Business
Finance Guru Glenn Hopper Helps Private Equity-Backed Businesses Navigate Path to Exponential Growth

Privately held businesses face unique challenges as they strive for growth. Without access to traditional forms of financing, such as bank loans, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to secure the capital they need to succeed. As a result, a significant number of these companies fail within their first two years of operation.
Access to financial products and services is crucial for SMEs, as it allows them to invest in the resources they need to grow their companies. Unfortunately, these businesses often have limited options when it comes to financing. Many rely on personal connections, such as friends and family, or suppliers, to provide the capital they need. While this can be a viable solution in some cases, it is not always a practical or sustainable option for businesses that need significant funding to grow.
Private equity funds offer an alternative source of financing for SMEs. These funds provide capital to businesses in exchange for ownership stake in the company. Private equity firms typically invest in businesses that have room for improvement, are undervalued, or have the potential for expansion. The goal of private equity firms is to increase the value of their portfolio companies through a variety of means, including but not limited to operational enhancements, financial restructuring, and strategic investments.
One of the main benefits of private equity funding is the access to capital it provides. With a private equity investment, businesses can obtain the resources they need to finance growth. This can be especially helpful for businesses that have exhausted other financing options or are unable to secure traditional forms of financing, such as bank loans.
In addition to providing capital, private equity firms often offer a strategic plan to help businesses grow. This can include expert advice on how to expand, enter new markets, or improve operations. Private equity firms also often bring in a team of experts to help implement the strategic plan and drive growth. This can be particularly valuable for businesses that lack in-house expertise in certain areas, as it allows them to tap into the knowledge and experience of industry professionals.
Private equity funding can also be cost-effective for businesses. By implementing a strategic plan and having a team in place to execute it, businesses can increase their value and improve their bottom line. This not only benefits the business owner, but also the private equity firm, as it increases the value of their investment.
Despite the potential benefits, many entrepreneurs and small business owners are hesitant to pursue private equity funding due to concerns about losing control of their company. While it is true that private equity firms take ownership stake in the companies they invest in, it is important to remember that these firms are interested in helping businesses grow and succeed. By working closely with private equity firms and taking advantage of their expertise and resources, businesses can increase their value and achieve their growth goals while retaining a significant level of control.
Glenn Hopper is a consultant and author specializing in finance and technology. With over 20 years of experience advising investor-backed companies on how to increase EBITDA and maximize value, Hopper is an expert in the field of private equity. In his book, Deep Finance: Corporate Finance in the Information Age, Hopper explores the role of private equity in corporate finance and how it can be used to drive growth.
Hopper advocates in particular for using data and analytics to inform decision-making and drive value.
“By adopting automation and data-driven decision making, businesses are able to develop fundamentally different business models from businesses who aren’t using these tools. Companies with superior back-office and reporting capabilities signal to potential investors that investments have already been made in tools that will allow a company to scale,” Hopper says, adding, “Further, it shows that owners and managers understand the importance of real-time visibility into operations to get ahead of emerging trends in their business.”
Hopper says some of the areas where automation and analytics add value are:
Improved efficiency and productivity
By leveraging digital technologies and data analytics, companies can streamline processes, automate tasks, and optimize operations, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
Enhanced decision-making
Data-driven decision making allows companies to make informed, data-driven decisions that are based on real-time data and insights. This can lead to better decision-making and improved outcomes.
Increased competitiveness
A digitally transformed company can use data and analytics to gain a competitive edge over its rivals. This can be particularly valuable in industries where margins are thin and competition is fierce.
Greater customer satisfaction
By using data to understand and meet customer needs, a digitally transformed company can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to increased customer retention and sales.
Increased profitability
By increasing efficiency, improving decision-making, becoming more competitive, and boosting customer satisfaction, a digitally transformed company can increase its profitability, which is often a key driver of value for investors.
By leveraging these tools, Hopper says private equity-backed businesses can increase profits, capture a larger share of their market, and prepare for exponential growth.
Hopper says this is very important to potential investors. “Investors don’t want to reinvent the wheel after investing in your business. If you have clearly defined processes, document them. If you don’t, it’s time to put some in place. Defined processes, automation, and effective use of data are the hallmarks of a well-run business. Investors understand that.”
Business
The Ultimate Guide to the Essential Social Skills in Business

Effective communication and strong relationships are essential for success in the workplace. One factor that can greatly influence these qualities is emotional intelligence, often abbreviated as EQ. EQ refers to the ability to identify, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Research has shown that individuals with high levels of EQ are better equipped to handle stress, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively with others (Chamorro-Premuzic & Sanger, 2016).
Research has consistently shown that emotional intelligence (EQ) is an important predictor of job performance and success in the workplace. EQ is comprised of a set of skills that allow individuals to recognize, understand, and regulate their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. In addition, individuals with high EQ are better able to communicate effectively, build relationships, and navigate complex social situations. As a result, they are often viewed as effective leaders and collaborators, and are more likely to achieve their personal and professional goals.
In fact, a number of studies have demonstrated the significant impact that EQ has on job performance and success. For example, one study of 85 upper-level managers found that those with higher EQ scores were rated as more effective leaders by their subordinates (Law, Wong, & Song, 2004). Another study of 151 employees found that those with higher EQ were more likely to be promoted within their organization over a five-year period (Carmeli, Brueller, & Dutton, 2009). These findings highlight the importance of EQ in the workplace and suggest that developing these skills can lead to significant benefits for both individuals and organizations.
According to a study conducted by TalentSmart, a leading provider of EQ assessments, EQ is responsible for 58% of success in all job types (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009). In contrast, IQ only accounts for about 4% of success in the workplace. This suggests that EQ is a crucial skill set for individuals in any professional field. Fortunately, EQ is a skill that can be developed and honed over time with practice and awareness.
There are several key components of EQ that are particularly important for success in the workplace. These include:
Self-Regulation: This refers to your capacity to recognize and control your emotions. Sometimes treating them when they arise may be necessary. Understanding how to manage your anger is essential. However, it can also cover how to control the feelings you’ll experience.
Self-Awareness: This implies recognizing and understanding your own feelings. Do noisy places make you nervous? Do other people talking over you make you angry? Knowing these truths about yourself shows that you are working on your self-awareness. Being conscious of yourself is necessary for this phase, which can be more complex than it sounds.
Socialization: This category focuses on your capacity to manage social interactions and direct relationships. It doesn’t entail dominating others but knowing how to work with others to achieve your goals. This could entail presenting your ideas to coworkers, leading a team, or resolving a personal disagreement.
Motivation: Strong motivators include external forces like money, status, or suffering. Internal motivation, however, plays a significant role in Goleman’s concept. By doing so, you demonstrate your ability to control your cause and initiate or continue initiatives of your own volition rather than in response to external demands.
Empathy: It’s equally critical to be sensitive to others’ feelings. This may entail learning to identify different emotional states in individuals — for example, can you tell the difference between someone at ease and someone anxious? — but it also requires comprehension of how other people may react to their current situation. Empathy is one of the essential traits in business and business leadership.
A thought leader in this space, Michael Ventura has built a career advising organizations on the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace. In his book, Applied Empathy, Ventura highlights the value of empathy in business and provides strategies for developing and applying this skill set. With two decades of experience as a leader, facilitator, and educator, Ventura’s work has made impact in with prestigious institutions such as Princeton University and the United Nations as well as corporate clients such as Google and Nike.
Through his work, Ventura advises leaders to focus on the development of EQ in order to help individuals improve their communication, collaboration, and leadership skills, ultimately leading to greater success in the workplace. Experts like Ventura continue to support the growing body of research on the value of EQ in business, and the evidence that organizations who invest in the EQ of their teams help to create a more empathetic and successful professional environment.
And it’s worth noting that EQ isn’t just important for individual success in the workplace, but also for overall organizational success. A study by the Center for Creative Leadership found that EQ was a better predictor of success than IQ or technical skills in the workplace, and that teams with higher levels of EQ tend to be more effective and productive (Boyatzis, Goleman, & Rhee, 1999). By cultivating a culture of empathy and emotional intelligence, organizations can improve their overall performance and create a more positive work environment for their employees.
In conclusion, emotional intelligence is a crucial component of success in the workplace, and individuals and organizations alike should prioritize the development of these skills. The ones that do not only develop a leading edge in their category, but also become a meaningful place to work for their teams. And in today’s rapidly changing talent landscape, the retention of highly capable, emotionally intelligent leaders is one of the greatest keys to unlocking success.
References:
Boyatzis, R. E., Goleman, D., & Rhee, K. S. (1999). Clustering competence in emotional intelligence: Insights from the emotional competence inventory (ECI). In R. Bar-On & J. D. A. Parker (Eds.), Handbook of emotional intelligence (pp. 343-362). Jossey-Bass.
Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. TalentSmart.
Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Sanger, M. N. (2016). Does employee happiness matter? Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 3(2), 168-191.
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