#148: Axial: The Platform to To Help You Buy & Sell Companies

Peter Lehrman is the CEO of Axial, an online platform that connects business sellers and buyers to find the best merger and acquisition partnership possible. Peter comes from an entrepreneur family. He studied at Stanford and learned the ins and outs of M&A through the private equity industry. During his time in private equity, Peter saw a very inefficient process that inspired him to develop Axial. He shares how his platform closes information gaps for both sellers and buyers. We discuss the wealth of information business owners can utilize to be better prepared for the M&A process and how Axial promotes those resources.

What you will learn:

• Peter’s time in business with his brother and early experience.
• His time in private equity and what he learned.
• The inefficiencies that Peter hoped to correct with Axial.
• Who does Axial serve?
• Peter’s opinion on the “Baby Boomer Exodus.”
• The 2 major information gaps Axial tries to fill for their clients.
• The importance of reputation in M&A transactions.
• How a seller can find a serious buyer.
• Axial’s commitment to educating their clients.
• Selling a business cannot be delegated out to someone else.
• The 3 drivers of business value.

Takeaways:

Use resources like GXP Collaborative and Axial to educate yourself on the selling process. You are the owner of your exit experience and the more homework you do the smoother the process.

Links and Resources:

GEXP Collaborative

Axial

Middle Market Review Peter’s email

About Peter:

Peter is CEO of Axial, responsible for driving the company’s vision to be the trusted platform where private companies connect with capital. Prior to Axial, Peter worked in private equity at SFW Capital Partners and was part of the founding team at Gerson Lehrman Group, where he helped build the company’s dominant global technology platform for on-demand business expertise. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and received his MBA from Stanford Business School.