The Best and Worst Deals

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by a searcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT Sloan School of Management
in New York, NY, USA

1yr ago

The Best and Worst Deals

Whats the best company you've ever invested in or acquired, and the worst, and why?

In your experience, what's the single biggest factor that separates the great from the good?

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reply by a searcher 1yr ago
from The University of Chicago in Philadelphia, PA, USA

The best businesses I've seen are legitimate leaders in their market. Not "industry leading" because they say so themselves, but because they have external business partners publicly and reliably send business their way. One small example is look for who gets invited to speak at large industry conferences.

reply by a professional 1yr ago
from Texas State University in Sidney, NE 69162, USA

Thanks ^redacted‌!

IMHO, the answer to both questions is and will always be "people." It's literally the biggest wildcard in business.

Best Company: The best was one where a strong operator already existed in the business, aligned seamlessly with the existing culture, and drove the business forward with vision and execution. Great leadership, combined with a cohesive team and systems, unlocked exponential growth.

Worst Company: The worst was a promising business hindered by severe owner-dependence and no scalable systems. Despite placing a capable operator, lack of foundational processes and resistance to change at best slowed (at worst, prevented) growth and ROI.

TL;dr -- The Single Biggest Factor: In a word—people. Specifically, a great business succeeds when leadership aligns with and elevates the culture, turning vision into consistent execution.