ACQUISITION ENTREPRENEURS
ABOUT US
Sift & Winn is a self-funded search entity created by acquisition entrepreneurs, Eric and Michael. Its principals, Eric and Michael, have equally similar and dissimilar backgrounds. Both held leadership positions in small businesses prior to graduate school and have since led and grown businesses within a larger organization. Eric’s operational and financial depth perfectly complements Michael’s commercial and marketing background.
Eric brings 10 years of financial and product experience to Sift & Winn. He is an analytical thinker that is passionate about lean manufacturing, process improvement, and the Toyota KATA method of continuous improvement. He has managed and executed operational, sourcing, and financial processes to increase organizational efficiency, reduce costs, and create responsive, professional manufacturing environments for a small sprayer business. Eric’s large firm experience has been focused on simplification and new product development.
Michael has spent nearly 20 years in a wide variety of roles ranging from operations to mergers & acquisitions, but mostly focused on product management and marketing. He spends a disproportionate amount of time on focus and value -- on what should focus be and how much is something worth. Michael led a marketing team for a small commercial furniture manufacturer while introducing over 10 new products and entering a new market. In large companies, he has led product management teams in gaining market share and introducing new products.
Over the past three years, they have been working together to help business operators focus on and grow the most profitable areas of their company by empowering their teams to identify unwanted business and treat it differently.
What We Seek
Our search is focused on business that are:
- B2B product manufacturers
- Located in Southeastern Wisconsin, USA or relocatable
- Niche, specialized, or generally complex
- Established and profitable
- Tenured and experienced professional staff
We are not looking for:
- Job shops or fabricators
- Jobs disguised as a business
- Franchising
Operating and Solving Problems
As leaders within large industrial businesses we have built a particularly useful skill set for tackling tricky operating problems but have also experienced the unfortunate realities of getting things done inside of a large business. These experiences ignited a fire in us to roll-up our sleeves, take a risk, and find our own business to acquire, run, and grow over a medium to long term investment horizon.
Primarily, we seek situations where an owner is seeking to retire and retain the existing team, but may need some additional support in the form of new ideas and capital to help facilitate the transition. Secondarily, situations requiring work to enhance the portfolio, manufacturing processes, or go-to-market to support the business in its next evolution also play to our strengths.