Smart Business Dealmakers: The Middle-Market M&A Podcast

There's a sense that the M&A market might not ever be better for a sale than it is right now. Beth Haas, a partner at Cyprium Partners, talks about why that's the case, as well as the macro factors that could impact the deal market through the balance of the year, and what sellers should do right now to leverage what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

There's little doubt that the M&A world is adjusting to the spate of SPACs taking companies public without going through the usual IPO roadshow or diligence. But it also seems clear that special purpose acquisition companies are here to stay. Kristin Kraeger, National SPAC & IPO Leader for Aon, discusses how the insurance industry has quickly moved to identify ways to de-risk SPAC deals and keep the filled pipeline of transactions .

After Cindi Englefield sold Show What You Know Publishing, a company she grew from her dining room table, she became a business adviser, helping small business owners with — among other things — selling their business. In this conversation, Englefield, who now leads Englefield Business Advisors, shares her inside/outside experience of the sale process — from what she's seen working with owners she's advised to her own personal experience.

Greg Skoda is a senior partner at Marcum, an accounting and advisory firm that represents a lot of SPACs — possibly the most in the U.S. right now. In this interview, Skoda covers SPAC fundamentals: What they are, why they're suddenly so popular, and what sellers and investors should know about them. If you're looking to get oriented to what exactly all the SPAC fuss is about, this is an excellent place to start.

While Nashville is known as the Music City, it's also home to one of the nation's top private universities: Vanderbilt. With a vibrant business school, Vanderbilt's alumni are well-entrenched in the region's business community. Eric Johnson, dean of the university's Owen Graduate School of Management, shares his thoughts on how Vanderbilt is working with the regional dealmaking community and how that community is supporting the school.

What's the state of M&A financing post-COVID? One thing is for certain: Deals are being funded. Mark Guterman, managing director of loan syndications for First National Bank, and Martin McCormick, managing director and head of FNB Mezzanine Finance for F.N.B. Corp., discuss what's changed, what hasn't, and what dealmakers can expect to see in different capital stacks for the second half of 2021 and into 2022.

Intellectual property is a valuable asset, especially in a venture's earliest stages. But what BlueTree Allied Angels' Executive Director Sreekar Gadde tends to see is early-stage companies viewing IP as an investment tool, rather than a strategic tool, which means they are grabbing patents without much consideration for why. In this conversation, Shree talks about a better way to treat IP.

National Fitness Partners has been a family business since forever. Back in its earlier days, Stephen Kindler helped out by scrubbing hot tubs and cleaning locker rooms. Today, he's the president and CEO, helping guide the now-PE-backed company from the 10 locations it had back in 2016 to the nearly 100 it has today. We talked with Stephen about the progression of the family business, choosing and adapting to a PE partner, and how dealmaking during the pandemic compares to pre-COVID transactions.

As the business world grapples with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in nearly every area, there's clearly a sea change at work in the M&A world. Rosecrete Wealth Management Founder & CEO Reggie Ford shares his views on dealmaking, race and the mental health challenges many minority entrepreneurs, investors and employees face from their life experiences and why open dialogue can lead to a stronger and more prosperous business community.

Doug Holladay's resume reads like its cobbled together from the careers of several successful people. Master's degree from Oxford. White House aide. Special Ambassador. Goldman Sachs exec. Nonprofit founder. Along the way he witnessed first-hand how lonely it can be at the top. In this episode, Doug shares insights from his book, "Rethinking Success: 8 Essential Practices for Finding Meaning and Work in Life," and explores how executives can make the journey from success to significance.