The Private Equity Playbook: Management’s Guide to Working with Private Equity

Forget dry textbooks, these are the battle manuals for building an empire. Adam Coffey's private equity trilogy throws open the vault on the world of M&A, exit strategies, and scaling your business from zero to a billion-dollar behemoth. The Private Equity Playbook is your PE bible. It's like having a seasoned investor whispering secrets in your ear. Coffey peels back the layers of private equity, showing you how to navigate the game, land that sweet PE deal, and work with these guys for maximum benefit. This one's a must-buy, trust me, you'll be dog-earing pages left and right. Even if you don't care to reach $1B, the frameworks in all 3 books will be useful for scaling your business period. The Exit-Strategy Playbook is your escape hatch roadmap. Whether you're aiming for a strategic sale or a private equity buyout, Coffey lays out the chess moves to maximize your return. It's not just about getting out, it's about getting out on top. This is your playbook for crafting a killer exit strategy, applicable to any size business. Empire Builder throws in some extra firepower. It combines the best of both worlds from the first two books, with Coffey adding his own special sauce of insights. Think of it as the director's cut, packed with value bombs. I recommend without a doubt buying the first 2 books The Private Equity Playbook and The Exit-Strategy Playbook first. You'll refer to these bad boys constantly, underlining like crazy. Why We Dig This Trilogy (and Why You Should Too): Actionable frameworks: Coffey doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. These books are packed with practical frameworks and lessons you can implement in your business, no matter the size. From streamlining operations to scaling for explosive growth, you'll find gold nuggets on every page. From Zero to Hero: We love the step-by-step approach to scaling. Coffey breaks down the journey from a scrappy startup to a $1 billion exit, making it feel achievable. The PE Whisperer: Coffey isn't just some academic pontificating. He's been in the trenches, leading companies through successful PE deals. That real-world experience shines through on every page. Bonus Round: The Chairman's Group Like us, you're probably chomping at the bit to learn from the master himself. That's why we're joining Coffey's Chairman's Group this year. Getting direct coaching, especially when we make our first M&A move, is the ultimate power-up. The Verdict: This trilogy is a PE goldmine. If you're serious about building a billion-dollar business and navigating the PE landscape, Coffey's your guide. Buy these books, join the Chairman's Group if you can, and get ready to dominate the game.

I read the paperback version - 177 pages. Well-written, read it in one day. Written as if it was a playbook for football, etc. Explains the field of private equity, the rules of the game and describes the players. It uses two examples - Josh who has a business to sell and Rose who has a very responsible job, but is being pursued by private equity companies to work for them. He explains how to evaluate the characteristics of private equity in each of these two scenarios. He carefully labels the approaches of private equity in various circumstances as "neither good or bad, just different." The author has managed three different companies which have gone through the private equity process. He discusses shareholder agreements, employee contracts and generating wealth. He recognizes that an owner who wishes to sell the business may have different motives - such as, to retire, recognize wealth, continue to operate and grown the business. He encourages owners to recognize the wealth building opportunities from private equity's general need to purchase, grow and sell businesses in 3-7 years because of the structure of private equity. The book explains the sale process, what to expect after the sale has closed, and how to work with the previous owner's new masters. The world is now different and the prior owner who plans to stay on would be wise to recognize the expectations and business demands of private equity. The new masters can bring new knowledge and experience to the business that can be valuable. Ebitda - it's not the same as cash flow. It's now important and the book gives some practical examples of how ii differs from cash flow. The author encourages the seller of a business to get good accounting, tax and legal advice. The name of the game is growth. How do you get bigger? Organic, margin expansion and bolt-on acquisitions are strategies employed by private equity to do this. Ultimately, unless the business grows and prospers, private equity doesn't make money. The principals at the private equity firm who authorized the purchase suffer financially and professionally as well. The private equity principals will resist these losses and you may lose as well. If you are Rose, the book offers advice as well. However, deciding to work for private equity requires a careful analysis of where you are professionally now, what role you are being asked to play and the fit (chemistry) between you as Rose and the private equity principals who actively recruit you. One point the book does make is that it is almost universally accepted in private equity that if a senior executive is not performing at a high level, they should be terminated posthaste. Keep this in mind if you're being recruited. If I have a criticism of the book and I didn't deduct for this, it's that it doesn't go into failure. I think that the book outlines what could happen that would lead to failure. If the topic interests you, the book is well worth your time.

Gave me a good introduction to PE strategies. I will read his other books. Definitely spurred ideas for my own company.

As someone with limited knowledge of private equity, this book was an eye-opener. Coffey’s knack for simplifying complex concepts made the material accessible and engaging from start to finish. The book is filled with real-world examples and actionable strategies that gave me the confidence and understanding needed to navigate the private equity landscape. It transformed my perspective and provided invaluable insights that I could immediately apply. For anyone new to private equity or even a veteran of PE, this book is an essential and transformative resource.

I found this book to be insightful, inspiring, and fun to read as well. The author demystifies the PE world and shares his rich experiences with us in an easy conversational style. Although I had a basic idea of what PE firms do, and of their business model, I didn’t know much about the nuances involved in that space. The lucid language and real world examples in the book made a complex field seem simple and gave me a great orientation on the topic and helped me connect the dots better. With all the action happening in the PE world today, I think that the book is very apt, timely, and refreshingly candid and simple. I’m sure that I will keep referring to the book when I follow the news from the PE world and discuss trends with colleagues and friends.

Learned a lot in a short period of time here. Awesome, easy read! Would recommend to every business owner. Eye opening to see this perspective.

This book have me the 411 on understanding P.E. The author provides personal stories on what business decisions he made and why which I enjoyed. It was a good book for beginners.

I purchased "The Private Equity Playbook" by Adam Coffey and, frankly, I couldn't put it down. As a former owner of a nationally recognized middle-market service company. I wish that I had this book a few years ago. The author states that his book is a primer on the private equity business, but I believe that it is much more--I've read other books on the subject, but for brevity, de-mystification and just plain enjoyment this one beats them all--by a country mile. Coffey is a maverick. He sees himself as a blue -collar CEO/ He left home at 17. After a stint in the Army, he worked as an engineer and then changed to the business side , rising to middle-management with General Electric. Private equity recruiters came calling and he listened. For the last 20 years, Coffey has been President/CEO of three different national private equity backed companies. Each company has grown exponentially under his watch. And, he tells you how. The author likens the experience to building a winning team. He introduces two players , "Josh" and "Rose" ( a mirror of his former self ). Josh is the CEO of a middle-market service company. He has built the company into a recognized leader in it's field, and is thinking about selling out. He knows little about private equity and wonders if this is a viable exit strategy.--Rose is a " Fortune 500" middle-market executive who gets calls from private equity recruiters looking for a CEO/COO in a private equity backed middle-market company. She is doing well now, but wonders whether she should make a career change The heart of the book is Coffey's recounting of his own journey in the problems that he faced and decisions that he made. Among the many points that the book covers: private equities growth from 312 firms in 1990 to over 5300 firms today with over $3 trillion in assets under management--over 50% of middle-management companies to have a private equity partner in the next few years-- various type of funds today--the "playing field", the players and how they fit into the decision making for Josh and Rose--the rules of the game and the specific questions that Josh and Rose must ask themselves as well as the private equity firms--why an investment banker is needed--why the acronyms IRR,MOIC and DPI are so important as measurement guidelines--how partnering with a private equity firm is an accounting game changer--how EBIDTA can be fluffed up to accelerate growth--growth strategies through organic growth , price, product or service, rebranding and blue ocean search--equity creation for management through the ABC waterfall--why IRR is mandatory in the game--buy and build strategy with mergers and acquisitions--how to beat a recession-- how outside consultants could actually be worth the cost--why a private equity partner can create generational wealth for both Josh and Rose for years to come, " The gift that keeps on giving". Everything in the book is tied to Coffey's personal experiences in putting together a winning team. This is a fascinating read, down-to-earth and hands-on. Highly recommended