INSIGHTS
The only source of knowledge is experience.
~ Albert Einstein ~
Business Development = Exit Planning
Most startups and emerging companies miss the opportunity for effective exit planning by not integrating exit planning into their business development activities. The most likely M&A partner is an existing partner, especially if you are making the partner...
Knowing When to Sell
Every startup begins with aspirations of being “the next” Google or Facebook or Amazon. This unbridled optimism is what drives an entrepreneur. Each new technology market has new success stories, and drives future entrepreneurs to chase after their dreams. However,...
Focusing on Value Creation in M&A
50–90% of all Merger & Acquisition deals fail.1 The root cause is fairly simple: the M&A industry is focused on “getting deals done” and is not focused on value creation in deals. A majority of the time and expense are front-loaded into finding a company to...
A New M&A Role: Deal Manager
M&A deals are normally run like football team without a coach. Each specialist has a particular skill set, but each specialist is not positioned to understand how his or her activities relate to the ultimate deal success (value creation). Companies need to take an...
M&A: Optimizing for Value Creation
With M&A, most companies are focused on deal execution, and not enough time is spent on value creation. In fact, most companies aren’t optimized for creating value with M&A, which requires rethinking the approach to M&A. M&A is a 4-quarter sport....
The Masters Of Strategy: Lawyers?
Are lawyers the real masters of strategy? Maybe not from a substantive standpoint, but the legal analytical process appears to taking hold in the strategy world. In law school, lawyers are drilled with IRAC (Issue-Rule-Analysis- Conclusion) as a means to organize...
Growth and Scale: The New Skillset for Entrepreneurs
For the entrepreneur, life in an early stage startup is fairly straightforward: you build a product and acquire your first customers. Plenty of books and other materials have been written to guide help a company through the initial stages of sales and product...
What Is Strategy?
Strategy can be a confusing topic. Countless books and articles are still being written explaining what strategy is and how to do it. New strategy models are constantly being developed and sold like snake oil as the cure for all corporate ills. Early in my career, I...
What is Business Development?
There has always been a lot of confusion around “what is business development?”. I recall a Venture Hack event in the past where a speaker remarked, “there is no such thing as business development”. While the speaker was making the statement for shock value, it does...
Integrating Business Development with Exit Strategy
Most startups and emerging companies miss the opportunity for an effective exit strategy by not integrating exit strategy into their business development activities. The most likely M&A partner is an existing business partner, especially if you are making the...
International Expansion Strategy
As startups and emerging companies expand, they inevitably face the question of how to grow in international markets. Too often, companies haphazardly build their international businesses and are frustrated by the results. International strategy requires surveying the...
When Should You Begin Exit Planning?
Exit planning is essential to achieving maximum shareholder value and ensuring that all your hard work is rewarded. Without an effective plan, market forces or some unforeseen event could leave you scrambling to find an exit. If you sell under distress and without...
Growth Strategy
Companies inevitably face the question: how to grow the business outside your existing market? Emerging companies as well as established companies face this question. When a company is started, the best strategy is to focus on a single product and a single market to...
How Risky Is Your M&A Strategy?
Some M&A strategies involve more risk than others. The biggest risk factor is the disruptive change required in your core business. For example, if you are trying to consolidate an industry through multiple acquisitions, then significant risk exists in the...
Choosing A Buy-Side M&A Advisor
Choosing a buy-side M&A advisor requires deciding what skills and expertise you need to make your deal successful. Most M&A advisors focus on sourcing and structuring the deal, which is logical since most M&A advisors come from investment banking. However,...
Making M&A Deals Successful
Everyone has heard the statistic that over 50% of buy-side M&A deals fail to meet their stated objectives. The reason is fairly straightforward: the M&A industry is geared towards “getting deals done” and not making deals successful. Companies don’t engage in...
A New Era For International Contract Law?
A new body of contract law was recently adopted in the United States by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) entitled the Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA) for consideration and adoption by the legislatures in the...