In today’s edition of the PBO Link Roundup: small business are now trying their hand at forex as a hedge; an intriguing article about the concept of “decision fatigue”; and, an important lesson for any business using Facebook.
PBO Link Roundup for August 4th, 2011
In today’s link roundup, we kick things off with an interesting case study in how Starbucks fumbled, quite expensively, its expansion into Australia.
Other article topics include: is “Big Oil” coming to an end?; how the role of franchisers has changed in the current lending environment; the challenges and opportunities presented by a “lean” startup model; and money management tips for young entrepreneurs.
PBO Link Roundup for August 2nd, 2011
We kick off today’s PBO link roundup with — shockingly — positive news from the mainstream media! The Wall Street Journal outlines why now is a great time to seek funding for your business due to a special tax break that closes at year’s end.
Also included in the roundup: important tips for business owners’ whose employees work outside; the inside story of Martha Stewart’s deleterious return to her company; why social media isn’t doing what we all thought it would; and, how the Chinese continue to hijack not just the products of others, but even entire stores.
PBO Link Roundup for July 26th, 2011
As the squabbling continues in Washington over the debt ceiling, and the dollar falls worldwide, there was actually a good and unexpected bit of economic news. These stories and more (Who really owns America’s debt? Why are hackers targeting small firms?) in today’s link roundup.
A Different Focus for Private Equity Firms: Geographic
Quite often I focus on equity firms and/or strategics that have an industry focus. These companies specialize in, or are looking to acquire, middle-market companies that have operations in certain industries that would be good matches for their existing portfolio companies. A few days ago for example, we looked at a synergistic acquisition by Monitor Capital Partners that allowed them to expand into a new end-market via the acquisition of a contract manufacturer in the OTC space.
You may not be aware of this but some equity firms actually have a geographic focus. They typically are industry agnostic, meaning that they acquire companies in a wide range of industries, but the common denominator in their acquisitions is that they are all located in a specific geographic vicinity. One example of this is the recent announcement by Palm Beach Capital that it has raised $133.5 million for its third fund. According to the press release, Palm Beach Capital “invests in lower middle-market companies located mainly in the state of Florida.” [Read more…]