The short answer
Charlie Emery took SOILCO from a family business to investor-backed growth over more than twenty years. He joined in 2001 when his parents called, bought in with his own money alongside his brother Mark, and set up an outside advisory board. Two investor processes ended without a deal, including one where a corporate buyer halved its offer after due diligence, before an infrastructure investor proved the right fit.
Key takeaways
- Buying in, rather than being handed it. Charlie and his brother Mark bought into the family business with real money.
- An outside advisory board. Charlie set one up early, and makes the case for having one.
- Walking away is part of the process. Two investor processes ended without a deal, one after a corporate buyer halved its offer following due diligence, and one that simply did not feel right.
- The right capital partner fits the business. SOILCO landed on an infrastructure investor comfortable funding a business that needs years of investment before it pays off.
- Be honest with your own strategic plan. Charlie's advice to owners is that if you are not honest about the plan, nobody else will believe in it either.
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About this episode
Charlie Emery joined the family business in 2001, after a call from his parents, alongside his brother Mark. More than twenty years later SOILCO is a national organics recycling platform and Charlie is its chief executive.
The conversation covers what it took to build on what his parents started. He and Mark bought into the business with their own money rather than being handed it, and Charlie set up an outside advisory board to bring a view from beyond the family.
Two investor processes ended without a deal before the right one landed. In one, a corporate buyer took the business through full due diligence and then halved its offer. In the other, the deal did not feel right and Charlie walked away from it.
The partner they settled on was an infrastructure investor, comfortable funding a business that needs years of investment before it pays off. Charlie's own advice to owners sits underneath all of it: be honest with your strategic plan, or nobody else will believe in it either.
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About the show
Buy Grow Sell is hosted by Simon Bedard, founder and managing director of Exit Advisory Group, a boutique mergers and acquisitions advisory firm that helps Australian business owners value, prepare for and navigate a sale. Every conversation draws on real deals and the patterns behind them.
