DIVE BLOG
Insights from the world of private equity, strategic consulting, and business intelligence.
How We Did It: Cost Reduction Case Study
PE funds across a broad spectrum of industries often approach us with specific, episodic needs. Our first step for matching them with best-in-class, third party resources is to understand the nuances and unique challenges they face. When a private equity firm acquired a leading plastics company that designed and manufactured innovative plastic-injection-molded products, the firm believed […]
State of PE: An Interview with Huron Capital’s Gretchen Perkins
Private equity is a widely misunderstood industry – from the common belief that Private Equity firms snatch up companies just to strip them down and sell them to the lack of awareness about the pivotal role PE plays in the modern economy. Gretchen Perkins is a partner who focuses on business development at Huron Capital, and there’s […]
BluWave Forms Fundraising Consortium to Fight Hunger in Nashville
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for food in the Nashville area has jumped from 600,000 pounds a week to a million pounds a week — a 40 percent increase over this time last year, according to Second Harvest Food Bank. Between unemployment rates skyrocketing and schools (a source of free or reduced […]
How We Did It: Executive Search Case Study
Finding specialized executive search firms is an area PE funds often seek our assistance, because instead of spending countless hours trying to find the right fit we can quickly match the funds with a series of vetted candidates. So, when our PE fund client acquired a founder-owned business that provides services to the niche power […]
Industry Insights: An Interview with ParkerGale’s Devin Mathews
This is an unprecedented time for private equity firms and their portfolio companies. As the economy begins to show signs of a tenuous post-COVID-19 recovery, there is no telling how the business landscape will be impacted. But one thing is clear: PE will be a major factor in the recovery. Devin Mathews is a partner at ParkerGale, and […]
How to find and leverage expertise
The COVID-19 pandemic won’t last forever, and companies need to be thinking about how to best position themselves to not only maintain their operations, but also seize upon opportunities and prepare for an uncertain future. This means they’ll have to be agile, getting the right people with the right skills at the right time. Our […]
OODA Loop Offers a Solid Framework for Agile, Fast-Moving Companies
When I left my partner position at a PE fund to start BluWave, I sought an operating framework to help us build the company in an agile and customer-centric way. I embraced a model conceived by Air Force Colonel John Boyd called the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). This framework has been extremely helpful as we’ve grown to serving more than 350 PE funds in a short period […]
Research Finds PE-backed Companies More Resilient Than Others During Economic Contractions
Although states and businesses are beginning to reopen amid progress in the fight against COVID-19, the economic fallout has been devastating. Over the past nine weeks, almost 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment while the unemployment rate reached almost 15 percent in April – a number that has steadily increased since then. The private […]
What We See Now: Post-COVID Strategy
As Yogi Berra once said: “The future ain’t what it used to be.” Those words ring particularly true now, as everyone—from investors and business owners to teachers and healthcare workers—transition to living in a world with COVID-19. The numbers are in, and realistically this isn’t going away any time soon. The good news is that, […]
How Companies Can Leverage Interim Leadership for a World in Flux
A rapid transformation of the global workforce has been taking place, fueled by digital transformation, specialization, and an increasingly on-demand labor pool. This transformation will only accelerate in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. Your company can’t afford to be paralyzed. In fact, when the world starts rotating again, now more than ever you and global […]
Bain’s Global PE Report 2020: High Prices and Higher Stakes
Every year, Bain & Company, one of the leading private equity consulting companies, releases its annual “Global Private Equity Report” to provide context and insights for the current year. While these reports often top 100 pages (which makes them somewhat cumbersome to digest), they are filled to the brim with useful information.
How the alternative workforce fits into the future
A few weeks ago, before the world seemingly imploded with the Nashville tornado and news that the coronavirus was on the move and spreading fast, BluWave was tapped for an Inc. Magazine article about how the “alternative workforce” fits into the future of work.
In retrospect, and without knowing it at the time, the insights we gave couldn’t be more true—particularly now that millions of companies have been upended and will rely on fast-moving, highly-skilled experts to help them rebuild and steer their ships in the right direction.
FEATURED POSTS
Before Building Internal Finance Teams: Outsourced Accounting Benefits
Growing businesses often rush to build internal finance teams, but this approach can strain resources and limit growth potential. Choosing between outsourcing and building an internal team requires careful evaluation of costs, capabilities and business needs. A strategic mix of internal staff and outsourced expertise often provides a great alternative. Early Finance Team Scaling Costs […]
What is DevOps Strategy?
What DevOps Means for Businesses Software development and IT operations traditionally functioned as distinct units. DevOps removes the barriers by bringing these teams together to share practices and goals. This integration helps companies ship features and fixes faster while maintaining high quality. Small, frequent updates replace large, risky deployments. Data shows the impact: Companies using […]
How To Build an IT Roadmap for Your Business
What is an IT Roadmap? An IT roadmap is a strategic framework that turns technology investments into business value. This method goes beyond regular IT planning for private equity-backed companies and other top firms. It links tech initiatives directly to value creation and sustainable growth. This tool helps leadership teams evaluate, prioritize and implement IT […]
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