The Private Equity Zone differs from the CEO zone and the entrepreneur zone in terms of the level of sophistication needed from the outset.
Private equity investors usually have an exit in mind, which may drive a different perspective from the typical entrepreneur or CEO (who may, or may not, have an exit focus).
In my experience, there are three key ingredients to successfully working with private equity investors:
- Intellectual firepower to keep pace with their thinking and dialogue,
- Ability to understand their perspective on the business while at the same time having an in-depth understanding of the portfolio company operating environment, and
- Honest assessment of the company situation and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
Too often, private equity investors are solely reliant on a controller or accounting manager who may be able to deliver the basic financial reports but doesn’t share, and can’t help craft, the vision of the future. Homza can work with the management team to help turn that vision into reality.
By utilizing Homza as a fractional CFO, private equity investors gain the experience of someone who can be completely aligned with their vision.