174: The Economy, Labor Market, and M&A Landscape: Paying Attention to What Really Matters with Alex Chausovsky

Get ready for a masterclass of an episode with Alex Chausovsky, the Director of Analytics and Consulting at Bundy Group. Alex gives us detailed breakdowns of the top things you need to know about the current economic climate, the labor market, and the M&A world.   

We hear about his varied career story and the key lessons he’s picked up from his time in market research and investment banking. He gives his advice for those running businesses, hiring talent, selling businesses, and making decisions around growth and profitability. A theme throughout this episode is the importance of focusing on what matters and not getting lost in the noise and wealth of information out there.  

To say this episode is packed with advice would be putting it lightly! 

In this episode, find out: 

• Alex’s career story from market research to M&A to investment banking 
• The three top takeaways we need to know about economic changes  
• How Alex first started working with Miller Research 
• Why businesses need to think more strategically about talent management 
• Three things that are impacting the labor market at the moment 
• Why HR needs a seat at the executive table 
• The key factors that job candidates are most interested in and how organizations can lean into them 
• How Alex pivoted toward investment banking  
• Why you need a base understanding of the value of an organization 
• The four pillars of a valuable business 
• Why you need a competitive market process when selling a business 
• The importance of critical thinking and data in any decision-making process 

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes: 

• “Understanding what motivates people, both the workers and the organizations, is really critical to being able to not only attract people to your organization but then effectively hire them and retain them.” 
• “You have to know which economy and which recession you care about from a business perspective. Think about the data. How do you interpret it? What does it mean to you, and which one should you care about?” 
• “HR needs a seat at the executive table. When you're setting targets for yourself, developing product roadmaps, and talking about the future growth of the organization, people have to be a critical element of it.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Bundy Group, an industry-focused investment bank that specializes in representing business owners and management teams with 200+ successful transactions  
• Industrial Production: Total Index 
• Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft 
• Employment Situation Summary: Establishment Data 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.