Delve into the world of eCommerce investments with a veteran entrepreneur as he shares insights on trust in partnerships, financial structuring of acquisitions, tax implications of different business structures, and lessons learned from past deals. Explore the challenges of investing with friends, navigate tax complexities in private equity deals, and discover the importance of valuing relationships in business partnerships.

Join Bill D'Alessandro for insights from ECF Live 2024 discussing cash flow's role, TikTok's impact on eCommerce, and the importance of authentic branding in paid media strategies. Dive into the art of balancing personal cash flow with market value and the potential of TikTok for boosting sales.

Why did one of the biggest holdco owners & operators sell his holdco? Bill D’Alessandro talks about what led to the decision to sell all but one of his companies, having to let go of being “the Holdco Guy,” advice for entrepreneurs thinking about operating & owning multiple companies, insights on online marketing, & how he sees AI changing the world forever.   LINKS & MENTIONS FROM THIS EPISODE Bill’s Natural Dog Company https://naturaldog.com/ Acquisitions Anonymous podcast https://www.acquanon.com/  Join the list for Main Street Summit https://www.mainstreetsummit.com/ Read the Messy Marketplace (or go to episode 1 of the Permanent Podcast feed to listen) https://www.permanentequity.com/the-messy-marketplace   CONNECT Bill on twitter https://twitter.com/BillDA  Bill on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/billda/ Brent on twitter https://twitter.com/BrentBeshore Brent on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentbeshore  Visit https://www.permanentequity.com/ for more Sign up for our weekly newsletter for operators, Permanent Playbook: https://www.permanentequity.com/newsletter  Sign up for a new daily newsletter from Tim Hanson, Unqualified Opinions: https://www.permanentequity.com/unqualified-opinions    TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Bill Fills Dead Air Time 4:48 HoldCos: A Mailbox Full of Money? 11:19 Letting Go of the HoldCo 16:14 Hitting Rock Bottom & Losing the Plot 25:01 How to Build a Holdco the Right Way 31:54 From HoldCo to OneCo 34:55 When to Go Fast vs. When to Be Patient 41:30 Don’t Buy a Business That’s Too Small 47:50 Handling Layoffs 52:12 Being Vulnerable: Handling Anxiety & Loss 1:08:26 The Additive Effect of Subtracting  1:15:12 Lightning Round: Advice for Small Business Owners & Operators 1:16:16 Lightning Round: Hiring 1:16:38 Lightning Round: Marketing Doesn’t Work 1:18:24 Lightning Round: When to Take on Capital 1:19:13 Lightning Round: How to Sell a Company 1:21:14 Lightning Round: How Much Debt is too Much? 1:21:50 Lightning Round: Stop Using Slack 1:23:51 Lightning Round: Cutting Costs While Increasing Quality 1:24:28 Lightning Round: AI is the Singularity 1:32:26 Advice for Your 25-Year-Old Self: Be Deliberate 1:34:28 Why Brent Can’t Sleep: Main Street Summit   EPISODE CREDITS Produced by David Cover  Additional editing & mastering by Ryan Lipman Intro music by David Cover, Andy Freeman, Rhett Johnson, & Andrew Luley Outro music by Jees Guy   WE STEWARD COMPANIES THAT CARE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT  Visit https://www.permanentequity.com/ for more Sign up for Permanent Playbook, our newsletter for operators in the field: https://www.permanentequity.com/newsletter  Sign up for Unqualified Opinions, a new daily newsletter from our very own Tim Hanson: https://www.permanentequity.com/unqualified-opinions  Check out our other podcast episodes here: https://www.permanentequity.com/audio    LEGAL DISCLAIMER This podcast is made available solely for educational purposes, and the information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, tax or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Permanent Equity. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. This podcast is presented by Permanent Equity and may not be copied, reproduced, republished or posted, in any form, without its express written consent.  

We'd appreciate you filling out our audience survey, so we can continuously work on providing relevant content to our listeners. Responses received by 05/11/23 will be entered in a drawing for $500 cash.http://www.thefortpod.com/surveyBill D’Alessandro is the Founder and CEO of Elements Brands, one of the original holding companies for direct-to-consumer brands. He has acquired or founded more than a dozen businesses with over $100M of revenue and has realized seven exits in both DTC and SaaS. Bill is also the co-host of the Acquisitions Anonymous podcast.On this episode Chris & Bill discuss:➡️ Lessons learned from Element Brands and owning 6 businesses➡️ His pivot to owning Natural Dog Company and why focus is powerful➡️ How to decide between marketing & product innovation➡️ Insights on the pet industry and why it's hugeKey Takeaways:(3:13) - What was your strategy in 2016 and why have you totally flipped on it in 2023?(4:57) - DTC is not a business model(6:14) - Prioritizing marketing over product innovation(10:36) - Was there ever a time when you thought this massive ad spend was unsustainable?(12:23) - What’s happened in the past 18 months since Apple changed its advertising privacy model?(14:33) - Putting brands on autopilot(16:22) - When did you start to realize only one of your eight brands was worth working on?(19:53) - How has your life changed after consolidating your focus?(22:14) - Is there a way to make the Aggregator model work?(25:46) - How big is the pet industry and where is its potential?(26:59) - What are you going to do with this business now that you’re solely focused on the one instead of 8?(30:14) - Why have you chosen to go into retail?(33:18) - How do you get your product into 4-5k stores?(35:55) - Is there any brand with leverage over Walmart?(36:54) - What could make this move into retail go wrong?(39:35) - What’s your approach to product packaging and design?(42:45) - How did you arrive at the decision to launch 12-16 new products this year and how do you decide what they’ll be?(46:32) - What needs to happen in order to get into Walmart and Target?(48:59) - Would you get a higher valuation on your company if you’re in Walmart/Target and successful there?(49:46) - What has podcasting done for you?Additional Resources👉 Bill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillDA👉 Natural Dog Company: https://naturaldog.com/👉 Acquisitions Anonymous Podcast: https://www.acquanon.com/👉 BillDA.com: https://billda.com/👉 PickFU.com: https://www.pickfu.com/➡️ Learn more about Xeal: https://xealenergy.com/➡️ Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com➡️ Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/➡️ Follow Chris on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FortWorthChris➡️ Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/➡️ Sign Up for our Newsletter: https://newsletter.thefortpod.com/➡️ Subscribe to The FORT on YouTube--The FORT Podcast with Chris Powers is a place where you can find meaningful conversations about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, and more.Be sure to follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode!The FORT is produced by Johnny Podcasts

Want to receive this listing in your inbox? Signup for our weekly newsletter:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/acquanon-----Michael Girdley (@Girdley) and Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA), we discuss a very profitable Spa And Beauty Center located in Clark County, Las Vegas, Nevada. We will find out how a business like this works and what’s interesting about this kind of enterprise.Moreover, we will be unlocking vital information on how this business is winning and how they strategize to keep their customers coming back. Comparing this to the previous episode’s Las Vegas Wedding Chapel Chain, we will find out which one is better for Bill. Also, we will know if Michael already had an experience in Med Spa!-----Thanks to our sponsors!* CloudBookkeeping offers adaptable solutions to businesses that want to focus on growth with a “client service first” approach. They offer a full suite of accounting services, including sophisticated reporting, QuickBooks software solutions, and full-service payroll options.-----Show Notes:(00:00) - Introduction(00:36) - Our Sponsor is Cloudbookkeeping(02:03) - Deal & Financials: Very Profitable Spa And Beauty Center (03:26) - How does this business work?(08:04) - Has Michael already tried Med Spa?(09:10) - What is so interesting about this business’s customer base?(12:35) - What secret is Michael sharing?(14:53) - What do we like about this deal? Why is the Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS) so low?  (16:20) - Is there a retail operation behind the main business?(17:58) - What is the moat and strategy for this business? Why are these guys winning?(20:32) - How do these guys sell their services?(22:24) - Are there hidden capital expenditures?(23:21) - How to get your employees to overperform?-----Additional episodes you might enjoy:#130 Should we buy this Vegas Wedding Chapel Chain?#128 Who should buy this $4.4m EBITDA, cashflow machine?-----Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

In a lively debate, Bill D'Alessandro, CEO of Natural Dog Co and ex-investment banker, warns against the perils of high-cost loans, calling them financially crippling. He squares off with Drew Fallon, co-founder of Iris Financial, who champions selective use of merchant cash advances as valuable tools for e-commerce founders. They tackle the complexities of revenue-based financing, hidden costs, and the importance of financial literacy, helping businesses make more informed borrowing decisions.

Bill D'Alessandro, eCommerce expert, discusses bold predictions for eCommerce in 2024. Topics include the rise of offshoring, implications for domestic job markets, AI in marketing, impact of personal branding, and authenticity of online influencers.

Bill D'Alessandro, CEO of ElementsBrands.com, dives deep into the evolving eCommerce landscape and the powerful impact of AI. He discusses market dynamics, highlighting the current challenges in acquisitions and the struggle in the eCommerce M&A market. Bill shares insights on how AI is reshaping operations and customer engagement while reflecting on Bitcoin's role beyond price volatility. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of community among eCommerce entrepreneurs and the ongoing transformation of platforms like Amazon.

Michael Girdley, Bill D'Alessandro, and Heather Endresen discuss the potential acquisition of an aircraft service center with $1.2M in revenue. They delve into the intricacies of the aviation industry, including owning small planes, AI's impact on medical papers, and business opportunities for military veterans in aviation.

In this insightful conversation, Bill D'Alessandro, an expert in eCommerce and M&A, joins to reflect on last year's predictions and discuss what lies ahead for 2025. They explore how AI is transforming marketing strategies and the evolving dynamics of the M&A landscape post-election. The duo examines economic shifts, job market trends, and consumer behaviors that shaped 2024, while pondering the challenges eCommerce entrepreneurs face in an ever-changing digital environment. Tune in for a mix of predictions and eye-opening insights!