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Why A NYSE-listed Giant Bought This $2M Business

September 21, 2018 |  

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Angela Mader started selling her fitbook through retail giants like CVS, Target and Walgreens. Little did she know, Mader was also attracting the attention of one of the world largest acquirers.

Angela Mader founded fitlosophy, a fitness and lifestyle products company, in 2008. Beginning with a fitness journal she called “fitbook”, Mader built a brand that focused on helping customers achieve their fitness goals.

By 2017, fitlosophy had grown to 6 employees, $2 million in top-line revenue and Mader was selling her journals in 16,000 stores including giant retailers like Target, Walgreens and CVS. That’s when CSS Industries (NYSE: CSS) came knocking.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How to get acquirers to place a value on your brand
  • The surprising secret to getting national retailers like Walgreens to carry your product
  • How licensing deals can act as a Trojan Horse for finding an acquirer
  • How to think about up-front cash, employment agreements, and earn outs when reviewing an offer letter from a public company
  • The ultimate acid test for any entrepreneur

CSS reasoned it would be cheaper and easier to buy Mader’s company than to re-create the brand she had built. A unique point of differentiation from your competitors not only gives you pricing authority but it can also makes you irresistible to a potential acquirer. Find out how well your company is differentiated by completing Module 6 of The Value Builder System™.  Get started for free right now by completing Module 1

 

Check out our full M&A Glossary

About Our Guest

fitlosophy® is an innovative brand of products designed to inspire people to live life fit®. Over the past ten years, Angela Mader, the company’s founder and chief fitlosopher, has organically grown the business from a single-product idea (fitbook®) to a lifestyle brand with a complete line of fitness and wellness planning products. In June 2018, fitlosophy was strategically acquired by CSS Industries, Inc. (NYSE: CSS), a publicly traded company, where Mader now serves as Vice President, Fitlosophy Brands, leading the company’s marketing and product development team from their office located in Newport Beach, California. Angela is a self-proclaimed goal guru, motivational speaker, and type-a entrepreneur who thrives on new ideas, is driven by passion, and powered by coffee.

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