| Fractional CMO

Building Portco Resiliency Right Now

Aug 5, 2020 2:55:31 PM | Posted by Doug Reifschneider

The COVID-19 crisis has changed the economy in extraordinary and unexpected ways. But private equity firms can help their portfolio companies take some crucial steps in weathering the storm, and recovering when the clouds lift.

The world's best epidemiologists only have models to predict the full depth and breadth of the COVID-19 pandemic, but companies are already feeling the economic fallout. They're scrambling to find the best way to respond, and in many cases, survive, all the while being rightly concerned for the health of their families and communities. It's not easy, and this is no time to pretend otherwise.

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COVID-19 POV: Remote Marketing for Portcos

Apr 14, 2020 12:00:00 PM — As GPs guide their portfolios through the current COVID-19 crisis, they should ensure that the marketing teams at all their investments can still function remotely, according to Chief Outsiders’ Aurora Toth, who has some tips for PE firms on how to do just that. Private equity as an asset class is now mature enough to have weathered several downturns, and even the financial crisis of 2008, with some firms emerging only stronger for it. Slowdowns can even prove friendly, lowering asset prices, sparking the sale of non-core units and creating turnaround opportunities. But COVID-19 might rattle the most veteran dealmakers. A public health crisis of this magnitude will create unique problems that will be hard for anyone to predict, or easily solve.

The Importance of Brand in a Post-M&A Scenario

Mar 16, 2020 1:08:48 PM — Winning the Brand Game Can Supercharge Your M&A Results For acquirers of businesses, either Corporate or Private Equity (PE), it’s not exactly a great time to be buying businesses and placing bets on new frontiers. A recent Price Waterhouse Coopers report found that the uptick in mega-mergers and acquisitions seen in 2019 will continue into the new decade. This means high purchase prices will remain in their stratosphere for the foreseeable future. As a result of high purchase-price multiples and overly ambitious revenue growth plans, the landscape is littered with the remains of deals gone south or sour. In fact, more than half of intended acquisitions fail, and 80 percent fall short of expectations. To protect themselves against failed deals, Corporations and PE have responded to inflated purchase price multiples by doubling down on pre-acquisition and pre-merger due diligence.

3 Keys for Increasing Odds of M&A Success

Feb 17, 2020 10:59:00 AM — Solid due diligence on ALL aspects of the business and a fast start on value creation are needed to reach the end-point of a strong ROI for the investors at exit Recently, I was visiting with a colleague from my days at Waste Management Inc. (WM) reminiscing about a major industry roll-up of which we were a part. Waste Management had decided to create value for shareholders by acquiring and consolidating companies in the very fragmented pest control and lawn care business, creating new national players in the industry. We were part of the acquisition team – several of us having been owners of acquired companies, plus a long-time WM executive. In two years, our team directed the acquisition and consolidation of over 150 companies, resulting in a roll-up of about $200 million in annual home services revenue. The entire consolidation was eventually sold to ServiceMaster, owner of Terminix. Fast forward to current days, when many of the old problems with M&A are the same, but there’s a new twist. In the world of Private Equity, today’s sky-high valuations require making even smarter decisions when buying a company. Solid due diligence on ALL aspects of the business and a fast start on value creation are needed to reach the end-point of a strong ROI for the investors at exit.

Portfolio Company Marketing at the Speed of Now

Oct 28, 2019 4:50:31 PM — Several trends in the private equity landscape demand GPs focus on accelerated growth initiatives to drive returns, which requires an infusion of marketing expertise, says Karen Hayward of Chief Outsiders. Private equity’s long boom is proving to be mixed blessing. According to Prequin, deal making through the third quarter of 2019 is matching that of 2018. GPs are still raising record levels of capital, meaning the competition for deals, reflected in the high price of assets, won’t be subsiding anytime soon. More concerning is that the pace of exits has been slowing, with 2019’s exits looking to fall short of 2018’s numbers, a situation that has yet to dampen LPs enthusiasm for the asset class… yet.

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Building Portco Resiliency Right Now

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COVID-19 POV: Remote Marketing for Portcos

The Importance of Brand in a Post-M&A Scenario

3 Keys for Increasing Odds of M&A Success

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Portfolio Company Marketing at the Speed of Now

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