by Glenn Fishler, CEO to CEO Principal
I was CEO of a privately held B2B professional services company for 15 years before we put the company to the market and sold the firm to a strategic buyer in 2015. When the company was founded in 1990, our vision was to build and run the business with the intention of someday creating a liquidity event for the shareholders.
This keynote was delivered for DCA Partners’ Success Strategies Seminar Series, “Setting Your New Trajectory: Strategic Acquisitions to Accelerate Growth” on June 28, 2017 at the Sacramento State Alumni Center.
For companies hungry to grow, economic slowdowns are the time to accelerate growth through acquisitions of weak competitors and by snagging market share at a bargain. Here are five ways to prepare to be a power bargain shopper and build your war chest.
National Mortgage News has printed an article Why Mortgage Entrepreneurs Can Struggle After a Startup Succeeds. ” A company’s evolution from startup to established business is a complex transition that requires executives to have a wide array of leadership skills,” writes Brad Finkelstein, after an interview with Rob Sher. Click the article title, to read the article in its entirety.
Growth through acquisitions is so exciting….and can be deadly for midsized firms. But the outcome is far from random.
We may bemoan the higher airfares that will follow US Air’s buyout of American. But if your mid-market company is operating in an industry with poor economics, don’t be put off.
Acquisition integrations are just like major surgery. Precise execution and quick completion are best. Learn key approaches and leading practices.
Understand how customers will perceive news of your acquisition. Learn about the need for planning and costs to manage customer perceptions.
Hewlett-Packard’s $8.8 billion write-down of its $11 billion purchase of Autonomy Corp. is a stark lesson for all mid-market company CEOs who plan to grow via acquisition: Do your homework and then do it again because (unlike H-P) your firm’s survival may depend on it.
The acquisition success statistics are dismal, with about 50% deemed unsuccessful. The findings—neatly summarized in a Federal Trade Commission paper—are troubling news for mid-market firms who cannot afford the losses and headaches, which stem from unsuccessful acquisitions.
Robert Sher is founding principal of CEO to CEO, a consulting firm of former chief executives that improves the leadership infrastructure of midsized companies seeking to accelerate their performance. He was chief executive of Bentley Publishing Group from 1984 to 2006 and steered the firm to become a leading player in its industry (decorative art publishing).