5 Deadly Deal Red Flags

Top M&A Entrepreneurs

Summary
Patrick O'Connell, a quality of earnings specialist, discusses the importance of analyzing the true earnings potential of a business before buying or selling. He highlights five red flags to watch out for in a potential deal: pending lawsuits, high employee turnover, inconsistent financials, declining market share, and key dependence on a few customers. Patrick emphasizes the need for thorough due diligence and understanding the story behind the numbers. He also provides insights into evaluating two specific deals, a tech wholesaler and a medical tech blog.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Patrick O'Connell and Quality of Earnings
02:12 Unpacking the Concept of Quality of Earnings
08:29 Red Flag #1: Pending Lawsuits
13:10 Red Flag #2: High Employee Turnover
16:24 Red Flag #3: Inconsistent Financials
21:06 Red Flag #4: Declining Market Share
22:59 Red Flag #5: Key Dependence on a Few Customers
26:19 Evaluation of a Tech Wholesaler Deal
32:21 Evaluation of a Medical Tech Blog Deal with 50 Million Visitors
Keywords
quality of earnings, red flags, due diligence, pending lawsuits, employee turnover, inconsistent financials, declining market share, customer concentration, tech wholesaler, medical tech blog