At first glance you may ask, “Why in the world would Warren Buffett buy Duracell?” One explanation is financial. Through a bit of fiscal engineering Berkshire Hathaway is able to avoid triggering significant taxes. The Duracell transaction, is essentially a merger through a stock swap. Berkshire will give P&G $4.7 billion of the shares it …
Tag: Growth
Getting from A to B – Harness Your Ideas to Grow Your Company
Entrepreneurs rarely face the challenge of having too few ideas. In fact, like most entrepreneurs and business leaders you probably have a multitude of great ideas for growing your own business. Your biggest challenge may be figuring out which of all the alternatives is the best way to get from where you are now to …
How Do You Find the Best Market?
How do you find the best market for your product or service? Capstone Project Manager Matt Craft answered this important question on the Market Selection Panel at the Virginia Conference on World Trade in Richmond, Virginia on October 30. Hosted by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), this is the state’s largest international trade conference and is focused …
If 70% of Acquisitions Fail, Why Even Try?
With a 70% failure rate for acquisitions, it seems like the odds are against you from the beginning. Before you get scared off, however, let’s take a closer look at what that 70% means. The 70% failure rate is mainly based on large, publicly traded transactions because large transactions must be reported to the SEC, …
Zillow, Dollar Tree Announce Acquisitions
It was a busy Monday for Mergers & Acquisitions with two big brands announcing consolidations: Zillow will buy Trulia and Dollar Tree will buy Family Dollar. Activity is getting frothy and as I’ve been saying, the sleeping dragon is starting to wake up. Here’s what you need to know about these transactions: Zillow to acquire …
So Many Choices, So Little Time!
Choosing the best option for growth. More often than not we find our clients have too many choices rather than too few. The difficulty lies in prioritizing options and determining which one is the best path forward. You may find yourself in a similar situation. With so many options how can you choose? Although it …
Capstone Speaks on Global Economy Panel Hosted by Bucknell University
Capstone Managing Director, John Dearing, participated in a panel discussion focused on the global economy and jobs. The panel discussion, entitled “Where’s the Global Economy Taking the Jobs?”, was hosted by the Bucknell Career Development Center and the Bucknell Club of Washington DC and moderated by Professor Berhanu Nega of the Economics Department. John and …
What Business Are You In?
Let’s admit it right away: This is a trick question. The correct answer is usually not the first answer. Here’s a classic example from the annals of corporate America: Union Pacific thought they were in the business of railroads—the commonsense answer. In reality, they were in the business of mass transportation. Had they recognized this early …
Don’t Be a Copy Cat
Although imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it doesn’t guarantee success. Assuming that the success of one business assures the same result for yours is a bit absurd because fundamentally the two companies are different, each with its own challenges, strengths, cultures and dynamics. You may think this concept is self-evident, but I’ve …
Discounts Don’t Drive Growth for Consumer Staples
Facing a stagnant market, retailers of consumer staples have turned to aggressive discounts to drive growth. According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 50% of consumers’ purchases include markdowns! More Discounts is NOT More Growth Businesses in non-growth or declining growth markets understandably must find new ways to capture market share. However, offering more …
