By Ian Richardson, Managing Partner, Richardson & Richardson Consulting
Podcast Season 1, Episode 5 Guest: Josh Kotler, Managing Partner, Samson Street Partners
Josh Kotler has been in IT services since graduating from the University of Miami nearly 30 years ago. He began selling software and network solutions to law firms, where he learned the basics of running and growing a small business. In late 2019 he sold Western Digitech to CompassMSP where he soon took the reins as CEO, focusing primarily on growth through M&A. Two years and 4 substantial acquisitions later Josh left Compass to start his current venture, Sansom Street Partners. SSP is dedicated to helping MSP owners prepare their companies for the best possible exit. I spoke with Josh a while back and had a few great takeaways from our conversation around business valuation and outside help. I wanted to share those with you here.
Business Valuation:
Making sure that every major initiative, partnership, and strategic move you make has a net positive impact on business value was a major take away from Josh and I’s chat. Josh shared that so often, a buyer will find opportunities to discount the price of an organization they’re looking to acquire, and that often, those opportunities stem from avoidable mistakes. Using business value impact as a filter for decision making is a solid core strategy for any entrepreneur.
Outside Help:
Many business owners will go through their life owning a single operating entity – their business is the “only” business they’ve ever known. Those entrepreneurs may also only have experience with asset purchases / sales through residential real estate transactions and approach a M&A table with little to no knowledge of the strategies and tactics used by professional buyers. Getting advisors who can help guide and steer you is often well worth the cost.
I gain so much value from meeting with fellow entrepreneurs and leaders. Each and every person I speak with brings their own experiences, knowledge, and viewpoints to the table, and without fail, I walk away with a head full of ideas and motivation to do better in my own business. I so greatly appreciate Josh’s willingness to come onto W.I.N. and share his story.
If you’re interested in joining me on an episode of W.I.N., it would be my privilege to host you. You can book your spot by visiting https://randr.consulting/connect and selecting the Podcast Booking option from the services menu. You can find previous episodes of W.I.N. on our website and subscribe to it on whatever your platform of choice is.
Always Forward,
Ian
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