cjisakow

6 ms·

1.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Great insights especially the last one, some of the smartest investors we spoke to saw the end game being we can offer special perks for customers like an amazon prime like program. It’s interesting and I wonder why the traditional conglome
2.
by cjisakow 5y ago
We've been hyper focused on executing on finding great companies and now operating and growing them with the entrepreneurs, so embarrassingly haven't posted any content yet. BUT we just brought on an awesome content marketer and
3.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Not sure i ever want to be the uber of anything, but you are spot on that there is a ton of data, that we can use machine learning to both better identify acquisitions and grow brands. And yes for many founders the process is broken
4.
by cjisakow 5y ago
I'd also add that its hard to run an e-commerce business, you need to source products, manage supply chains, manage teams etc... We know this is going to be hard and went in eyes wide open this is not just about marketing or just about
5.
by cjisakow 5y ago
for sure Berkshire inspired Mark Leonard at Constellation which informs our approach
6.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Affinity Labs! So far ahead of their time...
7.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Clearbanc and others super useful to help short term cash flow, but its tough to get enough money out to take money off table (a lot of founders have a chance to take money off to go buy a house etc...). For example one of our portfolio co
8.
by cjisakow 5y ago
would be awesome to talk and hear more about your experience. we absolutely are looking at omni-channel, something that is different from some of the early players in the space. We are starting with ecommerce because these founders have d
9.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Thanks we are moving fast and building things that don't scale! its just a form right now, and then I email you a referral agreement that say's we will pay you if we close the transaction. I'll go in and update the text on t
10.
by cjisakow 5y ago
oh i also see you know a lot of folks who buy companies, if they grow them to $3M+ and are looking to take money off the table send them our way! We pay referral fees for successful deals https://www.moonshotbrands.com/lead
11.
by cjisakow 5y ago
We are looking at companies that are doing at least a few million dollars in sales. The sellers are super impressive in my opinion, its hard to get there! So yes sometimes they don't have the best records, but we are looking at compa
12.
by cjisakow 5y ago
I'd add after we agree on terms we do a light weight due diligence process with accounting/law firms to confirm what we saw
13.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Yes and yes. We are building out integrations to automate, right now we are doing a mix of manual and automated processing. There are a bunch of different companies that have built pipes into the platforms and then there is clean up and a
14.
by cjisakow 5y ago
cool, will have to check it out, do you know them? feel free to intro or i can find them.
15.
by cjisakow 5y ago
if a tree falls in the woods.. but seriously how we are defining it for our business is private label sellers of physical goods. So you own a brand that sells on Amazon or DTC, and your products have your brand on it. The supply chain var
16.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Its probably too early to say how Aterian (mowhawk) acquisitions will work out. In terms of structure we are early enough that we are creating deal structures for each entrepreneur that makes sense for them. Some would prefer all cash, ot
17.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Participating in YC was hugely valuable for our team, we had great mentorship, access to an amazing network of founders who have provided advice as we launched Moonshot, and of course investors. I don't know what their criteria is for
18.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Which part of their business?
19.
by cjisakow 5y ago
yes focus on EBITDA. In some cases there is a metric called SDE which is seller discretionary earnings that has some additional add backs.
20.
by cjisakow 5y ago
good point, here is basic criteria: Private label brands $3M-$30M in revenue 15%+ net margin Predominantly on Amazon but also open to Shopify/DTC brands that are profitable. Allan built HomeSav focused on home goods ("everything f
21.
by cjisakow 5y ago
Not a typo though we haven't announced it yet, whoops....
22.
by cjisakow 5y ago
For sure, we are focused on ecommerce brands instead of services/software. I love how they think about partnering with founders. And we share a Canada connection.
23.
by cjisakow 5y ago
We are both entrepreneurs ourselves, and have lived through working with PE shops that might gordon gecko style fire everyone and flip. Its not our model, our ideal seller stays and grows within Moonshot, where we can both create more valu
24.
by cjisakow 5y ago
We plan to be long term holders, eventually taking the company public. We look at Constellation Software up in Canada (where Allan is based) as a great model. The entrepreneurs often stay with the company since they know the customer and