Lessons from Home Depot’s Acquisition of a $100 Million Juggernaut Blinds.com
Jay Steinfeld started selling blinds online in 1993. The e-commerce pioneer went on to build Blinds.com into a $100 million category killer before Home Depot decided enough was enough and made Steinfeld an offer he couldn’t refuse. In this wide ranging interview with one of the giants of the e-tailing field, you’ll learn:
- The pros and cons of picking a niche
- When to build your management team
- How to acquire a company while minimizing your risk
- The definition of a minority re-cap and how to use one to take some chips off the table
- The biggest mistake founders make when taking money from friends and family
- How a little-known clause in a private equity investment called “participation” can wipe out millions of what you take away from the sale of your company
- The meaning of public company rigor and how you can use it to create a more valuable business
- The benefits of assembling an outside board