Strategy 4 Saturday Blog (<4 minute read)
(Picture: Old North State Golf Club)
This past week I spent time in the Charlotte area, near beautiful Badin Lake.
We were hosted by The Catalyst Board, and founders Bob Parent and Cathy Bradford. Bob and Cathy have created an excellent community of CEO’s and entrepreneurs and are making a difference in increasing their company value.
Bob and Cathy have been wonderfully generous in providing referrals, which has led to multiple clients in the North Carolina area. Thank you so much to Bob and Cathy for living with abundance.
(Image: Carl J Cox, Speaking at The Catalyst Board’s Event)
How to Position Your Business & Prepare for a Successful Sale in Turbulent Times
On Thursday, Bob Goldsmith, Founder and President of Northern Edge Advisors LLC, and I gave the keynote speech with moderator CEO George Sandman from Growth Drive.
This is the 2nd time that Bob and I presented together – last time was in Charleston, South Carolina at the Growth Drive Conference.
I enjoy talking with Bob in a presentation because we help provide business owners, who are considering selling their business, the hard truth about what it takes to not only sell your business, but also increase the value of your business before you sell it.
A typical business owner is lucky to go through just one sale of a business sale in their lifetime. Multiple companies are really uncommon.
It’s sort of like having children. These days families may have one to three children. Rarely, do we see families with more kids than the fingers on one their hand.
But the story is, those people that have had seven or eight children, they could tell you a lot of stories about raising kids and you are more likely to listen.
Bob provides his vast experience as an investment banker, helping multiple people sell their business. My part of the story is sharing the hard truth that CEOs have to go through to not only prepare to sell their current biz – but thrive as an operator with a private equity firm.
When it comes to having kids, I’ve never heard a parent say, “Boy, I’ve got a really ugly kid.”
The same thing happens when it comes to businesses. Rarely do I have a business owner that says, “You know, my business sucks.”
No, they’re not gonna say things like that. They’re gonna say they have an amazing business, etc. etc.
Our job is to reveal the truth – and help you find a way to maximize the exit from your company without bias.
(The Catalyst Group)
Key Points in our Presentation
Successful deal-making requires more than spotting a good opportunity—it demands a disciplined, proactive process. Even so, you might review hundreds of options to close just a few. That’s why top-down macro analysis is essential. By evaluating total addressable market (TAM), barriers to entry, competitive forces, and economic tailwinds or headwinds, you can filter for the deals with the highest strategic fit and growth potential.
- Use a multi-channel sourcing strategy to increase deal flow.
- Prioritize proprietary, first-look opportunities to reduce competition.
- Leverage your network for introductions and referrals.
- Avoid “over-shopped” deals that have been widely circulated.
- Be prepared to review hundreds of opportunities to close just a few.
- Conduct top-down macro analysis to evaluate broader market dynamics.
- Assess key factors like TAM, cyclicality, barriers to entry, and competition to prioritize high-potential deals.
For business owners preparing to sell or investors looking to maximize returns, preparation is key. Address risks before going to market, highlight value enhancers, and tailor your strategy to reach not just the obvious buyers, but the ones with strategic motivation, your outliers. By driving the process like a sales and marketing campaign, preparing due diligence materials in advance, and focusing on future potential, you can build competitive tension and momentum. The payoff is real: removing risk factors and clearly articulating value can mean the difference between a $3M valuation and a $7M outcome on the same $1M EBITDA.
Next Steps
The presentation was a success. We are scheduling another trip in July to support some of their clients with strategic facilitation, accounting, and tax support.
Thank you Bob and Cathy for a wonderful event – see you soon.
