The Man Behind the $1.3B Sale of Wind Mobile
November 15, 2017 |
About this episode
Subscribe:
Anthony Lacavera has started 12 businesses, six of which he has exited. His exits have ranged in value from the $6 million he got for one of his recent start-ups to the $1.3 billion that Wind Mobile sold for.
Lacavera has won just about every business award there is, including 2010 CEO of the Year, Top 40 Under 40, Deloitte Technology Fast 50, and Canada’s Fastest Growing Company. This interview covers lessons from all of his exits. You’ll learn:
- When to bring in a CEO to replace yourself
- Why paying back your investors too soon can be a mistake
- How to raise capital (Lacavera raised $700 million to start Wind Mobile)
- The downside of accepting Venture Capital (VC)
- The secret to forming a relationship with a VC
- The biggest mistake most entrepreneurs make when raising a VC round
- When to sign a non-compete
- The reason most owners get sucked into an earn-out (and how to avoid one)
- The single most import section of a share purchase agreement to scrutinize carefully
- The dirty tricks professional money people use to tilt the deal in their favor (and how you can fight back)
Feeling at a crossroads?
One of the secrets to Lacavera’s success was knowing when to bring in a CEO to replace himself in any of his ventures. If you’re feeling at a crossroads and wondering whether it might be time to get out, consider leveraging The Value Builder System™. Our 12-step process is ideal for successful owners who need some advice for plotting their next move. Get started by completing your Value Builder questionnaire.
About Our Guest
Anthony Lacavera founded Globalive in 1998 and serves as Chairman. Anthony also founded and was CEO of WIND Mobile, which he sold for USD$1.3 billion after it grew to become Canada’s fourth largest wireless carrier. A serial entrepreneur, he started his first business out of university with a small business loan from the Royal Bank of Canada. As a venture capitalist, Anthony has a significant stake in dozens of startups in Canada as well as the United States. As a mentor and investor, he is heavily involved in accelerators and incubators, including MaRS, Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), NEXT Canada and the DMZ at Ryerson University.
Related to this topic
How EBITDA Adjustments Impact The Value Of Your Business
Ari Ackerman started Bunk1 in 1999 to give parents a way to keep in touch with their kids while they were at summer camp.
The Tech Start-Up vs. The Bootstrap Lifestyle
Peter Demangos has started two businesses in the Human Resources sector. One was a bootstrapped insurance brokerage where they sold employee benefits programs to large clients. The other was an HR software company called Collage, where Demangos and his co-founders raised $3.5 million of investment capital and sold three years later for $15 million.
In 2001, Adam Torres started Team Dynamix, a software used by colleges and universities to keep their IT department organized.
When to Tell Employees You’re Thinking of Selling
Lois Melbourne and her husband started Acquire Solutions, a software business that helped large companies manage their employees. After 18 years, they had grown to 85 people and received an offer from a private equity firm.
How To Quadruple The Value Of Your Business
Laura Steward, the founder of Guardian Angel Computer Services was told that her business was worth less than 50% of one year’s revenue. Determined to get more for her business, she underwent a makeover focusing on her subscription program.
How This Service Business Got Almost 20 X EBITDA
In 2019, Jonathan Shroyer, alongside his Co-Founder Scott McCabe, started Officium Labs with the goal to help clients turn contact centers into profit centers.
After two years of seeing incredible growth, Jonathan was approached by three investors to acquire Officium Labs. Shroyer ultimately ended up selling to Arise for around 20X EBITDA.
From Technological Obsolescence to a Multi-Million Dollar Exit
From a service no one wanted anymore to a growing business and a strategic buyer, find out how AMI was rebuilt to sell.
Yvonne Tocquigny built her advertising agency up over 35 years working with clients like Jeep and Dell. Then in 2015, she got a call asking if she would consider selling. The problem was that her agency had become part of who she was.
What Happens When the Big Dog Sells
Anthony Amos and his brother started HydroDog, an Australian mobile dog washing and grooming service. After revolutionizing the industry and growing to more than $10 million in annual revenue, Amos decided it was time to sell.
How to Hire a CEO Without Losing Your Company
When we discover a vaccine or reliable treatment regime for COVID-19, there will inevitably be an unscrupulous gang of counterfeiters trying to make a quick buck by selling fake remedies.