David Braun
Author's posts
Finding the Best Acquisition Opportunities
“The best opportunities are the ones we’re pursuing and not the other way around.” This comment in The Wall Street Journal from Smadar Levi, CFO of MyHeritage.com, is one I wholeheartedly agree with. She is quoted in an article about the growing number of startups seeking to be acquired. With fewer financing options available to …
Growth Strategies for Credit Unions
I was invited to write an op-ed for the Credit Union Times for their focus report on growth strategies. While there are a variety of options to consider when exploring implementing new products and services to grow, credit unions can only grow by meeting the needs of future members. I offer five ways to pursue growth …
New Trends in Mergers and Acquisitions Terms and Tactics
When it comes to M&A, dealmakers should be aware of several new trends in 2014. A recent webinar by The Deal, “Trends in M&A Deal Terms and Tactics,” focuses on two such trends from Delaware courts that may affect acquirers in all jurisdictions. Multi-Jurisdictional Litigation The first development is preventing multi-jurisdictional litigation. The webinar panel …
How to Get Acquired: Top 10 Tips for Selling Your Business
M&A can be a powerful tool for transforming your business, but it’s important to find the right partner who is aligned with your strategy in order to accomplish your goals. For sellers, oftentimes acquisition means saying goodbye to a business you’ve built from the ground up. You don’t want to sell your life’s work to …
When to Mention Acquisition to an Owner
When do you let an owner of a privately-held not-for-sale company know you are interested in acquisition? While, I’ve mentioned that an owner will not sell their company over the phone, this doesn’t mean you should hide your interest in acquisition. You should introduce acquisition at the beginning of the process. In your first call …
In Facebook – WhatsApp Deal Strategy Trumps Numbers
Facebook announced it will buy WhatsApp for $19 billion on February 19, 2014. There is no way that I can, in any credible means, justify or explain the purchase price because it’s absurd in my opinion. WhatsApp has no advertising revenues and charges each of its 450 million active users a yearly fee of just …
Bridging the Generation Gap
Do you work with your family? Navigating business politics and family dynamics can be tricky, especially when it comes to succession planning and determining the future of your business. Below are some key areas to focus on when it comes to selling or transferring ownership of a family-owned business to the next generation. Valuation Make …
The Greatest Hurdle Facing Tech Mergers
The biggest tech M&A disasters were the Time Warner-AOL $350 billion merger and Google’s $12.3 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility. In my observations, the greatest hurdle facing tech mergers is integration. Even where the strategy of the acquisition is solid, if the integration of the two workforces and assets is not executed properly, it will fail. Even …
Focusing On the Right Growth Opportunities
The following question was asked during our most recent webinar, “Discovering Markets.” Q: How do you choose which quadrant of the opportunity matrix to focus on? A: When beginning to plan for external growth, you may be blown away by the sheer number of possibilities and options. As exciting as they may appear, you’ll have …
Expanding in a Declining Market
Verso Paper announced that it would acquire NewPage Holdings in a deal worth $1.4 billion. NewPage rejected a similar offer from Verso in 2012, also valued at $1.4 billion. So what changed this time around? Quite simply, it’s the environment: Both paper companies realize the paper market is shrinking and that’s not about to change …
