The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Daniel Pianko, Co-Founder of Achieve Partners, about Achieve’s talent-led investment strategy, its $465 million exit of Optimum, and how the firm reached top 5% performance for DPI in Cambridge Associates’ US buyout benchmark.

Daniel shares how Achieve Partners invests in businesses where the biggest growth constraint is access to trained talent. Ra...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with David Bell, former Wharton Professor of Marketing and early-stage investor in consumer companies including Diapers.com, Warby Parker, Harry’s and Jet.com. David shares what he looks for in standout consumer brands, why founder insight and capital discipline matter, and how businesses can build emotional and symbolic value around everyday products.

David e...

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Adil Taha, a private equity operator specialising in the UK legal sector. They explore why private equity has struggled to scale law firms, the challenges of buy-and-build strategies, and why many legal businesses are weaker than they appear financially.

Adil shares lessons from rescuing and rebuilding Child & Child, explains why consumer legal services are attracting the most PE intere...

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Shiv Narayanan, CEO of How to SaaS, about how private equity firms can use marketing and AI as value creation levers. They discuss why many B2B companies underinvest in marketing, how AI is changing buyer behavior, and why brand authority and content are becoming critical for growth.

Timestamps

• 00:03 – Introduction to Shiv Narayanan and How to SaaS
• 01:55 – Common marketing mis...

In this episode of the Raw Selection Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Christina Haxton about the relationship between private equity firms and portfolio company leadership teams.

They discuss how trust, communication, alignment, and culture impact execution during periods of rapid growth — and why many businesses struggle not because of strategy, but because of leadership friction and organizational di...

Episode Summary
Paul Brennan, PE-backed CFO, shares lessons from exiting Lindsay Precast (sold to The Jordan Company), covering exit prep, value creation, and integration.

⏱️ Key Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & Background
CFO experience across PE, public, and family-owned businesses.

01:23 – Common PE Mistake
Lack of clarity on why data requests matter → impacts alignment.

03:13 – Exit Preparation
👉 Pr...

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Robert Irving, CEO of Buffalo Growth Partners. Robert shares his journey from building and selling a fire & life safety business to scaling within private equity and launching his own independent sponsor firm.

⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics

00:00 – Introduction
Robert’s journey across founding, exiting, and re-entering private equity.

00:30 – Building & Selling a...

Guest: Michael Arietta
Host: Alex Rawlings

🕒 Key Timestamps

00:00 – Intro
Overview of Garden City Equity’s long-term, people-first model.

00:40 – Biggest PE Mistake
Short-term thinking (IRR focus) limits investment in transformational initiatives like ERP, CRM, and AI.

01:37 – Long-Term Hold Strategy
30-year horizon allows compounding value without forced exits.

03:05 – Holding Company Mode...

Alex Rawlings speaks with Nigel Green on why private equity firms struggle with organic growth and how better hiring, faster execution, and customer focus can unlock value.

⏱️ Timestamps & Key Takeaways

00:00 – Introduction
Nigel’s background and advisory focus

00:29 – Career Highlights

•  Two successful exits before 30 
•  Now advising PE-backed companies on growth 

01:34 – Bigges...

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 &n...

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 du...

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 trigg...

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 ~2...

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 st...

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 environment...

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&...

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...

🎧 Episode Summary:
In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Chris Sznewajs of Pacific Avenue Capital Partners about building a private equity firm focused on complex corporate carve-outs and businesses owned by “unnatural owners.” Chris shares how Pacific Avenue identifies overlooked assets, drives value through operational focus, and recently expanded into Europe with a team-first approach.

He dives into the less...

In this episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Alex Sabel, Vice President at THL Partners, to explore how the firm is embracing AI across its operations and portfolio. Alex leads THL’s research function and AI strategy, bringing a data-driven, quant mindset to private equity.

He shares how THL uses AI internally to improve investment workflows, how portfolio companies are deploying AI to drive product innovation and efficiency, a...