Think Like An Owner
The Think Like an Owner podcast seeks out conversations with small company owners and investors to learn how to acquire and run small companies, with a focus on search funds, micro private equity, and permanent capital.
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Chenmark Series 1: Founding Ideals – Ep.163
Please take 2 minutes to complete this audience poll and give feedback on the podcast This episode is the first in a three-part series we are running on Chenmark, one of the most well-known and studied holding companies in the entrepreneurship through acquisition world. And for good reason! Since its founding in 2015 they have acquired 11 operating companies, completed 30+ acquisitions when including add-ons, and has over 600 employees today.
Orlando Remak and Jalen Ross – HOA Management Holding Company – Ep.162
Please take 2 minutes to complete this audience poll and give feedback on the podcast My guests on this episode are Jalen Ross and Orlando Remak, cofounders of CAM Collective, a holding company for association management companies like HOAs founded in April 2022. Today they have four member companies. I was lucky enough to meet Orlando during a trip to Ohio two years ago before he had started CAM Collective
CEO Series Ep.3: Daniel Reese – Ep.161
Please take 2 minutes to complete this audience poll and give feedback on the podcast Daniel Reese is my final guest on the CEO series with early career CEOs. Daniel acquired IntellaTriage in November 2019 after a military career and searching with a distinct thesis. IntellaTriage handles after-hours calls for providers, senior living businesses, and others with a remote nursing team. Daniel and I talk about growing a business that felt very much like
CEO Series Ep.2: Adam Ilowite and Michael Upex – Ep.160
Please take 2 minutes to complete this audience poll and give feedback on the podcast This episode is the second in our CEO series with early career search CEOs in their companies. Today I’m joined by Adam Ilowite and Michael Upex, CEO and President of Axero Solutions, respectively. Axero is a digital workspace platform for internal communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing that was acquired by Adam and Michael in July
CEO Series Ep.1: Ryan Galea – Ep.159
My guest, Ryan Galea, is the first guest in a CEO series I’m doing with search CEOs who acquired their companies within the last 3 years and have early lessons and emotions in their very recent, or current, memory. The series aims to learn strategies and hear stories from early career CEOs about how to manage the first couple of years running a new company. Ryan acquired VoiceFriend in August
Trilogy Search Series Ep.6: Stijn Hendrikse – Ep.158
This is the last of a six-episode series with Trilogy Search Partners focused on Search, Search-backed acquisitions, and small business operations. Today we have a great conversation with Stijn Hendrikse, an operating partner at Trilogy. As an author of T2D3.pro, serial entrepreneur, and marketing leader, Stijn has contributed to the success of 10+ startups as a C-level executive, including the Chief Revenue Officer of Acumatica and CEO of MightyCall, a
[Re-Run] Ross Brendel – Investing in Permanent Capital Vehicles – Ep.157
Today’s episode is a rerun with past guest Ross Brendel, a co-founder and the managing partner of Westerly Group alongside cofounder Rich Littlehale. Westerly Group invests in acquisition entrepreneurs with committed, permanent capital to pursue a specific industry thesis over an indefinite time horizon. They are investors in several of our podcast guests such as Justin Vogt and Ed Redden, Eric Factor, and Austin King, among others. I wanted to
Sandy Paige – Managing Teams for Scale – Ep.156
My guest on this episode is Sandy Paige. Sandy has been an operator several times over his career, including being a general manager at a Maine paper mill, a director of The Jackson Laboratory, and others which gave him a wide range of experience to use in growing the company he acquired as a searcher, Explora BioLabs. He’s also an outlier in being one of, if not the, oldest searchers.
Michael Coscetta – Sales Teams that Perform – Ep.155
My guest on this episode is Michael Coscetta. Michael has held several high-level sales roles at companies like Square, Compass, his own company, and his current role as CRO of Paxos, and through it all has become an expert in designing and managing sales teams. This was a fantastic conversation about all things sales and building sales teams and is one I will be re-listening to several times over the
Nick Buchanan – Company Data Dashboards at BUCS Analytics – Ep.154
My guest on this episode is Nick Buchanan. Nick and his father founded a data software business called BUCS Analytics in 2006. BUCS builds deep analytical dashboards for CEOs that pull from internal data sources like ERPs, inventory systems, and more. Long-time customer Trevor Flannigan, COO of the Flint Group, introduced us after hearing about my deep curiosity of data companies. Nick and I talk about building the company with
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Letters
Each year I write an annual letter to readers and listeners to reflect on the evolution of the podcast and my personal growth.
2020 Annual Letter: It’s Business Time
While 2020 was turbulent to say the least, it was the best year of my life. I married my lovely wife in late August, adopted a corgi, and began working on the Think Like an Owner podcast full-time.
2019 Annual Letter: Gaining Traction
Before getting to the podcast, 2019 was a tremendous year personally. I flew to DC for a FinTwit gathering hosted by Jamie Catherwood, graduated college with a new job, and got engaged.
2018 Annual Letter to Readers and Listeners
As a fun goal for myself, I’ve decided to start writing annual (and possibly quarterly) letters for the Think Like an Owner project to reflect on the growth of the podcast, discussion around the micro private equity market, and my personal learning.
