Choosing IPO as an Exit Strategy

Today’s guest is Cathy Demers. Cathy started her career at IBM and Microsoft before developing a startup with her business partner. With a $10,000 investment, they built up their business and eventually went public for $20 million. Today she’s going to share with us the challenges she encountered along the way.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• All about the day that Cathy decided to become an entrepreneur, what her business idea was, and how she and her business partner went about gathering up the money needed for them to get started.
• How Cathy got into using recurring software before it was popular.
• Why the partnership needed investors and what type they were looking for, as well as why they chose the angel investor that they did.
• Cathy’s thoughts about the negotiation process.
• How the growth process went once the company went public, as well as some of the stressors that Cathy didn’t anticipate.
• Some of the key things that had to be done to prepare for the IPO.
• What the process was like, Cathy’s emotions, and how her day-to-day role changed.
• The decision to exit: how Cathy and her partner knew it was the right move.
• What Cathy did after she exited the company.

Takeaways:

1. Start with the end in mind. If you have an IPO goal, you need to start working now to make your company valuable.
2. He who has the money wins. Money and influence will dictate the outcome of your sale.
3. Every business is a game. Being an entrepreneur means playing strategically and knowing what a win entails.

Links and Resources:

BusinessSuccess.com

The Business Success Cafe

Cathy on Facebook

Cathy on LinkedIn

Cathy on Twitter

About Cathy Demers:

Founder of BusinessSuccess.com, and host of the Business Success Cafe, Cathy Demers is known for her direct but friendly and supportive style as well as her business savvy and “let’s get ‘er done” approach. She combines the wisdom that comes from her vast business experience with her unique talent for helping business owners get fantastic results by being clear, staying focused, and taking inspired action.

When it comes to proven business success, Cathy Demers is not a “wanna be”. In fact, she co-founded a company with a tiny $10K investment and successfully launched an IPO, turning it into a publicly listed company worth over $20M.

Winner of the Canadian Woman Entrepreneur for Western Canada and a member of the Forbes Council of Coaches, Cathy is a sought-after expert and has presented keynotes and courses for organizations worldwide, including the Women Presidents’ Organization, Wired Women, and Novice to Advanced Marketing Systems.