How an Executive Coach Can Help Business Owners Dealing with Private Equity Firms
If you have built a successful, privately-owned business, chances are you will be approached by private equity firms interested in an acquisition. Globally, private equity firms invested $582 billion in deals in 2018 ... but are still sitting on a record high of $2 trillion of capital waiting to be invested, according to Bain & Company. Getting a call from a private equity group can be exciting, but it can also be intimidating. Private equity folks come from elite investment banking and management consulting backgrounds. They buy and sell businesses for a living. You know your business cold, but do you know how private equity works? Do you know how to make your business more valuable? Why not get some help?
In theory, executive coaching could fill that gap, but many coaches don't understand private equity. The soft touch approach some coaches bring isn't suited to get how data-driven private equity executives think. Some coaches lack the industry expertise required to understand the complex business problems facing their clients. Some coaches have never been responsible for running a business, so they just don't get what those pressures are like.
Meet Victor Prince - The Certified Executive Coach for Private Equity Portfolio Companies
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Victor Prince is uniquely qualified as an executive coach for potential private equity portfolio companies. As a former strategy consultant with Bain & Company, he worked for private equity clients. As a former marketing executive with Capital One, he gets what it takes to generate revenue. As a former COO leading 300 people, he understands what it means to lead people and manage operations. As a Wharton MBA in Finance, he gets the technical part of the financial world.
Victor helps executives in companies seeking to work with private equity companies deliver results by improving key leadership skills like:
- Conflict Management,
- Communication,
- Persuasiveness,
- Decision-making,
- Managing Upward,
- Strategic Planning,
- Time Management,
- Motivating People,
- Developing Talent,
- Delegating,
- Building Teams, and
- Executive Presence.
He is an outside, independent voice who can be a:
- Sounding Board,
- Meeting Facilitator,
- Brainstorming Partner,
- Accountability Coach,
- Feedback Provider, and
- Leadership Advisor.
Victor applies proven tools and techniques to help executives in potential private equity portfolio companies identify the root causes of their problems and implement the solutions that will work for them. These techniques begin with an understanding of each client's situation, their thinking and communication styles, their interests and behavioral traits, and their career and performance goals to find the best approach for their success.
Most importantly, Victor understands that coaching requires an investment of resources and time from his clients. He is driven to provide coaching results that represent an extraordinary return on that investment.
Contact Victor to learn how he could help executives in private equity portfolio companies deliver results by improving their leadership.
Video Introduction
Industry Expertise
Financial Services Executive
Management Consultant
Federal / State / Local Government
Work Experience
Bain & Company (Consultant)
Capital One (Marketing Executive)
US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Chief Operating Officer)
Central Intelligence Agency (Intelligence Analyst)
Geographic Work Experience
United States
United Kingdom / France / Spain
Middle East
Coaching Expertise
Board Certified Coach,
Center for Credentialing & Education
Certified Executive Coach,
Center for Executive Coaching
Member,
International Coaching Federation
Education
MBA (Finance), The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
BA (Int'l Studies & Economics), American University
See Victor's Articles on LinkedIn About Private Equity
How Our Executive Coaching Works
Victor approaches coaching like a consulting project. He helps the client identify their goals and then employs the right information, tools, and techniques to achieve those goals.
A typical engagement has Victor meeting with the client every week or two for six months. The meetings can be over the phone or via a video call.
Every client is different, but a typical coaching engagement with you may look like this:
- Coaching Agreement - We clarify our expectations for the coaching engagement, in writing, including the engagement length (6 months), confidentiality, fees, schedule, etc..
- Gather Baseline Information - You complete a new client survey to clarify your goals for the engagement. You take two assessments to measure your working style relative to other people. Victor interviews 5-10 of your key colleagues to get anonymous feedback on your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
- Identify Opportunities for Improvement - Victor reviews the feedback and assessment results with you. We use those to identify and prioritize the most important things to work on.
- Coaching Sessions - We meet for an hour, every other week, over a phone or video call. Victor uses a conversational technique called active inquiry to guide the conversation to help you clarify and identify solutions to your problems and opportunities. Each session ends with you identifying a few next steps you want to do before the next meeting.
- Track Progress to Build Accountability - Each session starts by reviewing the progress on the next steps from previous sessions. Victor gives you access to an online portal to help us both track your progress.
- Review and Assess - At the end of the six months, Victor interviews your key colleagues again to get feedback on your progress versus the beginning of the coaching engagement. Victor prepares a short, anonymized, summary of the results and reviews with you.
- Next Steps - At the end of six months, we decide whether we want to start a new engagement or take a break.
- Provide Ad Hoc Support As Needed - During our engagement, Victor can also help you by playing other roles too during our sessions. He can be a sounding board for new ideas. He can role-play to prepare you for a crucial conversation or a big meeting. He can help with time management and communication skills. He can curate training and reading for you. At times, where appropriate, Victor can also provide technical advice to you in areas where he has experience and expertise. If needed, Victor can also provide consulting, training, and facilitation as separate engagements.
Client Testimonials
"It has been a pleasure working with Victor! His coaching has helped me "see the forest through the trees" with regards to how I strategize, become a better leader and focus on the growth and long term success of our business. I recommend Victor and DiscoveredLogic to anyone seeking executive coaching." - Julie M.
"Victor’s extensive leadership and consulting experience, and his strength in coaching combine to create amazing impact! Victor’s coaching pushed me to think outside of my comfort zone, helped me identify options I hadn’t considered, and develop a plan to take action. I’m excited about the direction, ambition, and clarity his coaching unleashed in me. Victor is an excellent coach, and I highly recommend him." - Paula S.
"Victor is a gifted Executive Coach. In working with Victor, I noticed that he was truly able to bring the best out in my by helping me break down barriers existing in my mind, which were holding me back from reaching my goals. Victor's approach is steady and intuitive. He was quickly able to help me assess both the opportunities and the path to capitalize on those opportunities. If you are looking for an Executive Coach who can help you realize the your full potential as a leader in your organization, Victor is a great choice!" - Adam M.
"Victor has been one of my most trusted advisors for years. He is a great coach, a great listener and his approach is focused on results. You won't meet many people with his experience and track record. He is one of those people that can be thrown into any situation, quickly make sense of it and then deliver results. I highly recommend working with Victor." - Chris W.
