The Power of Simplicity Done Right With Brad Armstrong

The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection

Welcome back to the Private Equity Podcast by Raw Selection! Joining me today is Brad Armstrong, Partner at Lovell Minnick, a Private Equity firm celebrating its 25th anniversary. Brad shares insights into value creation, forecasting for 2025, the importance of sticking to your core strengths, and how simplicity done right can drive Private Equity success.

Breakdown:

[00:00] Sticking to fundamentals, value creation, and staying disciplined in private equity.

[00:30] Brad's career journey, Lovell Minnick’s 25-year strategy, and their focus on financial services, business services, and fintech.

[01:54] The biggest mistake in private equity: failing to decouple capital raising from capital deployment. Why sticking to your strengths and staying disciplined is key.

[04:40] “Right to win”: Identifying where you have an edge and staying competitive in a mature private equity market.

[06:05] How Brad entered private equity, blending operating, investment banking, and PE experience.

[08:58] Trends in financial services and fintech: digital transformation, technology enablement, and specialized outsourcing driven by regulation.

[11:46] How Lovell Minnick stays consistent: an “all-weather” strategy, controllable outcomes, and avoiding macroeconomic dependency.

[14:09] Lovell Minnick’s approach to value creation: custom plans, operating partners, and functional specialists supporting portfolio growth.

[16:29] Playbooks and best practices: how Lovell Minnick documents and shares successes across portfolio companies.

[17:54] Portfolio collaboration: peer-to-peer teaching, executive summits, and solving challenges together, from cybersecurity to sales infrastructure.

[22:08] Forecast for 2025: Brad’s take on market clarity, improving fundraising, and a constructive deal-making environment.

[25:53] Brad’s influences: books like Six Types of Working Genius, Scary Smart (AI), and Outlive by Peter Attia.

[27:46] Closing thoughts and gratitude to the audience for record-breaking downloads.
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