Buy and Build

In today's episode, we welcome back Jan Simon, a well-known figure in the ETA community. Jan is the Managing Partner of Vonzeo Capital Partners and is also a lecturer and professor at various business schools. In this episode, we continue our regional mini-series by discussing the ETA/search fund market in Spain, the second-largest market for search funds outside of the US.  We start off by discussing the history of search funds in Spain. We get into other ETA models and Jan explains how market maturation leads to other ETA models developing. Jan also goes into detail as to why Spain is an attractive market for ETA. We hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Paul and Graeme are joined by Simon Webster, who raised the first search fund in the UK in the 1990s. That acquisition was an incredible success but not without its challenges. Since then, he has exited a few turnarounds and invested in over 50 search funds. He is also very involved in several key business schools across Europe as an advisor and lecturer for all things ETA. Simon shares his story of how he first learned about search funds and his thoughts on the UK market in the 90s. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities of being an entrepreneur and offers advice for those interested in the ETA journey today. Enjoy!

Luis Reyes, Managing Partner at Iberian Ventures, dives into the booming fire protection sector in Spain, explaining why it's ripe for consolidation. He reveals the benefits of rolling up smaller operations and securing acquisitions below private equity standards. The conversation touches on the unique regional dynamics, challenges in scaling, and labor supply issues in this highly specialized field. Luis shares insights on networking opportunities and the crucial role of localized customer engagement in driving success in the market.

This week we speak with Craig Brennan, founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group. Craig is building a group of companies in the sports, education and childcare sectors. After growing his first company to £1M in revenue organically, Craig acquired a competitor and doubled the size of his business overnight. Since then he has completed 7 acquisitions in the last 18 months.  In this episode, we discuss what makes the sports, education, and childcare sectors so compelling. We also discuss how Craig sources and structures deals, his insights on hiring key management, and his future plans. Enjoy the episode!

Graeme Wallis, an aspiring entrepreneur passionate about ETA and the UK ecosystem, shares his insights on pursuing a traditional search fund. He explains how he discovered search funds and why the traditional route resonated with him. The conversation dives into the differences between traditional and self-funded search funds, emphasizing the importance of community support and the role of investor relationships. They also explore motivations behind business acquisitions and the strategic nuances specific to the UK market.

This week we speak with Mike Hindi, Chairman of Green Logistics Groningen. Mike searched for his company as part of the Novastone searcher cohort and acquired his company in The Netherlands, will living in Switzerland.  In the episode, Mike discusses the importance of people and building relationships for both the operational stage and for a smooth acquisition process. Mike also discusses why he was so attracted to the business he acquired, the complexities of a cross-border transaction, and the thrills of the search. We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we did. 

This week, we speak with Julie Wilkinson -  a Chartered Accountant, Virtual CFO, and M&A specialist helping ambitious business owners buy and grow SMEs. In this episode, we cover deal valuation and structuring, financial and operation due diligence, building a group and the nuances of group reporting and cash flow. If you are looking to buy multiple businesses- this is a great episode to listen to. 

This week, we speak with Nick Bradley. Nick is an experienced entrepreneur, CEO, and investor in SMEs. Nick now partners with business owners to scale and eventually exit their businesses. Nick helped grow Getty Images via acquisition around 2008-2010 and more recently helped scale Ascend Learning to an eventual sale to Blackstone PE.  Nick also hosts  Scale Up With Nick Bradley, which is one of the top-ranking business podcasts in the UK. In this episode, Nick shares some fascinating stories on how he scaled and exited some fantastic businesses [including a couple of $Bn exits to PE], how he would partner with PE as an operational turnaround expert,  his thoughts on SME acquisitions in both the UK and the US, and how he partners with businesses of different sizes to scale and exit. Enjoy this excellent episode!

This week, we speak with Logan Naidu, Founder, and Group CEO - of Kernel Global and Dartmouth Partners. Dartmouth has been listed by The Sunday Times as one of the UK's fastest-growing firms in 2022 and recognized by Fast50 as the fastest-growing company in its industry. In this episode, Logan shares why he left the world of finance to start his own recruitment company, his experience acquiring Pure Partners, and partnering with private equity to continue his ambitious growth plans. Enjoy the episode!

This week, Paul is excited to announce the acquisition of his first business. A fantastic company in the home improvement sector, in the UK.  During the episode, Paul discusses why he decided to look into the home improvement sector and why he is excited about this particular company. Paul also recaps his search journey and the challenges he encountered along the way. Enjoy!