My Guests This week, I’m joined by three of the most experienced and respected investors within the search fund ecosystem to discuss a topic that is understandably of interest to the entire ETA community: That subject is why the acquisition rate among search funds has fallen over the past 10 years, and whether the rateContinue reading “Is the Search Fund Acquisition Rate Falling? With Jim Edmunds, Badge Stone & Kent Weaver”
Tag Archives: M&A
How to Avoid Common Stumbling Blocks in an M&A Process: with Raam Jani
My Guest This week I was thrilled to welcome Raam Jani to the podcast, who is one of the most experienced lawyers in the Search Fund ecosystem, and within the small business M&A ecosystem more broadly. Raam is currently a partner at Baker Hostetler, where he works on a variety of mandates, advising private equityContinue reading “How to Avoid Common Stumbling Blocks in an M&A Process: with Raam Jani”
How to Get Your Exit Proceeds (Mostly) Tax Free
My Guests This week, we explore two separate mechanisms that may allow acquisition entrepreneurs and their investors to receive their exit proceeds largely free of tax. Relative to how powerful these programs can be, both are not fully understood within the Search Fund community, especially among new and prospective searchers. In the first half ofContinue reading “How to Get Your Exit Proceeds (Mostly) Tax Free”
Long Term Holds: With Zac Carman, CEO of ConsumerAffairs for 14+ Years
My Guest My guest today is Zac Carman, CEO of ConsumerAffairs.com since 2010, the year in which he acquired the company from its founder, Jim Hood. ConsumerAffairs is a user-review website that helps over 7 million people per month make decisions on big questions like home warranties, debt consolidation and elder care planning. Prior toContinue reading “Long Term Holds: With Zac Carman, CEO of ConsumerAffairs for 14+ Years”
Achieving the Entrepreneurial Dream Through Franchise Ownership
My Guest Michael is the Founder of Streetlight Capital, a firm that invests in search funds and other forms of entrepreneurship through acquisition. Through Streetlight Capital, Michael successfully acquired, operated, and exited Buckeye Restaurant Group, an operator of franchised Wingstop restaurants. Michael acquired Buckeye’s first restaurants via a self-funded search in 2018, and via newContinue reading “Achieving the Entrepreneurial Dream Through Franchise Ownership”
An Investing Masterclass with Brent Beshore
My Guest Back by popular demand, for his second tour of duty on the podcast, is Brent Beshore. Brent is the Founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, a private investment firm that invests in Founder-owned small to medium sized businesses. They are a (very) long-term investor that looks to hold portfolio companies indefinitely, often withoutContinue reading “An Investing Masterclass with Brent Beshore”
In Conversation with 3 Founders Who Sold Their Companies to Search Funds
My Guests Properly managing the relationship with the outgoing seller is likely to be among your most important tasks within your first 6 months as the new CEO. I say this because a non-functional (or worse, a toxic) relationship between the incoming and outgoing owners has the potential to damage a company more than customersContinue reading “In Conversation with 3 Founders Who Sold Their Companies to Search Funds”
From Combat to Classrooms: How Jim Vesterman Went from Special Forces to a 13.5x Return in 8 Years
My Guest My guest today is Jim Vesterman, currently a lecturer at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the faculty at Wharton, Jim was the CEO of Raptor Technologies between 2012 to 2020, where he grew the company from serving 7,000 schools in the United States to serving over 40,000Continue reading “From Combat to Classrooms: How Jim Vesterman Went from Special Forces to a 13.5x Return in 8 Years”
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 Be Ignoring Brokered Deals at Your Peril
My Guest My guest today is Ryan Farkas, a Partner, Managing Director and the Practice Leader in M&A and Capital Markets in BDO’s Central Canada region. Ryan has successfully closed countless sell-side advisory transactions in various industries spanning manufacturing, consumer discretionary, construction, engineering, automotive and information technology. Ryan has also worked on several large performanceContinue reading “Why You May Be Ignoring Brokered Deals at Your Peril”