Do’s and Don’ts of Pursuing Investors for a Startup

By Ron Leaf, Partner Back when I was managing a venture capital investment partnership, I received a call from a consultant who asked if he could introduce me to an entrepreneur seeking capital for his business. Without knowing the entrepreneur was also on the call, I said ‘yes.’ The consultant handed off the call to the entrepreneur who immediately started his pitch. The business, he […]

Success Depends More on Character Than Skill

By Bill English, Partner In his book, Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality, Dr. Henry Cloud says, “there are a lot of people who are competent and good at what they do who don’t get to be leaders or ‘hugely successful’.” He goes on to write that in order for competent individuals to be successful, they must be able to build alliances […]

Tapping the Hidden Value of Work in Progress

By Dean Bachelor, Founder and Chairman It was the year 2010. The Great Recession of 2008–2009 had created an opportunity for Platinum Group to help banks deal with their troubled credits (loans). Years ago, we formed Platinum Receiver Services to facilitate receiverships capable of addressing the disposition of assets that banks require when they are near or at foreclosure. We received a phone call from […]

Don’t Wear Yourself Out to Get Rich

By Bill English, Partner Proverbs 23.4: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint”. Hmmm… Are you serious? Turn away good customers who are ready to buy my products and services? Perhaps. Work less even though I could make more money? I think so. Restrain my sales team? Yep. Think about it. Here are four, good reasons to not […]

Providing Capital for Businesses in Crisis

By Dean Bachelor, Founder and Chairman More than a decade ago, our country was showing signs of recovery from one of the deepest and most significant recessions in American history. They called it the “Great Recession.” It was deep and broad, and it affected almost every business in the country. It began as a sub-prime real estate correction and led to one of the largest-ever […]

The Power of the Pivot

By Amanda Lee, Executive Consultant Regardless of our profession or industry, location, family, or any other circumstance, we have all been forced to pivot in some pretty spectacular ways recently. Pivots are always a little more exciting and easier to embrace when we choose them ourselves, but regardless of how they come about, there is always power in a pivot. Given my passion for finance […]

Do Your Business Financial Statements Tell a Compelling Story?

By Randy Kroll, Partner A business owner and I were talking recently and I asked him how much time he spends with his company’s monthly financial statements. The answer was not much; he looks at only two numbers, the cash balance and the net income. He’s not alone. There can be a tendency for business owners to do a quick scan and then to jump […]

A Form of Capitalism That is Crucial to Our Nation’s Recovery

By Dean Bachelor, Founder It was the late 1980’s. I was having lunch with the president of a bank in Red Wing, Minn., at the St. James Hotel, the landmark hotel founded by 11 civic-minded businessmen in 1875. I had just stepped into the role of CEO at Durkee-Atwood, the town’s second largest employer (Red Wing Shoe employed 500+ and Durkee-Atwood had 325 employees). Located in […]

New Year’s Resolution: Help Businesses Focused on Improving Our Community

By Steve Coleman, Partner, Platinum Group All of us are living different priorities today. Wise observers say we are experiencing in this pandemic what would have normally taken ten years to change. My personal awareness of what it means to live out a core value – do the right thing – has been sling-shotted into a top priority for 2021, no longer an idea of […]

Take Time to Reflect, Monthly

By Bill English, Partner After talking with a CEO friend of mine this week, she thanked me for asking the questions I raised. They made her stop and think, and then explain what she accomplished last year and what’s in front of her to achieve in 2021. I didn’t ask profound questions. She was thankful for the opportunity to stop working, think, and then articulate […]