Embracing Uncertainty: How Adapting to Unpredictable Outcomes Can Lead to Business Success

In 1987, a professional wrestling match between Bruiser Brody and Lex Luger in Florida took an unexpected turn. Instead of the standard cage match fans anticipated, the bout transformed into a strange, unscripted encounter. This serves as a reminder that even the most carefully choreographed events can veer off course. Businesses, like wrestling, often face […]

Organic Growth: The Sustainable Alternative Shaping Small Businesses

In a world where acquisitions have long been the driving force behind business expansion, it’s no surprise that an overwhelming majority of these deals end up failing. This has led to a growing number of small businesses seeking a more sustainable approach to growth: organic expansion. Nurturing their core businesses and growing from within, these […]

Raising Prices: How to Communicate Changes and Maintain Positive Customer Relationships

When it comes to business, it’s not uncommon for owners to avoid discussing money. Many business owners are hesitant to raise prices and potentially harm a good relationship with their customers. But what happens when increasing costs have already been absorbed and there is no other option? Sometimes, it’s either raise prices or close up […]

Why Buying is Better than Building for Small Business Growth: Insights from Engine 2s

In today’s uncertain economic climate, many small business leaders recognize the importance of developing and accelerating alternative engines of growth for the future. These new businesses, known as “Engine 2s,” use the scale benefits of the core business to grow faster than an independent start-up could. During downturns, companies make bold moves that enable them […]

Why Every Company Needs to Think, Act and Look Like a Software Company: Insights from McKinsey’s Latest Research

As the world continues to become more and more digital, it’s becoming increasingly clear that every company is, in some way, a software company. This is a sentiment that was first expressed by Marc Andreessen over a decade ago, when he famously said that “software is eating the world.” Today, we can update that statement […]

Creating Value Faster: A Playbook for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses in Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate combinations can be a powerful way for Small to Mid-Sized (SMB) businesses to create more value and growth opportunities. The goal for many SMB’s is to double or even triple revenues on the way to returning many times their initial investments. However, despite these ambitious goals, many SMB’s fail to […]

Creating a Winning Investment Thesis: How to Find the Best Businesses to Acquire as an Acquisition Entrepreneur

As an acquisition entrepreneur, finding the right business to acquire can be a daunting task. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start and what to look for. However, having a well-defined investment thesis can help you narrow down your options and find the businesses that are […]

When things get rocky, practice deliberate calm

In unusually difficult situations, a counterintuitive response to stress is what many leaders should aim for, say Jacqueline Brassey, McKinsey senior knowledge expert, and McKinsey senior partner Aaron De Smet as they talk about their new book, Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World (HarperCollins, November 2022), on The McKinsey Podcast […]

Risk, Return, and the High Wire Act: Navigating an Uncertain Business Landscape

“The received wisdom is that risk increases in the recessions and falls in the booms. In contrast, it may be more helpful to think of risk as increasing during upswings, as financial imbalances build up, and materializing in recessions.” – Andrew Crockett Everyone loves discussing returns, as they are tangible, boast-worthy, and indicative of one’s […]

A playbook for newly minted private equity portfolio-company CEOs

Via:  McKinsey & Company CEOs who helm companies owned by private equity (PE) firms face a leadership challenge unlike any other. They must master everything a great public- or private-company CEO does, all while operating at a higher metabolic rate. A newcomer to PE also faces the conundrum of having limited access to insight about […]