POWERS #397 - Wiley Curran - Co-Founder @ CPC - Building A Perpetual Holding Company Of Lower Middle Market Businesses
Oct 28, 2025
In this insightful conversation, Wiley Curran, co-founder of CPC, shares his journey transforming a family chemicals business into a perpetual holding company. He highlights the importance of long-term ownership, seeing it as superior to short-term strategies. Wiley dives into the "five key battles" framework that guides business evaluation and improvement. He also discusses the significance of customer intimacy and how CPC integrates new businesses while promoting employee satisfaction. Learn valuable lessons on management alignment and sustainable growth!
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Fixing Pilot Scheduling Turned Airshare Around
- Airshare improved profitability by focusing on pilot availability and crew scheduling to reduce turn-downs and increase filled trips.
- Investing in those operational fixes raised customer satisfaction and funded further growth marketing.
Perpetual Ownership Outperforms Short-Term Funds
- CPC evolved from a family chemicals business into a perpetual holding company that buys to keep and improve businesses long-term.
- They prioritize buying durable businesses and avoiding exits driven by fund timelines or short-term gains.
Use Five Battles To Diagnose Businesses
- Measure businesses across five repeatable areas: people, systems & processes, execution, product leadership, and customer intimacy.
- Use these five battles as the diagnostic to decide where to invest resources and improve durability.