Russ Heddleston, Co-founder & former CEO, DocSend
Every owner loves their business. This makes selling their company even harder than it already is. But aside from the emotional turmoil that founders go through every exit, there are also a lot of intricacies included in the process.
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Russ Heddleston, Co-founder & former CEO of DocSend, discusses the challenges of sell-side M&A.
Things you will also learn in this episode:
Considerations in Potentially Selling a Startup
Challenges of sell-side M&A
Key Factors for a Successful Exit
How to manage diligence in sell-side M&A
00:00 Intro
04:10 Starting DocSend
06:08 Identifying the Inflection Point to sell
09:01 Selling a Startup
10:46 Considerations in Potentially Selling a Startup
14:28 Best Time for an Exit
16:00 Balancing Stakeholder Interests in an Acquisition
17:50 Relationship Management in an Acquisition
19:46 How Relationships Influence Negotiations
20:41 Relationships with Bankers
23:14 Reaching out to DropBox
26:16 Key Factors for a Successful Exit
28:04 Impact of Market Conditions on M&A
28:45 The Unknowns of Selling a Business
30:53 Post-Acquisition Challenges and Unknowns
32:34 Enhancing Preparation for Post-Close Integration
34:05 Tips for Buyers for Smoother Integration
35:18 Challenges of Sell-side M&A
37:15 Efficiently Managing Diligence
38:46 People involved from pre-LOI to Close
41:36 Post-Acquisition Team Dynamics
43:01 Evaluating Alternatives to Selling
48:28 Fundraising Strategies to Minimize Dilution
49:44 Advice for Acquirers Seeking Successful Acquisitions
51:29 Effective Strategies for Corporate Leaders to Engage with Founders
53:14 Craziest thing in M&A
This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/
Jason Mironov, Managing Director at TA Associates
Partnering with PE firms is a great way to exponentially grow a business and reach new heights. However, there are considerations that must be taken into account, before taking PE capital. Fully understanding them will increase chances of success, in the attempt to unlock the full potential of the business.
In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Jason Mironov, Managing Director at TA Associates, discusses the pros and cons of taking PE capital.
00:00 Intro
05:29 The Lack of Operating Experience
07:03 Pros of taking money from a private equity firm
11:01 Other factors to take money from PE firms
12:49 Cons of taking money from private equity
17:16 Focusing on IRR
22:10 Culture of focusing on numbers
26:54 Working with Unhappy CEO
30:06 Board control
35:33 Expectation for the Board Structure
38:30 Dilution for founders
42:53 How to build and preserve wealth
47:20 Approach on partnership
51:03 Handling Inbound Contacts
56:51 Creating value before partnership starts
01:03:15 Working with the founder
01:05:38 Pushing M&A to portcos
01:08:51 Founder Exit
01:16:01 Timeline of investment
01:20:26 Craziest thing in M&A
This episode is sponsored by DealRoom. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at www.dealroom.net.
Michael Frankel, Founder and Managing Partner of Trajectory Capital
When times are good, big companies tend to ignore their smaller business units, as they operate smoothly on their own. It is only when the economy gets tough that these little businesses get more attention, and often seen as off-strategy or a distraction. That's when the company's leaders decide it's time to sell them, which is not ideal, as the business is no longer in their prime, making it harder to sell.
In this episode of M&A Science podcast, Michael Frankel, Founder and Managing Partner of Trajectory Capital, joins us to share his best practices of selling a small business unit.
00:00 Intro
03:35 The decision to sell a business
05:01 Reasons to sell the business
06:43 Steps in selling a small business unit
09:59 Finding buyers
11:53 Avoid using bankers
13:30 Pitching the deal
14:50 Avoiding non-serious buyers
16:42 Important factors other than price
23:01 Real life example
27:54 Valuation gap
30:29 Evaluating the business
34:45 Hardest part of selling a small business unit
37:03 Advice for first time buyers
41:48 Proactively approaching a seller
47:25 Earnouts on small deals
48:44 Craziest Thing in M&A
This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/
Selling your business is never easy. Aside from the emotional stress that it provides, it can also be detrimental to the business if it's sold to the wrong company. Oftentimes, during the process, it can also serve as a massive distraction to the operations, harming the business in the process.
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, we will discuss how to create a positive exit experience in M&A with Swapnil Shinde, CEO at Zeni.
Things you will learn:
• Reasons for the first exit
• Reacting vs Proactive Exits
• Hardest part of selling a business
• Role of sellers in Integration Planning
• Do’s and Don'ts of Buying a company
00:00 Intro
06:31 Reasons for the first exit
09:19 Venture Exit
12:19 Build to sell
14:03 Reacting vs Proactive Exits
16:28 Using Bankers during Exits
19:09 Hardest part of selling a business
21:30 Managing Diligence
24:28 Lessons Learned on Diligence
28:03 Keeping and building relationships
29:29 Role of sellers in Integration Planning
32:29 Reasons why Integration fails
34:49 Worst exit experience
36:31 Making integration successful
38:25 Do’s and Don'ts of Buying a company
39:41 Identifying Cultural Fit
This episode is sponsored by our products DealRoom and FirmRoom.
Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net.
FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com
Chris Von Bogdandy, Global Lead M&A Solutions at Slalom
Revenue synergies are why you’re doing the deal in the first place. But unlike cost synergies that happen instantly, revenue synergies are more difficult to achieve and often go unrealized. One of the biggest problems in M&A is that when a company pursues a deal, different departments have varying perspectives on what's essential. So how do you maintain the deal thesis as a central focus?
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Chris Von Bogdandy, Global Lead M&A Solutions at Slalom, discusses his framework for realizing revenue synergies in M&A.
Things you will learn:
•Importance of Revenue Synergies
•Correlation between M&A strategy and Revenue Synergies
•Understanding Customer Journey
•Planning for Revenue Synergies Pre-LOI
•Agile M&A
00:00 Intro
06:17 Importance of Revenue Synergies
09:58 Correlation between M&A strategy and Revenue Synergies
16:42 Timeline of Revenue Synergies
18:49 Realistic Revenue Synergies
21:14 Understanding Customer Journey
24:44 Planning for Revenue Synergies Pre-LOI
27:38 Capturing Revenue Synergies Post-LOI
31:04 Executing the Plan
34:21 Cross-Functional Work Streams
36:29 New product introduction process
40:15 Agile M&A
43:31 Disbanding team and workstreams
46:57 Top three principles to success
48:48 Advice for next generation of young leaders in M&A
This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom.
To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy.
Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net .
FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com
Casey Nault, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief ESG Officer at Coeur Mining, Inc. (NYSE: CDE)
ESG in M&A is very real. And while it is a fairly new term, it represents a range of critical issues and priorities that companies have long considered. In many ways, ESG has always been important and is essential for risk management and maintaining company value, even for for-profit organizations.
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, we will discuss how to focus on ESG in M&A, featuring Casey Nault, SVP, General Counsel, and Chief ESG Officer at Coeur Mining, Inc.
Things you will learn:
•Importance of ESG in M&A
•Balancing ESG and profit
•ESG diligence
•Red flags during ESG diligence
•ESG on cross-border deals
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This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to www.firmroom.com
00:00 Intro
07:31 M&A in the Mining Industry
09:26 Valuation and Deal Structures in the Mining Industry
13:51 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
15:57 Importance of ESG
20:13 Disaggregating ESG
21:49 Sustainability in today's market
24:04 Balancing ESG and profit
26:52 ESG considerations during M&A
30:58 Evolution of ESG approach
32:41 ESG diligence
33:35 Red flags during ESG diligence
35:31 Deal Stoppers
36:36 Designated person sustainability
37:17 Diligence Execution during M&A
39:19 ESG on cross-border deals
40:55 Negotiations on cross border deals
42:47 Advice for practitioners
43:18 Craziest thing in M&A
Brock Blake, Co-Founder and CEO at Lendio
M&A is a never-ending web of complexities and challenges. While the potential for growth and transformation is promising, the chances of failure are extremely high. To increase chances of success, acquirers must learn how to be adaptable and work with the target company for alignment.
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Brock Blake, Co-Founder and CEO of Lendio, shares their approach on how not to bomb your first M&A deal.
You will learn:
• How to drive your first deal
• Understanding the cultural aspect of M&A
• Strategizing acquisitions
• Validating assumptions before acquisition commitment
• Budget allocation for an earnout
____________________________________________________________________________
This episode is sponsored by our products DealRoom and FirmRoom
Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at dealroom.net.
FirmRoom is the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to firmroom.com
00:00 Intro
06:02 Getting into M&A
07:14 First deals and their drivers
10:43 Second Acquisition
14:49 Third Acquisition
18:43 Understanding the cultural aspect
25:17 The new deal approach
29:10 Strategizing acquisitions
32:07 Validating assumptions before acquisition commitment
38:14 Budget allocation for an earnout
41:37 Craziest thing in M&A