Operational Expertise vs Finance Background

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by a searcher from University of Toledo in Miami Beach, FL, USA

3w ago

Operational Expertise vs Finance Background

For those who have closed deals already: How important do you think deep operational experience is compared to pure finance/deal experience when acquiring SMBs? Seems like the answer changes a lot depending on industry. Obviously it's better to have a team/board that covers all the bases, but I'm referring to the lone wolf.

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Reply by a searcher 3w ago
in Dallas, TX, USA

Both are important. Finance guy will evaluate the deal better whether or not it makes sense financially on paper. The guy with operational expertise will run the company better and be more profitable as an owner. The ideal situation would be to have both skills (either in one person or in two) to maximize the odds of success.

Reply by an investor 2w ago
from University of Puget Sound in Seattle, WA, USA

I know only three people in my personal network who had unsuccessful results (ie. exit resulted in either bankruptcy or partial loss) after a successful search--all three are brilliant people, and all three had a primarily finance (2/3 PE) backgrounds. My background was mostly finance, and I had a lot of learning to do once the deal closed.

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