Capstone Webinar: Discovering the Right Markets for Growth

David Braun, CEO of Washington, DC- based external growth consulting firm Capstone, is hosting a webinar with Capstone Senior Analyst Matt Craft.

There is a unique opportunity in the next 12-15 months to grow your business through M&A.  However, before you start to go after acquisition prospects, you need to make sure you are looking in the right markets.

David and Matt will discuss Capstone’s unique market-driven process, which centers around future demand:  What will your customers want in 5, 10 or even 15 years?  Anticipating this demand is a key to future success.

In order to determine what that demand will be requires research.  The webinar will delve into where to begin with research and how to use limited resources to get the critical information you need to make a decision.

There will also be insights on how important research into market trends is to ensuring you are targeting the best companies to acquire.

After completing this course, you will be able to:
•    Define the Market-Driven Process and why it makes sense for your company
•    Explain Market Criteria (including market growth and size, competitive dynamics and barriers to entry) and how to use  criteria them to evaluate a market or segment
•    Describe effective Secondary and Primary Market Research techniques to maximize your research resources
•    Explain the Triangulation Technique for market research to get the most relevant information to make decisions
•    Begin to develop Specific Tools to objectively compare and contrast markets

David and Matt will speak for approximately 50 minutes followed by a question-and-answer session.

Date:  Thursday, May 20, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM ET/ Noon CT/ 11:00 AM MT/ 10:00 AM PT

No Prerequisites or Advanced Preparation needed!

To register, click here:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/859711747

Registration Fee: $79

IMPORTANT PAYMENT INFORMATION:  Once you register, we will send you a request for payment via PayPal (may take up to 24 hours).  Once payment is confirmed, your registration will be approved and you will receive the log-in information for the webinar.

CPE Credits – 1 CPE credit in Business Management and Organization will be given for those attending this webinar
Program Level:  Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet-Based

Please feel free to forward this information on to anyone who might be interested in corporate growth strategies.

Refund policy: Requests for refunds must be received in writing by 1:00 PM ET Wednesday, May 19 and the money will be refunded in full within 5 business days.  After 1:00 PM ET on Wednesday, May 19, a credit will be given for a future webinar.  In the event of a cancellation, you will be given the option of of a full refund or applying your fee to a future webinar.

For questions or concerns, please contact Matt Craft, Capstone’s Marketing Coordinator, at 703-854-1910 or mcraft@capstonestrategic.com

Capstone Strategic, Inc. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy as a sponsor of continuing professional education of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.  State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.  Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 4th Ave N, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba.org

Technorati Tags: Acquisition Strategy, acquisitions, business acquisitions, Capstone, David Braun, External Growth, M&A, market research, Matt Craft, mergers, Mergers and Acquisitions, webinar

A recent New York Times article, “How to Sell Your Business” provided some excellent advice about how to sell your own business. It recommended assembling “a team of professionals..an attorney and an accountant that you trust”. This is good counsel and should be followed by anyone selling, or buying, a business.

However, the article also suggests using “For Sale” forums, such as Internet sites listing businesses for sale, suggesting that “most savvy buyers” research the Internet to find businesses for sale.  I strongly disagree with this.  Why would you just set your business out on a shelf like yesterday’s bread?   You should use hire a professional firm that specializes in finding businesses that meet the buyer’s specific criteria for growth, fill a need, or are otherwise the “right” company to buy.

The Internet cannot do that and for-sale business bulletin boards cannot do that. In fact, many so-called business brokers cannot do that either. It takes the right kind of experienced firm, with a proven process and in-depth research capability to identify, research, qualify and close the “right” company. Most sellers only sell a business one time and they should beware of claims that make it sound easy - it’s not.

Technorati Tags: Acquisition Strategy, acquisitions, business acquisitions, Capstone, divestiture, External Growth, for sale, M&A, M&A News, m-and-a, market research, mergers, Mergers and Acquisitions, New York Times, wes teague

I recently appeared on Jacobson & Katz: Inside Maine Business to discuss the current state of the mergers and acquisitions market, as well as the Capstone approach to the M&A process.

You can view Part One here:

And Part Two, here:

To see other episodes of Jacobson & Katz: Inside Maine Business, visit www.insidemainebusiness.tv

Technorati Tags: Acquisition Strategy, acquisitions, business acquisitions, Capstone, External Growth, John Dearing, M&A, M&A News, market research, Mergers and Acquisitions, video

With the shaky economy, I am constantly hearing clients talk about how to get through the tough times now.  While this is obviously a valid concern, I caution them not to forget about the future - specifically future demand.

Future demand is king for reasons that are self-evident, once you pause to think about it. Ultimately your growth will depend on your success in meeting the needs of customers you have yet to capture. What do they want today? What will they want in the future? Business winners are the ones who best answer these two questions, especially the second. At Capstone, we put painstaking effort into market research, and go to great lengths our attempts to predict future trends.

Once the orientation has shifted to future market demand, a tremendous clarity emerges in the strategic process. We have a basis for defining our criteria for decisions like: which direction to grow, which growth tactics to adopt, where in the market to focus and what to add to our current resources.

Although times may be tough now, your success as a company depends largely what plans you make for the future.

Technorati Tags: Acquisition Strategy, acquisitions, David Braun, demand, External Growth, future demand, M&A, market research, Mergers and Acquisitions

This Friday, February 20, I will be holding a free webinar on “Finding the Right Markets for Growth” at 1:00 PM ET.   You can register by clicking here.

In these tough economic times, market research and selection are vitally important to position yourself for growth now and in the future.

Capstone Program Manager Gretchen Johnson will be joining me to present on the following topics:

- Current State of the M&A Market
- How to Determine Where the Opportunity Lies
- Why to Research Markets First
- Developing and Implementing Market Criteria
- Market Segmentation
- How to Conduct Effective Market Research

The webinar is free and open to the public.  Gretchen and I will speak for approximately 45 minutes followed by a 15 minute question and answer session.

Here, again, are the details.  Please join us!

Date: Friday, February 20, 2009

Time: 1:00 PM ET/ Noon CT/ 11:00 AM MT/ 10:00 AM PT

Registration:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/460174264

Technorati Tags: Acquisition Strategy, acquisitions, criteria, David Braun, External Growth, M&A, market research, mergers, webinar