How To Get Acquired as a $10 Million DTC Brand

Nicholas Weiksner is the CEO and Founding Partner of South Col, an accelerator fund partnering with e-commerce brands to maximize sale value. With experience in venture capital and private equity, his skills include finance, negotiation, business planning, and mergers and acquisitions. Before South Col, Nicholas served as the CFO for SellersFunding, a global fintech company, and worked as an Investment Banker for Thomas Weisel Partners and Bear Stearns. He also held operational roles at fast-growing tech companies and for the San Francisco 49ers, where he managed sales for their $1.2 billion stadium.

In this episode…

Many people with eCommerce companies that reach the $10-30 million mark consider selling or exiting. This can be a valuable opportunity for founders looking to kickstart their next endeavors. What should you know about getting acquired, and how can you position your business as an attractive option to potential buyers?

eCommerce M&A facilitator Nicholas Weiksner maintains that your numbers are the most valuable aspect of your business. While finances and accounting aren’t sexy, you must gain visibility into each transaction and expense to identify inconsistencies and modify your processes. Eliminating products, services, or processes that stunt growth optimizes profitability for a sale. Additionally, potential buyers evaluate your multiples, so by aligning your metrics with current market trends, you can increase them. This may involve accelerating customer engagement tactics to drive additional sales, developing models like subscriptions to generate recurring revenue, or expanding your top-line products. Aside from knowing your numbers, Nicholas encourages founders to establish a few objectives and focus solely on accomplishing them to advance acquisition prospects.

Join William Harris in today’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as he invites Nicholas Weiksner, the CEO and Founding Partner of South Col, to speak about preparing your e-commerce brand for an acquisition. Nicholas talks about forecasting your brand’s future, his market projections for 2024, and how his friend happened to date Jerry Seinfeld.