David Braun
Author's posts
Why Did Buffett Buy Duracell? Finding Growth in Mature Markets
At first glance you may ask, “Why in the world would Warren Buffett buy Duracell?” One explanation is financial. Through a bit of fiscal engineering Berkshire Hathaway is able to avoid triggering significant taxes. The Duracell transaction, is essentially a merger through a stock swap. Berkshire will give P&G $4.7 billion of the shares it …
Getting from A to B – Harness Your Ideas to Grow Your Company
Entrepreneurs rarely face the challenge of having too few ideas. In fact, like most entrepreneurs and business leaders you probably have a multitude of great ideas for growing your own business. Your biggest challenge may be figuring out which of all the alternatives is the best way to get from where you are now to …
Are You Playing It Safe?
For the last couple of years, corporate America seems to have been playing it safe when it comes to growth. Currently U.S. corporations are holding on to a record $1.65 trillion in cash. Are you in a similar position, perhaps? Cash may not be your “security” blanket but you may be unwilling to take the risks …
If 70% of Acquisitions Fail, Why Even Try?
With a 70% failure rate for acquisitions, it seems like the odds are against you from the beginning. Before you get scared off, however, let’s take a closer look at what that 70% means. The 70% failure rate is mainly based on large, publicly traded transactions because large transactions must be reported to the SEC, …
Will German Companies Keep Buying?
We’ve seen a number of large German acquisitions announced this year such as Siemens’ $7.6 billion purchase of Dresser-Rand and Merck of Germany’s $17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich. Expect to see more of this trend from growth-starved, cash-rich German companies. By acquiring Dresser-Rand, Siemens can expand in the US and strengthen their presence in oil …
4 Helpful Sources for Researching International Markets and Companies
Expanding internationally can provide numerous opportunities to grow your business using acquisitions, joint ventures or strategic partnerships, but before you can decide which market to enter, you’ll need to do some research. The data sources you use for your research will vary depending on location and industry and the specific information you are seeking. We’ve …
How Well Do You Know Your Company?
How well do you really know your company? If you’re the owner or the CEO, you might say you have a pretty good handle on it. After all, you’ve been there since the beginning and you’re the leader. While that might be true, you may not really know everything about your organization. I’ll give you …
Forget the Competition. Think Customers.
Don’t let the competition define your external growth strategy. Instead, plan for the people who matter most ─ your customers. Let’s face it ─ we all care about what other people think, and in business that often means measuring how we stack up against the competition. While it’s important to keep an eye on competitors, …
The Wrong Place to Start an Acquisition Process
Many people begin by listing possible companies to buy. But there’s a far better approach when you’re planning an acquisition. You start getting excited about a target company that has fantastic financials and is growing exponentially. You imagine the synergies the deal will generate. Success is so close you can almost taste it…but after digging …
Key Questions to Ask in Due Diligence
I’m often asked for a due diligence checklist by clients or acquirers who are anxious to make sure they’ve covered all their bases. While there are plenty of due diligence checklists, I caution against using a list developed by someone else because it may not cover aspects that are important to your organization. Your questions …
