Private Equity Investing in Direct Selling

Identifying Risks & Rewards

By: Brett A Blake

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Best Selling Author Devin Thorpe said that "No one should invest so much as a dollar in a direct sales business without reading Private Equity Investing in Direct Selling. Brett Blake exposes this mysterious industry to clear-headed analysis that allows for better diligence and higher investment returns.” “Author Brett Blake does a masterful job explaining in easy-to-understand language, what direct selling is—and more importantly, what it’s not,” said Todd Eliason, Publisher & Editor in Chief, Direct Selling News. “Although this book is aimed at the financial community, I see it being a go-to resource within our own industry, the media, as well as anyone looking to understand the channel’s unique nuances.” Whether you are considering an investment, joining a company as a new board member, or a corporate executive, or you are an owner considering a transaction, Private Equity Investing in Direct Selling will help you make wiser decisions and improve your returns. “Too many investors have needlessly lost money in direct selling because they did not understand how to identify a pretender from a contender,” said author Brett Blake. “Too many founders have taken money but didn't know how to leverage the expertise and relationship of their investors. Brett Blake decided to write this book to help investors make smart investments and to be more valuable partners to their portfolio companies.” Blakes goal in writing this book is to make sure investors benefit from the cash-rich economics of a channel that is evolving into mainstream social selling. As more investors see improved returns, more capital will be available to fund the dreams of direct selling founders and the millions of homegrown business owners that sell in this channel. Blake said, “Direct Selling companies need more capital, but even more, they need the help of smart investors and savvy executives from outside the industry to help close the gap between current practices and those that will help it scale into the mainstream of public acceptance.” Brett Blake leveraged his relationships to perform front-line research for this book. He interviewed dozens of direct selling CEOs and investors and captured their experiences and best thinking in this book. The book documents more than 125 deals, summarizes due diligence questions every investor should ask, and gathers into one comprehensive list the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) used by the CEOs and experts interviewed to measure the health of their business. The documentation alone in this book would cost companies thousands of dollars in consulting fees to learn.