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Tune Your PE Growth Engine Today: Take These Four Steps
Nov 14, 2022, 11:32:16 AM — Written by Jack Bowen and Bill Keller For private equity organizations, the cup runneth over. The post-pandemic period has been a boon for PE markets, with more than a trillion dollars flowing into portfolios in 2021 alone. However, in the face of an uncertain economic environment, it will take more than legacy practices to keep fueling the PE fires. With the unending tasks of assessing, aligning, and optimizing their portfolio companies’ performance to maximize growth opportunities, marketing is one line item that often gets short shrift at PE organizations. But no longer: Simply relying on the existing talent within a portfolio organization can increase the risk of achieving the same old, same old – leveraging historically ineffective approaches while hoping to yield better results.
Portco Growth: December is a Great Time to Evaluate Strategy
Dec 11, 2018, 12:52:39 PM — The end of the year is a great time to step back and look at the broader strategic direction of a portfolio company’s growth plan and go-to-market approach. Here are 5 key elements to a comprehensive review. Private equity firms aren’t afraid of data, and they have kept a close eye on performance metrics all year long. No doubt GPs will know the results and how they stack up against expectations. But as the year draws to close, it might be time to look at the overall strategic direction of your go-to-market approach and marketing effort.
PEI Operating Partner Forum 2018 – Insights from a Fractional CMO and Managing Partner
Oct 30, 2018, 2:22:11 PM — Key top line growth themes include digital marketing, sales/marketing alignment and talent acquisition. This month, I had the opportunity to attend my second Private Equity International’s Operating Partner Forum in New York City. It is the largest gathering in the US of Operating Partners who come together to share learnings and discuss PE portfolio operational assessment and value addition. With acknowledgement that there is upwards of $1 Trillion in uninvested capital making deals more competitive, prices are higher and great outcomes will be more heavily reliant on top line revenue momentum. Discussion this year focused on the need to continue to drive operational excellence with a cost cutting focus AND be innovative in driving top line revenue. The 2017 forum panels were more focused on the opportunities to leverage go to market plans by investing in sales and sales productivity with discussions about helping portfolio companies with playbooks to accelerate top line revenue growth. Many panelists continue to acknowledge that their first hires were VP Sales leaders.
Operating Partners: Creating Value and Driving Organic Growth
Oct 30, 2018, 1:56:28 PM — Operating Partners have a tough job! Many firms are still trying to figure out their Operating Partner strategy They don’t always have input into the deal parameters yet are called-upon to see that the Value Creation Plan fulfill the investment thesis They don’t always have a full seat at the table with the deal partners and may not reap the same type of rewards They are often in the position of working with management teams who are skeptical of their input and not always quick to accept help They are often spread thin across multiple portfolio companies with limited resources These dynamics were on full display at two events I attended recently – The PEI Operating Partners Forum and ACG’s M&A East. While Operating Partners were in abundance at the first event, the second was dominated by deal professionals and board advisors. Surprisingly, much of the messaging was very similar.