Working for a PE run firm- does it always suck?

I've sold at a few firms that were run by private equity and it was always a S*** show... the PE firm that was supposed to have the expertise to help us grow oftentimes seemed to have no idea what they were doing and didn't really care to get involved or understand the business before making recommendations. Has anyone experienced otherwise?

🧢 Sales Management

13 comments

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Sunbunny31

Arsonist

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Yep. It can work if the PE firm is patient and the company itself has good leadership that can report up the line effectively and satisfactorily.

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

In my experience it’s never as fun. But it doesn’t have to suck.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

PE firm takeovers are usually a cluster. Have they put y'all thru layoffs?

Redlinez

Executive

Principal

One of the firms did- and I was part of it back in 2020. Sold their largest deal ever in my space- and was trailblazing some changes that I think would have made a huge impact. But the PE firm was so disconnected they had no idea. Middle management never really communicated well with the PE firm on what we were doing.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

PEFs often buy parts with the hopes of integrating their parts pile, aka portfolio, together one day--thus creating their Megatron platform.

punishedlad

Tycoon

Regional Partnership Manager

The best PE firms are the ones that let you do what you know works instead of trying to hamfist their own people/methodologies into the mix.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

They exist?

punishedlad

Tycoon

Regional Partnership Manager

Up to this point, our investors are in that boat. Mostly because we've been their most profitable return in the firm's history.

They're taking a "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach.

Maximas

Tycoon

Senior Sales Executive

Everything has its own goods and bads.
Although I didn't have a chance to work at a PE before, but I guess I just found you a useful li thread to see whether the s** show you're facing is common or not, so feel free to check it out!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/good-bad-ugly-working-private-equity-backed-business-alex-rawlings
Hope it helps.

CPTAmerica

Opinionated

President/CRO

Probably more bad stories than good but it is possible.

SportsSalesGuy

Tycoon

Enterprise Account Executive

Majority of my career has been w/PE firm owning the company and pulling the strings and it has always been terrible

quotascammedeverytime

Opinionated

account executive

Yes it’s awful

Senior Account Executive

It can be a shitshow…especially if the PE firm doesn’t have vertical expertise. And they say their investment strategy is 5-7 years but you know that’s BS.