicz, Author of “Profit First””

When Search Funds Don’t Go As Planned (Part 1): 3 Searcher Case Studies

My Guests If one were to attend a randomly selected group of Search Fund conferences, they’d be forgiven for thinking that every search fund is a smashing success. When I was both a searcher and a CEO, I often left these types of events with a certain sense of insecurity and self-doubt, as everybody seemedContinue reading “When Search Funds Don’t Go As Planned (Part 1): 3 Searcher Case Studies”

The State of Lower-Middle Market Credit: Two Major Bank Failures, Rising Interest Rates, and a Looming Recession

My Guests To say that it’s been an active 6-18 months in the banking sector would be an understatement: Beginning as recently as January, 2022, we’ve seen the US Federal Funds rate increase from .08% to 4.83%, which, at least in part, precipitated the rapid collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, and the rescue of FirstContinue reading “The State of Lower-Middle Market Credit: Two Major Bank Failures, Rising Interest Rates, and a Looming Recession”

The Current State of the Debt Capital Markets

My Guests My guests today are Cory Kaiser and Timothy Eaton, Vice President & Associate Vice President respectively within TD’s Commercial Banking Group. Between them, they have over 40 years of experience lending to lower-middle market businesses not just to finance their acquisitions, but also to finance growth initiatives, day-to-day working capital needs, and leveragedContinue reading “The Current State of the Debt Capital Markets”