WHAT WE BELIEVE
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Success is a process
A process that becomes much easier when you have done it before. And while obstructions may emerge along the way, not everyone needs to learn “the hard way.” We are here to provide direction and identify shortcuts that help on the way to blazing your trail.
“Search and you will find that at the base of every great business organization was an enthusiast, man consumed with earnestness of purpose, with confidence in his powers, with faith in the worthwhileness of his endeavors.”
B.C. Forbes
Success starts with the people
A good business managed by great people will always outperform a great business managed by good people. It’s the people that create a vision, people that shape direction, people that drive processes, and people that make things happen. Your success is merely the manifestation of all those efforts.
Things are made to happen
We embrace the opportunity to use our experience to help accelerate the growth of your business. ‘Hands on,’ ‘rolling-up our sleeves,’ ‘getting dirty…’ use whatever analogy you want; we are here to work. Boards are important but no company has ever been managed by a board. We commit to be on-premises with the team as long as it takes helping to ‘make things happen.’
Candid dialogue and transparency are essential
Growing a business is hard. Cheerleading only takes you so far. Non constructive criticism takes you nowhere. We believe the only way a relationship works is through honest and direct communication.
“Surround yourself with people that push you to do better. No drama or negativity. Just higher goals and higher motivation. Good times and positive energy. No jealousy or hate. Simply bringing out the best in each other.”
Warren Buffet
No one can motivate you like you…
There is nothing like listening to entrepreneurs describe their vision. The passion, the enthusiasm…it can be incredibly contagious. The people we work with are consumed by a deep sense of purpose and pursue that purpose with single-minded determination. Some call this ‘obsession.’
…But having skin in the game is a close second
What’s the point in taking the risk to launch a business and invest all of your energy to build and then not share equitably in its success?
The term ‘alignment of interests’ has lost its meaning. Ask yourself – are interests really aligned in most financing models? We prefer the term, “Partnership of Equals”.
We only work with management teams that want to remain the majority owner and are actively engaged in the growth of the business that they built. And we look to structure our investments to ensure that our rights and obligations are aligned with yours. No one owner should be junior to another.
