LBS Acquire
Acquire is an eight-week coaching experience that trains experienced professionals to become owner-operators of their own $1 million to $10 million company. Learn sourcing, diligence, valuation, financing, deal structure and growth strategy.
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Starts on February 7, 2022
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Duration 8 weeks, online
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Program Fee US $1,950
You Can Buy a Business
Train. Search. Buy.
Upon completing Acquire, you are eligible to apply for acceptance into a search accelerator program. This program provides the data, resources and connections needed to find a company to buy. Searchers can qualify for investment capital through Sleeping Giant Capital—a $50 million, West Michigan-focused buyout fund. Sleeping Giant aspires to generate financial, social and educational returns by backing the next generation of principled business leaders.
What will You Learn?
Understand and overcome the hidden fears and obstacles preventing you from becoming a business owner.
Discover a viable path that will transform you from experienced professional to business owner.
Explore various pathways to source targets and create deal flow.
Evaluate potential targets by applying various personal, strategic, and financial filters and models to assess the attractiveness of targets.
Develop a thesis on post-acquisition growth strategy.
Learn how to structure a deal.
Utilize tactics and best practices as you transition into the ownership role.
Who Should Attend
This comprehensive program is designed for professionals pursuing the third career path--entrepreneurship through acquisition.
It is ideal for people with:
General business background
Management Experience
Entrepreneurial Interest
Energy
Desire to lead
112,000 companies with an enterprise value of over $1 trillion will require acquisition as the baby boom generation retires.
Program Faculty
Derrick McIver
Co Director Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy WMU Haworth & Co Founder and Managing Director at Sleeping Giant Capital
Dr. Derrick McIver is co-director of the Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy and co-director of the leadership and business strategy major. He teaches the major’s flagship experiential consulting courses on leadership and strategy and also runs an innovative MBA course that trains students how to become small business owners by sourcing and acquiring an enduringly profitable business.
McIver’s expertise centers on business strategy, particularly as it relates to acquisitions, growth and leadership. He explores critical elements of strategy, knowledge processes and innovation. He aims to learn and understand how organizations can create value for customers, society and the company to grow long term profitability. His research has appeared in leading management journals including the Academy of Management Review, Strategic Organization and Business Horizons. He is also a regular speaker at industry and academic conferences.
Prior to academia, McIver’s professional experience spans from working at a Fortune 500 company, to both working at and consulting with a number of small businesses.
Douglas Lepisto
Co Director Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy WMU Haworth & Co Founder and Managing Director at Sleeping Giant Capital
Dr. Douglas Lepisto is co-director of the Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy and co-director of the leadership and business strategy major.
His expertise centers on how leaders create high performance organizations through people and strategy. His research has received several awards and has appeared in top management journals, including Administrative Science Quarterly and Academy of Management Journal.
Lepisto regularly gives talks based on his research to academics and executives and has been invited to speak at companies such as Google. Prior to academia, he worked on strategy as a management consultant with the Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte) and strategic planning with the advertising firm Young and Rubicam.
In The News
Investment firm with ties to WMU launches $50M fund to acquire local companies.
Sleeping Giant Capital marks first year with investment, developing students.
Sleeping Giant Capital secures $21M.
Questions?
Contact a faculty member.
Derrick McIver
derrick.mciver@wmich.edu
Acquire is offered by Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy.