Are Law Firms Ripe for Private Equity Investment
The Raw Selection Private Equity podcast examines whether private equity should target law firms, featuring Adel Taha, a decade‑long PE operator in the UK legal market. Taha argues that boutique firms with narrow practice areas deliver stronger profit margins than full‑service practices, which often chase revenue at the expense of client quality. Recent UK PE activity concentrates on regional firms under £30 million revenue and consumer‑focused practices such as personal injury, while traditional profit‑per‑equity‑partner metrics are easily gamed. He highlights the rescue of Chard & Child—saved from an unsustainable lease, relaunched without layoffs, and run for 18 months—as a successful turnaround. He also points to US boutique Quinn Emanuel’s £230 million London footprint and the Stowe‑backed family firm exit as rare positive outcomes. The takeaway for investors is clear: focus on niche expertise, employ rigorous, data‑driven due diligence, and set realistic exit expectations. Overpaying for distressed firms or relying on inflated metrics can erode returns, prompting a strategic shift toward disciplined, specialty‑focused investments in the legal sector.
Why Most PE-Backed Companies Are Invisible to AI Search
The podcast spotlights a chronic blind spot in private‑equity‑backed B2B companies: marketing is either ignored or treated as a sales‑support function, leaving substantial revenue upside untapped. Shiv Narayan of How to SAS explains that while many firms scale to $100 million-plus...
How to Manage the Priorities Between the Executive Team and the Investor
The Raw Selection Private Equity podcast episode explores how portfolio executives can balance the fast‑paced demands of private‑equity sponsors with realistic operational capacity. Host Alex interviews Christina Haxton, who highlights four recurring friction points—unclear decision rights, weak accountability, leadership misalignment,...
Why Founders Are Saying No to Buyouts: Hidden River’s Game-Changing Capital Strategy
The podcast spotlights Hidden River Strategic Capital’s novel approach to financing founder‑led businesses that reject full buyouts. Graham Bachman explains that the firm’s "structured capital" blends debt‑like features with non‑control equity, creating a middle ground between traditional private‑equity buyouts and...
Operating Partners Are the Future of Private Equity | Jeremiah Wanzell on Consumer Brand Growth
Jeremiah Wanzell, a former executive buyer at Bloomingdale’s and sales strategist for Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein, now runs Growth Mindset Advisors as a fractional operating partner. He argues that the era of pure financial engineering in private equity is ending, and...
From Founder to Three Exits Building a Services Company and Selling to Private Equity
The podcast follows Robert Irving, founder of a Texas fire‑protection firm turned private‑equity veteran, as he recounts building a service business, selling it to Summit (backed by CI Capital/BlackRock), staying through two subsequent exits, and launching his own independent sponsor,...
How Brett Hickey Built a $Billion Firm From Nothing | Leadership & PE Lessons Every CEO Must Hear
The video features Brett Hickey, founder and CEO of Star Mountain Capital, outlining how he built a $4.5 billion asset firm from a first fund launched at age 26. He emphasizes that the firm’s success stems from a disciplined focus on...
A Different Approach to Private Equity with Michael Arrieta
The Royal Selection Private Equity podcast featured Michael Arrieta, founder and CEO of Garden City Equity, a holding company that acquires founder‑owned businesses and intends to keep them for decades rather than the typical three‑to‑seven‑year flip cycle. Arrieta explained that a...
Building a Value Creation Machine & Scaling a Private Equity Firm
The Raw Selection Private Equity Podcast episode spotlights Pacific Avenue Capital’s strategy for building a "value creation machine" and scaling its operations beyond the United States. Founder Chris Snise explains that the firm targets businesses owned by "unnatural owners"—individuals or...
How to Drive Organic Growth in a Private Equity Backed Company
The podcast explores how private‑equity‑backed firms can unlock organic growth by rethinking commercial talent. Nigel Green, a two‑time exit founder, argues that the biggest mistake is hiring operators based on industry pedigree rather than the ability to move fast and...
What Two PE Exits Taught James About Winning as a CFO
The Raw Selection Private Equity podcast featured James Carver, a CFO who has navigated two private‑equity‑backed exits. He recounted his unconventional path—from trading desk analyst to investment banker, then to FP&A leader and finally chief financial officer—highlighting how each role...
Mastery of the Psychology of Change & Transformation
The Raw Selection Private Equity podcast episode explores how executives can master the psychology of change and transformation during private‑equity‑driven acquisitions. Host Alex interviews Meg Pogue, a former CEO turned change‑consultant, who explains that employees’ primary reaction to a sale...
Scaling a Home Services Business
The interview with David, CEO of Vantage Services Group (ASG), outlines how he left a consulting career to acquire a small HVAC firm in Oregon in 2020 and set out to build a multi‑state home‑services platform. David highlights the $100 billion‑plus market...
The Lessons From Formula 1 to 22 Acquisitions by a Private Equity Backed CTO
Peter Rossi, a former McLaren trackside IT leader turned CTO, discusses how Formula 1 principles shaped his oversight of 22 acquisitions in a private‑equity‑backed group. He warns against rigid M&A planning, emphasizing flexibility, speed, and a focus on core revenue streams....