Brent Beshore - Building and Growing a Competitive Advantage at Permanent Equity - Ep. 76
Aug 10, 2021
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Brent Beshore, founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, discusses their marketing strategy, creating a margin of safety in operations, lessons learned from acquiring family-owned businesses, and the art of deal making. They also share their personal journey of changing beliefs and finding faith, as well as humbling experiences and misconceptions about religion.
Permanent Equity prioritizes extreme reliability, trust, and respect to build competitive advantages.
Creating a margin of safety in operations is achieved through genuine care and collaborative culture.
The Orbit Program serves as a talent acquisition platform, fostering relationships and connecting talent within Permanent Equity.
Deep dives
Permanent Equity's Marketing Strategy and Competitive Advantages
Brent B. Shore, the founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, shares insights into their marketing strategy and competitive advantages. They prioritize extreme reliability and practice what they say they will do. This consistency has led to trust and respect from intermediaries, lawyers, and accountants. Brent also mentions the importance of building strong relationships and providing value through their content. He discusses their no a-hole policy, which attracts like-minded individuals and sets expectations upfront. Brent emphasizes the value of genuine care for people and creating a collaborative culture within the organization.
Building a Margin of Safety in Operations
Permanent Equity focuses on creating a margin of safety in operations by prioritizing trust and reliability among their teams. They believe that treating people well and genuinely caring about them leads to mutual trust and commitment. They emphasize the significance of having a culture of collaboration, where everyone is striving to win together. Brent explains that building a margin of safety is about having a heart to serve and considering the well-being of employees, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Continuous improvement, open communication, and efficient feedback loops are essential to their operational approach.
The Orbit Program and Talent Acquisition
Permanent Equity has developed the Orbit Program, which serves as a talent acquisition platform. Through Orbit, individuals can express their desired roles and locations, allowing Permanent Equity to match them with suitable opportunities. This program has become a game-changer for the company, attracting and connecting talented individuals interested in working in the private equity space. The focus is on building relationships, understanding people's aspirations, and aligning them with the right roles. The Orbit Program plays a critical role in meeting the ongoing need for talent within Permanent Equity and their portfolio companies.
Fostering a Collaborative Community
Permanent Equity aims to create communities and support structures within the private equity space that foster collaboration rather than intense competition. They believe in the power of community and relationship-building, where individuals can share insights, experiences, and resources. Through initiatives like Capital Camp and Deal Team, they provide opportunities for meaningful connections among professionals in the industry. Brent highlights the importance of genuine human connections and aims to provide on-ramps for individuals interested in the private equity world, creating a supportive and collaborative environment for growth.
Lessons from Shifting Beliefs and Embracing Faith
Brent shares his personal journey of shifting beliefs from atheism to becoming a follower of Jesus. He describes experiences that challenged his previous perceptions and the genuine connections he formed with people whose lives were impacted by their faith. This humbling process led him to a deeper understanding of love, grace, and the concept of the gospel. Brent highlights the transformative power of faith in his own life and the importance of building relationships based on trust, love, and care.
My guest on this episode is Brent Beshore, the founder and CEO of a lower middle market private equity firm called Permanent Equity. Permanent Equity acquires family-owned companies and has 11 in their portfolio today. They have also raised two 27 year funds, a $50 million fund in 2017 and a $248 million fund in 2019. Permanent Equity is probably the most experienced, systematized, and well-known acquirer in the small business world and I’m excited to finally have Brent on the podcast.
During this episode Brent and I talk about their marketing strategy, what competitive advantages they’ve built and are building for tomorrow, how businesses can build a margin of safety in their operations, and lessons learned from buying and improving family-owned businesses. I recently moved near Brent’s headquarters in Columbia, MO to Omaha, NE and we also spend a few moments discussing life in the Midwest. Finally, I will be attending Brent and Patrick O’Shaughnessy’s conference Capital Camp in Columbia at the end of August and I hope to see many of you there. If you’re going, please reach out and let’s connect beforehand. And now, enjoy the episode.
I’m also the founder of The Operator’s Handbook, a print publication where small company operators share their insights and ideas for building more effective and profitable companies. Articles focus on process improvement, sales, hiring and training, managing culture, and all responsibilities within operating a small company. If you run a small business and are looking for new ways to grow and improve, subscribe today and join your peers in the endless pursuit of better at theoperatorshandbook.com.
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