M&A Masters

On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Christie McFall, Business Development Director of Great Range Capital. Based in Mission Woods, Kansas, Great Range Capital brings a unique combination of institutional-grade experience and Midwestern values to middle market and lower-middle market firms in the Heartland.

“Our whole goal is to take a successful business that has a strong management team that is looking for some sort of succession plan, if it's taking equity out of the business and slowing down, or just growing that business to the next level because they can't. That's one of the things that I find appealing from these businesses in the Midwest is you get to find somebody who's talented, took an idea, and grew a successful company. But when they can say, I just don't know how to get to the next level, and I need some help, those are the types of relationships we're looking for,” says Christie.

We chat more about Christie’s career and Great Range Capital, as well as:

• Helping already successful businesses in the lower-middle market grow to the next level

• Rep and warranty insurance

• Upcoming trends in M&A

• The importance of acknowledging the emotional aspect of selling a business 

• And more

On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we chat with Ben Mimmack and Andy Waltman, Director of Investor Relations and Director, respectively, of private equity firm Baymark Partners. 

Ben got his start in banking in London before coming to the US to attend SMU in Dallas. After completing business school, he went on to work in finance at American Airways before ultimately being brought on at Baymark Partners. Andy got his start in accounting, earning a CPA before moving into private equity at Energy Spectrum. He also went on to attend SMU, where he earned an MBA before being presented with the opportunity to work with Baymark.

We chat about private equity and working in the lower middle market, as well as…

• What a private equity firm can do for an owner-founder

• How rep and warranty insurance is changing

• Opportunities for minority investments

• How Baymark is going about navigating the uncertainty imposed by COVID-19

• And more

Drew Caylor, managing director, and the rest of the team at private equity firm WILsquare Capital have a passion for helping lower middle market companies grow bigger and better. 

He says it’s all about the leaders at these companies and their commitment to making a difference to their people and the communities they’re in.

At WILsquare, they help create value through hands-on work with carefully selected businesses. It’s a level of service you won’t get at “brand-name” PE firms.

We take a deep dive into that topic, the post-pandemic M&A scene, and…

• The first place they look for future investment in a business
   
• 3+ questions they ask about every company they work with

• Why they view Representations and Warranty insurance as imperative

• Their management philosophy and how it differs from other PE firms

• And more

Trevor Crow works in the M&A space, specializing in what he calls an “underserved” area: lower middle market companies. He says bigger firms chase bigger deals because of high overheads and other internal costs.

But as a boutique firm, he’s able to work closely with owners and founders of what are often family-owned businesses. 

Trevor says Buyers and Sellers at this level are savvy and smart – a pleasure to work with.

He talks about the biggest benefits a small firm like his can offer companies, including quick response times. Tune in to get all the details on that, as well as…

• The last person you should hire to shepherd the sale of your business

• Strategies for balancing risk and the cost of appropriate insurance 

• One of the most “dangerous” potential liabilities for companies today

• The biggest obstacle to closing a deal – and how to overcome it

• And more

When it comes to M&A, lower middle market companies often get overlooked and overcharged by big institutions. But Cascadia Capital is an investment bank that specializes in working with this underserved market. 

Chairman and CEO Michael Butler explains how they help “stage the house” for a company about to go to market, including the financial, legal, and operational aspects, among others. 

We also talk about Michael’s unique take on the current financial crisis, including the key differences between what’s happening today and what happened in the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009. He says he’s optimistic about a quick turnaround… including a significant increase in M&A activity this summer.

We go into depth on the reason for that pickup, as well as…

• The underlying factors that make the quick upturn in the economy likely

• Personal financial planning an M&A deal – and how to minimize tax obligations
   
• What companies should be doing right now in the downturn to spot opportunity

• The role of Representations and Warranty insurance – and why it’s become a must-have in deals today

• And more 

In today’s episode of M&A Masters, I sit down with Gaurav Bhasin, managing director of Allied Advisers-- a Silicon Valley-based investment banking firm with team members in Irvine, Tel Aviv, and Mumbai. Allied Advisers specializes in M&A advisory services, or middle-market companies, particularly in the technology space.

Gaurav and I met when he engaged Rubicon to provide rep and warrant insurance for a client of his that was being acquired by his commercial partner. Ultimately, the deal closed, but what stood out to me and the reason Gaurav is on the show, were the lessons on the role of an investment banker in an M&A deal. 

We’ll chat with Gaurav about what it’s like to work in the middle-market, the types of services he offers that set him apart, as well as…

• The common themes of M&A processes

• How he manages to reach out to 100+ people per deal

• Gaurav’s ideal client profile, and how he narrowed it down

• When to reach out to an investment banker in the M&A process

• And more

We have a very exciting show for you this week! In this episode of M&A Masters, we’re joined by Codie Sanchez, the managing director of Entourage Effect Capital Partners and one of the most sought out speakers in the cannabis business.

Entourage Effect is a unique private equity firm as it was the first to focus exclusively on the cannabis industry. Since 2014, Entourage Effect has invested over 100 million dollars in over 40 companies!

We’ll chat with Codie about how she got into the cannabis industry, what sets Entourage Effect apart from other private equity firms, as well as…

• The entourage effect

• What potential investors should ask about cannabis

• The way cannabis is viewed as an investment

• What makes cannabis different than other agricultural products in terms of due diligence and the M&A process

• Entourage Effect’s ideal target market

• And more

In today’s episode, we sit down with Tash Meys and Viv Conway, who provide consulting and execution services dedicated to fast-tracking a company’s Instagram growth and engagement.

“I think if you’re not using social media, it can be overwhelming with which platform to choose,” says Tash, when asked about what Instagram is and how it’s different from other mediums. 

We’ll talk with Tash and Viv about how to learn about Instagram, why Instagram is an important business tool, and… 

• The true difference between Facebook and Instagram

• How to create trust and engagement with your brand on Instagram

• Why Instagram is great for targeting individuals in the financial sector-- such as private equity, brokers, investors, and business owners

• Why you need an ideal client profile

• The impact of good content, as well as…

• The importance of monthly analytics

In today’s episode, we sit down with Jordan Selleck-- the founder of 51 Labs. 51 Labs provides digital marketing services to the lower-middle market and were founded based on a string of failures that blossomed into success. Our guest, and 51 Labs, focuses on generating quality and engaging video content for their clients through using original ideas and avoiding “templated” content.

We’ll chat about why LinkedIn doesn’t work for 51 Labs’ target market, the biggest mistakes people make when marketing on LinkedIn, and how to be front of mind to the advisor community…

As well as:

• Being the go-to marketing firm for the lower-middle market
• LinkedIn engagement strategies
• Using Vlogs in your marketing strategy, and
• Sourcing deals from LinkedIn

In today’s episode, we sit down with Bud Moore, who is the founding partner of Valesco Industries-- a lower-middle market private equity firm in Dallas, Texas. We love everything Valesco is doing, especially because there is a large need for their expertise, guidance, and capital in the lower-middle market.

“Our ideas are muscle, and so we put that behind companies to help them grow and become a bigger and better version of what they were,” says Bud on the topic of how Valesco came to be. 

We’ll chat about Valesco’s primary markets, value-added distributions, and…

• Moral and ethical commitments

• Banishing preconceived notions

• M&A trends

• Rep & Warranty