HoldCo Builders

Explore the fascinating world of RÖKO, a $2B holding company with 29 diverse businesses thriving on high margins and asset-light strategies. Discover founder Fredrik Karlsson’s remarkable journey from Lifco CEO to orchestrating rapid growth with a lean team. Learn about their disciplined capital allocation, commitment to profitable acquisitions, and unique operational model that thrives without micromanagement. From risks like recessions to lessons from past mistakes, this discussion unravels the secrets behind successful compounding in business.

Ian Rickwood, Founder and CEO of Henley Group, has an impressive track record deploying over $4 billion in private equity and real estate. He dives into scaling successful businesses, from car washes to food chains, and the importance of site selection using AI. Ian shares insights on partnership dynamics with his spouse and children while emphasizing resilience in entrepreneurship. He candidly discusses handling tough deals and what traits make a great operator partner, all while learning from past successes and failures.

Explore the underrated power of listening in business acquisitions. Discover how Warren Buffett built trust to close a $60M deal and learn from Shopify's success in prioritizing empathy. Understand the importance of conversational cues that can reveal hidden deal signals. Gain insights into how persistent relationship-building can outshine even the best financial offers. Finally, uncover practical tips for mastering listening during due diligence while cultivating rapport with sellers.

In this engaging discussion, Joel Mathew, the Head of Originations at Woodson Equity, shares his entrepreneurial journey leading to private equity. He outlines Woodson's unique focus on diversified industrials and emphasizes the importance of control investments and hands-on operations. Joel reveals his playbook for sourcing over a thousand deals annually, the significance of company culture, and strategies for effective value creation. He also discusses the excitement in lower middle-market opportunities stemming from current market volatility.

Sid Jashnani, a serial entrepreneur and certified EOS implementer, scaled his business into a portfolio of 15 companies generating $77 million in revenue. He shares how he overcame a growth plateau by implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System. Sid discusses the importance of vertical integration, owning product lines to mitigate competition, and creating shared services for efficiency. He also highlights the significance of accountability in leadership and the lasting impact EOS had on both his business operations and personal life.

Donza Worden, a former private equity professional and founder of Clear Peak Capital, joins Travis Jamison, a multi-exit entrepreneur and investor, to discuss transforming the small business acquisition landscape. They explore how CapitalPad simplifies connections between accredited investors and independent sponsors. From the importance of curated deal flow to insights on startup governance, they highlight how better access to SMB deals can yield impressive returns. The conversation also touches on common mistakes searchers make and the evolving dynamics of the M&A market.

Mac Lackey, a serial entrepreneur with a knack for strategic exits, joins the conversation. He shares his journey from the early internet boom to owning a Spanish football club. Mac reveals his unique 'exit lens' approach that helped a struggling company skyrocket its sale from $25 million to $42 million. He discusses the psychology behind selling businesses, the importance of creating urgency, and how becoming a father reshaped his priorities. Plus, he offers valuable insights on mentoring and designing sellable companies.

What happens after a big financial success? The podcast delves into the art of preserving wealth for generations, highlighting the difference between builders and wealth stewards. Through a two-bucket philosophy, it emphasizes stability and income strategies over risky gambles. Listeners learn the importance of conservative fixed income and investing in durable businesses, while cautioning against lifestyle inflation. Ultimately, it advocates for treating wealth as a foundation for legacy, integrating values and purpose into financial management.

Reggie Pryor Jr., a value-driven investor and turnaround specialist, shares insights from his journey in rebuilding overlooked assets into cash flow machines. He discusses the importance of finding mentors like Jimmy Gibbs and highlights how simply asking for opportunities can change your path. Reggie reveals his strategy of borrowing against appreciating assets rather than selling them. Through stories of successful investments, including Mortex, he emphasizes the joy of the investing game, the future potential for younger operators, and his commitment to preserving American manufacturing.

The greatest builders in history share one habit that changed their fortunes.You’ll hear how a single paragraph led Munger to a $500 million investment, how Jeff Bezos started Amazon because of one statistic in an article, and how Elon Musk saw an opportunity through the absence of information.This episode is about building your mental warehouse of ideas, training your intuition, and developing the kind of insight that compounds for life.The SponsorsThis episode is brought to you by CapitalPad. A marketplace that connects acquisition entrepreneurs who need capital with investors who want exposure to small-business deals. If you’re raising for a deal - or want to back operators - check out https://capitalpad.com/Our sponsor Spacebar Studios builds and runs your newsletter so you stay top-of-mind with founders, brokers, LPs, and talent. HoldCo Builders listeners also use their two-week free trial. Go to https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquire and get started for free.Timestamps0:00 Intro: The compounding power of reading0:49 Investor quotes on reading2:04 A real competitive advantage2:32 A 50-year habit and the $500M outcome3:25 The Tenecco idea and the $8M to $80M jump4:42 Sponsor: CapitalPad5:52 Jeff Bezos: One stat that launched Amazon6:09 Morris Chang (TSMC): A textbook insight that rewired an industry6:36 Elon Musk: no Mars plan6:50 Dietrich Mateschitz7:11 Bill Gates: The Altair 8800 moment7:25 Phil Knight: Japanese trade finance to Nike’s supply chain7:43 Reading dividends vs. “luck”8:28 Reading as an edge: Building a mental warehouse8:55 Naval Ravikant on lifelong reading9:23 Sponsor: Spacebar Studios10:27 $8M to $80M to $500M10:50 “5 to 10 great insights in a life”11:10 BYD: The Asian counterpart insight11:40 The 29x BYD outcome11:48 How reading trains intuition: “You can almost smell it”12:22 The ultimate unfair advantage of reading13:00 Final challenge: Are you reading like your life depends on it?Support our Sponsors:CapitalPad: https://capitalpad.com/SpaceBar Studios: https://www.spacebarstudios.co/inquireSubscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6lr5bE3SNZF2uEE7Nb0DHh?si=cP_nAarhRmep1lvnR6uk5gSubscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/holdco-builders/id1695713724Follow Mikk/PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://x.com/PrivatEquityGuyThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.