Alex Rawlings speaks with Jeff Helfgott, CEO of Boardroom Salon, about scaling PE-backed multi-unit businesses. They discuss talent strategy, retention, resilience, and how to turn operational fixes into sustainable growth.

⏱️ Key Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & Jeff’s Background
From barbershop beginnings to PE-backed CEO.

01:04 – Common PE Mistakes
Overlooking talent strategy during diligence.

02:11 – Talent Assessment
Evaluating teams based on current business needs.

05:58 – Hiring Non-Negotiables
Integrity and focus on top 3 priorities.

08:18 – Resilience in Leadership
Navigating crises like COVID.

10:10 – Managing Growth & Change
Using EOS and quarterly planning.

14:11 – Driving EBITDA Growth
Fix retention before scaling revenue.

16:01 – Retention Flywheel
Employee retention → customer retention → growth.

18:24 – Membership Strategy
Aligning offerings with real customer behavior.

21:18 – Finding the Real Constraint
Using data segmentation to identify core issues.

24:31 – Data vs Insight
Combining analytics with customer feedback.

27:33 – KPI Pitfalls
Avoid over-optimising a single metric.

28:02 – PE Thesis vs Reality
Treat strategy as a hypothesis, not fact.

29:12 – Underrated Growth Lever
Talent retention and adaptability.

32:08 – Building Resilient Teams
Supporting middle management and preventing burnout.

35:25 – Resources & Closing

🚀 Key Takeaways

• Assess talent early in diligence
• Integrity and resilience are critical traits
• Retention is a primary driver of growth
• Data must be paired with real customer insight
• Pressure-test your investment thesis
• Middle management drives execution

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

Mike Esposito shares his journey from a 30-year career at Goldman Sachs to co-founding Franchise Equity Partners, highlighting their differentiated approach to private equity through franchising and multi-unit retail investing.

⏱️ Key Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
00:30 – Career background and transition to PE
01:45 – Pitfalls of “me-too” PE strategies
03:13 – Leaving Goldman Sachs during COVID
04:41 – Advisory vs ownership mindset
05:36 – Why franchising & multi-unit retail
07:00 – Barriers limiting PE in franchising
08:26 – Unique LP structure with HPS
11:17 – First non-franchise deal (European car wash platform)
13:42 – Why Europe offered better value than the US
16:06 – Minority vs majority investing strategy
17:04 – “Minority, passive, permanent” model
19:28 – Importance of backing the right people
22:24 – Power of a focused investment strategy
24:27 – Using data science for investment insights
26:23 – Contact details

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Focused strategies outperform crowded PE trades
• Franchising offers a large, undercapitalised opportunity
• Minority investing unlocks access to restricted sectors
• Long-term alignment appeals to family-owned businesses
• Europe can offer stronger fundamentals vs overheated US markets
• Data and analytics are key to gaining an edge

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

Guest: Meg Pogue, Founder, Mission Squared
Host: Alex Rawlings

Meg Pogue joins Alex to discuss the psychology behind change in private equity-backed businesses. A former CEO who scaled her company from 2 to 95 employees, Meg now works with executive teams to navigate transformation, cultural friction, and the human dynamics of growth and acquisitions.

The conversation explores why acquisitions and major transformations often trigger fear and resistance inside organizations. While executives are typically excited by growth and opportunity, most employees prioritize stability and social connection, both of which can feel threatened during periods of change.

Meg explains how the brain’s threat response can lead to defensive behaviours, disengagement, and poor decision-making. Leaders often misinterpret this as resistance or negativity, when in reality it’s a natural psychological reaction to uncertainty.

She shares practical leadership tactics for managing change effectively, including rebuilding trust through authenticity and vulnerability, empowering employees with a sense of control, and communicating the “why” behind transformation.

Meg also introduces simple tools leaders can use during times of change, such as the “1–10 engagement question” and asking employees directly “How can I support you better right now?” — both designed to surface concerns quickly and maintain momentum during transformation.

🕒 Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Meg Pogue
00:28 – Meg’s CEO journey and leadership lessons
01:54 – Fear and perception around private equity acquisitions
03:23 – Leadership personality differences during change
05:14 – Why employees feel threatened by transformation
06:44 – Communication and leadership during change
10:59 – Rebuilding trust within teams
13:25 – Empowerment and giving employees control
14:51 – Leading change in fast-paced PE environments
18:40 – Questions leaders should ask their teams
19:07 – The “1–10 engagement” leadership tool
21:30 – Raising standards without creating resistance
24:51 – Leadership book recommendations
26:17 – Meg’s book: The Adversity Hack
27:39 – How to connect with Meg

Key Takeaways

Change triggers threat responses
Most employees prioritize stability and connection, making acquisitions feel risky.

Executives often underestimate psychology
High-drive leaders assume others share their excitement for transformation.

Trust accelerates change
Authenticity and vulnerability help rebuild trust quickly.

Empowerment reduces resistance
Giving employees voice and autonomy improves engagement.

Clear communication matters
Explaining the “why” behind change helps teams align faster.

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/
🌐 Visit Raw Selection www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

Guest: David Williams, CEO, Advantage Services Group (ASG)
Host: Alex Rawlings

David Williams joins Alex to share how he transitioned from consulting into entrepreneurship through acquisition — and scaled a home services platform to $100m+ in revenue in just five years.

Since acquiring his first HVAC business in Oregon during COVID, David has completed 10 acquisitions, expanded into three states, and grown organically at ~20% annually. His focus? Building one fully integrated company — not a loose roll-up of brands.

🕒 Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & David’s background
01:57 – Choosing entrepreneurship through acquisition
02:51 – Why HVAC, plumbing & electrical?
03:48 – Moving to Oregon & first acquisition
04:16 – Growth to $100m+ revenue
07:57 – From small business to scalable platform
08:54 – Pillar 1: Infrastructure
09:50 – Pillar 2: Systems & integration
11:19 – Pillar 3: Building strong GMs
12:16 – Pillar 4: Culture as a CEO responsibility
15:08 – Core belief: Operating with urgency
17:56 – Why integration is about people, not spreadsheets
21:42 – Earning trust post-acquisition
24:05 – Book & podcast recommendations

Key Takeaways

• Durable industry thesis: Large, fragmented, non-discretionary market.
• Integration focus: ASG builds one company with shared systems and culture.
• Leadership bench: Strong GMs drive performance.
• Culture is deliberate: Clear beliefs — not designed for everyone.
• Urgency wins: Speed in customer service and decision-making is core.
• M&A is emotional: Time on the ground builds trust and long-term alignment.

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Andrew Sachs, Founder of Mauloa, about why he believes the traditional private equity model is fundamentally flawed — and what a long-term alternative looks like.

After starting his career at Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, Andrew built Mauloa around a simple philosophy: no excessive leverage, no forced exits, and a focus on compounding cash flow over decades.

Mauloa takes minority stakes (30–40%) in family and multi-generational businesses, avoids debt, and prioritises culture, balance sheet strength, and long-term alignment.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Andrew’s background and founding Mauloa
01:10 – Why private equity’s model is flawed
03:02 – Investing without debt or exit pressure
06:18 – Fund structure without institutional capital
07:44 – Incentivising management long-term
10:49 – Free cash flow freedom vs leverage pressure
12:14 – “Piles of money” vs chasing IRR
16:54 – The Middle Market Accelerator
19:16 – What Andrew reads and recommends

Key Themes

• Over-leverage and short hold periods distort decision-making
• Long-term compounding beats short-term IRR optimisation
• Culture and leadership matter more than financial engineering
• Supporting “boring” small and middle-market businesses builds real wealth

If you're questioning whether traditional PE is the only model, this episode offers a thoughtful, long-term alternative.

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/
🌐 Visit Raw Selection www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

In this episode, Alex sits down with Peter Rossi, a UK-based CTO with 25+ years in technology and 15 years in commercial leadership. From running trackside IT at McLaren to leading 22 acquisitions in a PE-backed group, Peter shares hard-earned lessons on growth, integration, and operating under pressure.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & career overview
00:28 – Life at McLaren & high-performance environments
01:23 – VC due diligence & scaling tech businesses
02:24 – Building and exiting a SaaS company
03:50 – The biggest PE mistake: rigid M&A planning
07:25 – Lessons from Formula One
10:21 – Why professionalising leadership can slow growth
14:23 – How to double EBITDA in a PE cycle
18:56 – Integration lessons from 22 acquisitions
20:19 – Resources & how to connect

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Plan for ambiguity. You can only acquire what exists in the market.
• Not all revenue is equal. Cutting “non-core” products can damage the core.
• Protect speed. Over-professionalising leadership reduces risk tolerance and slows execution.
• Simplify to scale. Focus on core products and commercial outcomes to grow EBITDA.
• Integration is human. Success comes from winning hearts and minds — not just aligning systems.

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

In this episode, host Alex Rawlings welcomes James Carver, a seasoned CFO with two private equity-backed exits under his belt. James shares his unique journey from the trading desk to executive leadership, and unpacks valuable lessons from navigating complex M&A deals, ESOP sales, and private equity integrations.

⏱️ Episode Highlights

00:00 – Intro & Background
James shares his career path from stock analysis to FP&A and investment banking before stepping into CFO roles.

05:22 – Transition to Corporate Finance & First Exit
How James helped scale a medical distributor from $30M to $65M, leading to a PE-backed strategic sale.

08:47 – Second Exit in Charlotte
Turning around a struggling portfolio company and leading it through a successful 2024 exit.

09:51 – Common CFO Hiring Mistakes in PE
The importance of SOPs, process infrastructure, and cross-functional alignment.

12:13 – Strategic Focus: Quote-to-Cash & Customer Experience
Mapping key processes to maximize customer lifetime value and ROI.

13:35 – Value Creation Before Exit
Driving growth through territory expansion, sales team optimization, inventory efficiency, and acquisitions.

17:26 – Exit Lessons
Why having no advisor in his first sale was a challenge—and how having one in the second made a big difference.

21:17 – Acquiring Smaller Businesses
James’ playbook for building trust with founders, being transparent, and respecting their culture post-acquisition.

25:37 – Final Advice
Embrace best practices from acquired companies—don’t force your way if theirs is better.

26:32 – Resources
James recommends the Wall Street Journal and CNBC to stay sharp on market trends.

27:28 – Contact
📧 Reach James: jim_carver59@yahoo.com

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

Episode Overview:

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Richard Fitzgerald of CapitalSpring, a private equity firm specializing in foodservice and multi-location consumer businesses. Richard shares insights into CapitalSpring’s differentiated, sector-focused approach, how they’ve scaled over 20 years, and the recent $1B+ exit to Bain Capital. He also unpacks their latest fundraising success in a tough market and the importance of specialization in today's crowded PE landscape.

Timestamps & Key Topics:

00:00 – Introduction
Overview of CapitalSpring’s focus and two key topics: fundraising success and a $1B+ exit.

00:54 – Richard’s Background
From investment banking to founding CapitalSpring in 2005 with a sector-specialist mindset.

03:19 – Why Multi-Location Businesses?
Opportunities found on Main Street—resilient, everyday consumer services often overlooked in PE.

04:43 – Starting Small, Scaling Big
CapitalSpring began with $3M; now 300 investments and $4B deployed across 100+ brands.

06:30 – Specialization as a Differentiator
Why generalist firms struggle, and how deep focus wins deals without being the highest bidder.

08:55 – $1B+ Exit: Sizzling Platter to Bain Capital
Growth from 400 to 800+ locations across multiple brands and markets, despite COVID headwinds.

14:03 – Key Learning: Labor-Light Models
Pandemic emphasized the value of operational efficiency and low labor reliance in QSR investments.

15:27 – Fund VII: First Close Success
How CapitalSpring raised in a tough market by showcasing portfolio resilience and a hybrid debt/equity model.

17:44 – Hybrid Capital Strategy
Flexibility to invest via debt, equity, or both—offering solutions to founders and mitigating risk for LPs.

20:04 – Book Recommendation: Give and Take by Adam Grant
The power of relationships in PE—not just financial modeling.

21:57 – Connect with Richard
Email: rfitzgerald@capitalspring.com
| LinkedIn & website via CapitalSpring.

Top Takeaways:

• Specialization is key in today’s competitive PE environment.
• Hybrid investing (debt + equity) offers flexibility and downside protection.
• Operationally light, multi-unit businesses prove resilient—even in crises.
• Long-term success in PE depends on relationships, not just technical skills.

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.