From Corporate Development to Buying and Operating a SMB with Bakari Akil

SMB Acquisitions can be an attractive pathway to professional success for people with private equity, management/operations, and industry-specific backgrounds. Corporate Development, internal teams within corporations search for and execute on M&A objectives, takes a specific eye and point of view. Our guest for Private Market Insights 19 is Bakari Akil, who used his corporate development skills in his acquisition journey to great success. He joins us to talk about his process and how people can translate prior skills into assets for their search. (00:00) - Democratizing Small Business Acquisition: A Conversation with Bakari (04:40) - Pivoting Business Acquisition Strategies (10:51) - The Importance of Authenticity in Business Negotiations (18:18) - Approach to Buying Roll-ups and Hold Codes (25:42) - Success of the Black Searchers Network (30:50) - The Process of Acquiring a Company (34:05) - The Importance of Taking Action (38:16) - Investor Confidence and Deal Flow (41:17) - Conference Experiences and LOI Discussions (48:38) - World Tour and Entrepreneurship 🔗 Check out the Private Market Labs website 💬 Follow Josh on Twitter 🔗 Check out Graves Hall Capital 💬 Follow Bakari Akhil on Linkedin