Ian Smith | The Portfolio Partnership

The Essence of M&A

by Ian Smith | Jun 20, 2024 | Acquisitions

As the volume of M&A picks up, it’s always worth a quick recap of what’s important. The research still points to failure between 50% to 70% of the time. I thought you might enjoy the Essence of M&A in 6 slides. M&A in 6 slides Stay in touch....

Scaling For Safety – 20 Point Plan

by Ian Smith | Jun 17, 2024 | Scaling, Value Creation

It might feel counterintuitive but staying small can be risky. And small is where most US firms are! There are 5.4 million companies out of 6.1 million with 20 employees or less. That’s 89% of US companies. At that size it’s tough to make money. However...

Operations For Exit – COO – Manufacturing Case Study

by Ian Smith | May 8, 2024 | COO, Operations For Exit

As you scale your manufacturing business beyond 30,40,70 employees it is essential that the role of the COO is identified. The key responsibility of the COO is to align all efforts towards a common cause. This is not just an Operations Director overseeing the...

Operators – You Are Seen

by Ian Smith | Apr 22, 2024 | Operational Alignment, Operational Excellence, Value Creation

The spotlight often falls on the CEO as transformations take place: WSJ – Ferrari’s new CEO Benedetto Vigna and his transformation plan. Forbes – How GE’s CEO used a Japanese manufacturing tactic to turn the company around—and got the stock to outperform...

10 Missed Opportunities To Create Value

by Ian Smith | Apr 12, 2024 | Value Creation

In our experience over the last 30 years, working with entrepreneurs, there are ten initiatives that are missing from their action list. These missed opportunities are the cause of disappointment when it comes to the exit process. These areas are heavily scrutinized...