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March 31, 2023
Five elements to achieve best in class business status
By Mike Pappas
Barnes Wendling Director Mike Pappas on the key elements to achieving best in class and how it increases company value.
October 7, 2022
There’s a Bumpy Road Ahead In M&A
C. Forrest Tefft, head of corporate finance at Northwest Bank, has, over more than four decades in investment banking, raised more than $14 billion in bank capital and was the originator of more than 70 transactions. Tefft discusses some of the hurdles businesses face in a near post-pandemic world and the things they should consider before making any M&A transactions.
September 23, 2022
Stewart Kohl on missed opportunities
The Riverside Co. Co-CEO Stewart Kohl on what he learned from his first job, how mentorship has impacted his career, successes, lessons learned, work/life balance, and giving back.
February 25, 2022
Ansir Junaid: Serial entrepreneur’s M&A lessons learned
SupplySide Group Chairman Ansir Junaid offers insights into his M&A experience and how the pandemic has affected dealmaking.
July 16, 2021
Inside Ampex Brands’ Acquisition of Au Bon Pain
Eric Easton, CFO at Ampex Brands, and Jayne Juvan, M&A chair at Tucker Ellis, discuss Ampex’s acquisition of Au Bon Pain — how the process went down, the challenges they faced and how Ampex intends to leverage this new opportunity.
June 3, 2020
JumpStart’s Jerry Frantz: Chaos And Uncertainty Will Eventually Create New Opportunity
A defining attribute of entrepreneurship is agility, the ability to nimbly maneuver through both adversity and opportunity, says JumpStart's Jerry Frantz.
May 21, 2020
Michael Feuer: Ready, Set, Stop!
The best-laid plans for deals, business and life often take a wrong turn, says Michael Feuer.
May 7, 2020
Mark A. Filippell: What Sellers Can Do When M&A Market Shuts Down
With all due respect to Admiral Farragut, his “Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead” strategy will almost certainly fail in today’s COVID-19 M&A environment, says Mark Filippell.
April 23, 2020
Jim Pshock: The Right Deal Begins With Knowing What You Want
Bravo Wellness Founder and CEO Jim Pshock shares his perspective on dealmaking after selling his business to Medical Mutual.
April 8, 2020
Coronavirus has disrupted, but not extinguished, M&A options
What was arguably the best M&A market ever for sellers of closely held companies has taken a dramatic pause, forcing business owners who were considering a sale of their business to re-think their options. But buyers who balked at the high prices and substantial competition may find increasingly attractive opportunities.
March 18, 2020
Rob Huxtable: Co-Investment Can Be A Powerful Litmus Test For C-Suite Leaders
There are three significant benefits to C-suite level co-investment in a PE-backed company, says FALCON’s Rob Huxtable.
March 4, 2020
Mark A. Filippell: Noncash Considerations In A Sale Create An Added Level Of Complexity
Every seller must understand that selling a company for multiple forms of consideration is quite different from receiving all cash and walking away clean, says Mark A. Filippell.
February 20, 2020
MRI Software’s John Ensign: Strong Outlook For M&A — If The Deals Meet The Right Criteria
Investing in the right acquisition — rather than just making the first deal that comes along — will be critical to surviving, and even thriving, in a downturn, says MRI Software’s John Ensign.
February 5, 2020
Michael Feuer: Buy It, Build It, Or Forget It?
It’s not how big you make it, it’s how you make it big, says Michael Feuer
January 23, 2020
Ken Marblestone: Maintaining Momentum Is An Important Part Of Closing The Deal
Don’t let a poorly conceived and executed deal process get in the way of your personal and business objectives, says Ken Marblestone.
January 16, 2020
Middle-Market Transactions Gain Efficiency, PE Sponsors Find New Ways To Build Value
PE sponsors have gotten better, perhaps even good, at owning businesses, and this trend should continue into the next decade, says Blue Point Capital Partners' Jim Marra.
January 9, 2020
Stewart Kohl: Investors Can’t Just Pay up And Hope Things Work Out
It’s very hard to succeed in private equity if you’re paying high prices without a clear and well-considered growth plan, says Riverside’s Stewart Kohl.
December 17, 2019
FALCON’s Rob Huxtable Explores Behavioral Pitfalls That Can Derail An LBO’s Performance
Portfolio company CEOs and their sponsors improve their odds of maximizing their multiple on invested capital when alignment is both financial and behavioral, says Falcon’s Rob Huxtable.
December 3, 2019
Westfield Bank’s Jon W. Park: How To Turn ‘Not For Sale’ Into ‘Sold’
Don’t let a potential seller get away because you failed to realize what was going on behind the scenes.
November 20, 2019
Ed Buchholz: The Most Successful Startup Ecosystems Welcome Failure
If we want to encourage startups to call Cleveland home, there are three primary metrics to focus on, says StartInCLE Founder Ed Buchholz.
November 5, 2019
Matt Kaulig: The Path From Risky Move To Smart Play
The founder of LeafFilter explores the mindset of entrepreneurs and dealmakers when it comes to taking risks.
October 21, 2019
When You Play ‘Gotcha!’ In M&A, It Often Comes Back To Bite You
Buyers with a gotcha mentality win some due diligence battles, but they often lose the due diligence war, explains Citizens Capital Markets' Mark A. Filippell.
October 10, 2019
Chas Withers: All Hope Is Not Lost For Dealmaking In 2020
Dix & Eaton's CEO explains why there is reason to be optimistic about the climate for M&A activity headed into 2020.
September 23, 2019
Startups Must Not Abuse The Concept Of Patience
As business leaders, let's identify where patience has become the wolf in sheep's clothing and make it the prominent theme for innovation again, writes Axuall's Charlie Lougheed.
September 3, 2019
Dealmakers Have Yet To Embrace Data Analysis. That’s A Mistake.
When it comes to dealmaking, many companies are doing what they’ve always done. Unfortunately, that means they’re not thinking about the massive amounts of previously unavailable data that can help them analyze potential deals more quickly than ever.
August 22, 2019
For Startups, Value Attracts Funding
Focusing all your attention on fundraising can actually make it harder to close your next funding round if it distracts you from creating the value investors want, writes JumpStart's Jerry Frantz.
August 7, 2019
What to do when a deal turns from a 'yes' to a 'no'
When a deal falls apart, it’s natural to be frustrated. In his latest Dealmaker Insider column, Michael Feuer explores why it’s always wise to temper your response in these situations.
July 30, 2019
Selling Your Business: Are You Really Ready To Fly Solo?
While you are successful and have negotiated and closed hundreds of deals to build your business, selling your company is a completely different transaction that involves unique dynamics, approaches and details, writes says Cascade Partners Managing Director Ken Marblestone.
July 10, 2019
Will Culture Eat Your M&A Strategy For Lunch?
To get the most out of any deal, leaders must be on the same page, must deliver consistent messages that are repeated, writes Dix & Eaton CEO Chas Withers in his latest Insider column. They then must be willing to shape strategy around the organic element of culture — not vice versa.
June 24, 2019
Focus M&A Negotiations On The Critical Issues
Without clear priorities, M&A professionals often flounder by attempting to maximize results along every dimension, writes Mark A. Filippell. This bogs down purchase agreement negotiations as every issue becomes a deal-breaker and reasonable trade-offs cannot be made.
