In 30 days, a written playbook for building a holding company worth far more than the businesses inside it.
You leave with a playbook for pulling capital, talent, opportunities and acquisitions harder than most owners ever do, including whether going public belongs in it, and how.
Six things most acquisition entrepreneurs never get in writing.
Every playbook starts with an honest read of where you stand: your experience, capital, network and goals, the kinds of businesses that fit you and the ones to avoid, and what lenders, sellers and investors will see when they look at you. Then it gives you:
A capital stack that doesn't depend on your savings
How to fund your first or next deal with bank and SBA debt, seller notes, earnouts, rollover equity, special purpose vehicles and deal-by-deal investors, worked in dollars for a deal your size, plus the financing terms to refuse.
A bench most buyers can't afford
The people to bring around you: retired industry leaders, former CFOs, the advisers your customers already trust, and a board. How to attract them with stock options and other equity that vests only on results.
Equity as currency
Which tools fit your company, from stock options and restricted stock to phantom stock, profits interests or an employee stock ownership plan; how much to reserve; and how to tie every grant to results.
Growth beyond the deal
Equity pools for the distributors and partners who already reach your customers, customers and suppliers as strategic investors, and the transparency and corporate governance that win the trust of lenders, sellers and partners.
Your number, and a straight answer on going public
What your holding company could be worth as a public company, priced against public peers, and what your stake is worth on each path. Whether a listing belongs in your plan, when, by which route, and what it would take to get there.
Your next 90 days
Specific tasks with dates, the decisions to make now, the risks to watch, and five numbers to track every week.
A $5 million acquisition, with little of the buyer's own cash.
The business earns $1.25 million a year. The price is assembled from five sources, each paid from a different pocket.
| Source | Amount | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Bank loan | $1.5M | Secured on the business being bought, repaid from its cash flow |
| Special purpose vehicle | $0.5M | Three investors fund this one deal; the holding company manages it and can buy them out later |
| Seller note | $1.5M | Paid over five years, keeping the seller invested in a smooth handover |
| Holding company shares | $1.0M | Saves cash and lets the seller share in what the platform becomes |
| Earnout | Up to $0.5M | Paid only if the top ten customers stay |
The seller is paid in full only if the business performs, and $1.25 million of profit bought at four times is worth far more inside a holding company valued like its public peers. Illustration only; real terms depend on the deal, the lender and the seller.
A course is built for everyone in the room. The playbook is built for you.
A course or a mastermind gives everyone the same frameworks. What it can't give you is judgment on your situation: your capital, your network, your goals, and the holding company you want to build. The playbook is one-on-one. We work through every part of it with you, and if you already have deals in view we look at them directionally against it. It isn't a template or a workbook. It's a written analysis with specific recommendations, presented to you live, that you can act on the next day.
What it isn't: we don't find deals for you, run diligence on a specific company or fund an acquisition.
Four sessions, one playbook.
Where you are
Your goals, capital, experience and any deals in view. We review what you send beforehand.
Capital
The capital stack and sources for your first or next deal, and the terms to avoid.
People, equity and growth
Your bench and board, your equity plan, and the partners who can grow what you buy.
The playbook, presented
Your number, the answer on going public, the risks and your next 90 days.
What makes it worth $10,000.
- Every number is yours, or labeled as an estimate with its source.
- Every recommendation is applied to your situation and says what to do, by when, and what it costs.
- The verdict is honest. "Not yet," with a list of what to fix, is a good outcome; a polite yes that fails later is not.
- You review a draft for facts before the final session, and the playbook is presented to you live, not just sent.
Who the playbook is for, and who it isn't.
It's for you if
- You're serious about buying your first business, or adding to the ones you own
- You have some capital, or people who know you and might back you
- You want a professional's judgment on your situation, not another framework
- You're ready to act on what the playbook says
It isn't if
- You want someone to find or fund a deal for you
- You're looking for an investor rather than an adviser
- You want a guarantee of an outcome; nobody honest can give one
- You aren't prepared to put in the work afterward
Start the process for $10K.
Apply, and we'll set up a free first conversation to make sure the playbook is right for you before you commit. If it isn't, we'll tell you.
Meraki Dealmakers is a service of Meraki Partners, LLC.
Meraki Partners, LLC is an advisory firm. It is not a broker-dealer, investment adviser, business broker, law firm or accounting firm, and does not solicit investors or receive compensation based on capital raised. Nothing on this site is an offer to sell securities or legal, tax or investment advice. No outcome is promised.
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