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Elliott Holland is a Harvard MBA and founder of Guardian Due Diligence who helps entrepreneurs buy companies with a track record of saving buyers millions through rigorous financial due diligence and acquisition strategy.
Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…
1/ 💰 Revenue > Cost = Job Security
If you consistently generate more revenue than you cost, you'll be valuable in any acquisition. Smart marketers track their ROI intensely.
2/ 📊 Systems Trump Brilliance
Clear systems matter more than individual brilliance. This shows up in acquisition discussions, but is true for any business or team.
3/ 🎯 Trust Through Delivery
The most valuable employees consistently deliver on commitments. While revenue generation is priority #1, being known as someone who "gets stuff done" creates immense trust with leadership.
4/ 🔄 Sustainable Growth > Rapid Growth
Another flash of insight that shows up during acquisition, but is true for all businesses. Buyers value predictable, sustainable revenue over flashy growth. Focus on low customer churn rates, clear marketing attribution, documented processes, and proven customer acquisition channels.
5/ 🎯 Quality of Earnings: Some Revenue is Dangerous
Buyers get excited by big revenue figures, but some earnings are low quality. Watch for warning signs like high customer concentration, unpredictable sales funnel, or poor tracking/attribution (might not be able to replicate consistently).
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Where to find Elliott Holland:
Guardian Due Diligence: https://www.guardianduediligence.com/
Elliott's Business Buying Masterclass: https://thebusinessbuyingmasterclass.com/
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In this episode, we cover:
00:00 The Value of Revenue Generation in Business
02:08 Understanding Quality of Earnings
05:12 Customer Churn Analysis
07:06 Evaluating Business Problems
09:24 Word of Mouth Marketing Assessment
14:16 Marketing Integration During Acquisitions
17:42 Typical Acquisition Timeline
26:40 Finding and Evaluating Business Deals
34:38 In-House vs Agency Marketing
38:57 Marketing Leadership Models
43:15 Marketing Asset Evaluation
49:54 Engineering Problem-Solving Approach
54:55 Revenue vs Task Execution Priority
57:14 SBA Loan Process and Accessibility
1:06:43 Live Deal Analysis Example
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Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them.
