The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection
Hosted by Alex Rawlings, Managing Partner of Raw Selection, a specialist executive search firm. Join us as we interview the leading experts in Private Equity, unlocking their secrets of success to share with you.
Discover how some of the top Private Equity professionals got into Private Equity, how they rose to success and learn about some of the mistakes they made along the way.
Alex has strong connections to the Private Equity industry through his executive search firm, Raw Selection, which specialises in working with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies across Europe and North America. Alex is straight talking and to the point and aims to unlock real gold you can build into your firm or portfolio companies. Find out more at www.raw-selection.com
The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection
Scaling Your Business the Playbook Series with Andrew Towne
Welcome to another episode of the Private Equity Podcast. Today, I’m joined by Andrew Towne, Partner at Olympus Pines. We break down what it really takes to grow a portfolio company—hiring the right team, aligning goals, building execution plans, and pulling the right levers for revenue and EBITDA growth. If you're after a practical playbook on scaling businesses in the lower mid-market, this episode delivers.
[00:00] Andrew Towne returns to discuss how to grow portfolio companies through team building, planning, and execution.
[00:28] Success in business = aligned goals, right people in the right seats, clear plans, and proper tools/incentives.
[01:55] Biggest failures come from misaligned goals. Everyone must row in the same direction.
[02:26] Use role charters and RACI charts to align responsibilities and decision-making across the org.
[04:22] Attracting top talent means clarity on role, expectations, comp, benefits, culture. Be transparent up front.
[07:06] Retention comes down to delivering on promises, offering development, paying fairly, and giving feedback.
[09:37] Managers should seek upward feedback – your team’s opinion matters more than your boss’s.
[11:32] Evaluate talent by hard skills (resume, technical test) and soft skills (learning ability, judgment, self-starting).
[14:53] Roadmaps keep execution on track – break down goals into sub-goals and timed milestones across the team.
[17:38] Regular team accountability meetings ensure goals stay on track and interdependencies are met.
[18:43] Training, tools, and incentives must align to role and company success – weight comp more to team wins.
[20:39] You don’t need fancy systems – role clarity and RACI charts can live in Word and Excel.
[22:07] Deal sourcing: pick a sector, build your own target list, run a disciplined, high-integrity outreach campaign.
[24:57] Be transparent with sellers – don’t hide your intentions. Build trust from the first call.
[26:16] Consider: can you build instead of buy? Sometimes starting from scratch is the better play.
[27:37] Avoid shiny object syndrome – write down what matters to you first, then find sectors that match it.
[30:37] Six top-line levers: optimize product mix, segment customers, fix pricing, retain the right customers, improve collections, manage working capital.
[35:33] Hire execs aligned with the thesis – if transformation is needed, bring in people who’ve done it before.
[38:56] Cost isn’t just headcount – optimize procurement, renegotiate vendors, rethink distribution, and energy use.
[41:58] Retooling and reskilling can outperform layoffs – invest in your people and slow unnecessary hiring.
[42:56] Thanks to Andrew for sharing his portfolio playbook and growth strategies.
[43:24] Subscribe for more episodes every week. Till next time – keep smashing it.
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Got feedback or questions? Email Alex at alex.rawlings@raw-selection.com. Until next time—keep smashing it!