Is Finance or Operations a better background for a successful Searchfund?

by a searcher from Cornell University

7 months ago

How important do you think an experience in Finance ( corporate finance, IB, PE etc.) against one in the Operations of business ( Marketing&Sales, Operations) is important for the success of acquiring and growing a company?

Put in a simple way, my view is the discipline of Finance is crucial, but at the end of the day the numbers seem to be the result of delivering value created in operations and sold to clients. Finance will organize and might enable it with additional properly projected investments.

1 like
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5 comments

searcher from University of Virginia-Darden - Darden School of Business

Not totally sure but know that sales cure everything.

2 months ago | like reply | 0 likes

searcher from The University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

I would argue that since it is easier to hire outside firms to help with marketing and finance than with operations and sales there is some added inherent value to the latter two, especially sales. There is also a big difference in what type of financial experience someone has. A PE analyst who was on site visits and meeting with employees at acquired companies will be very different than one who spent all their time in excel sheets. People skills will be more important than number skills in virtually every scenario.

7 months ago | like reply | 1 like

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