Matt Kaulig, executive chairman of Kaulig Companies, has been doing M&A deals with Kaulig Capital for about four years. He says he’s become a people person, believing in those who lead the business, rather than the numbers on paper.
“You can look at financials all day long," Kaulig says. "And we all know that that stuff changes. Most people look at deals and companies from a financial standpoint and they don’t actually put as much weight in the person and the people running the company. I bet more on people than I do financials.”
Headed into this year, Kaulig says he sees opportunities for investment in the restaurant sector. He recognizes that there are projections that as much as 75 percent of restaurants could fail in the coming year. And while that will be hard on some, it also creates chances for investors to enter the market and secure deals.
“Restaurants aren’t going away," he says. "People love the experience of going out. It might not be great right now, but it’s going to come back. And whoever can win that game and maybe do it a different way is going to really benefit from people wanting to get out of their houses and back into restaurants. There’s opportunity there.”
Kaulig, who spoke at the Cleveland Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, talks more about his M&A outlook, as well as how he’s guided his family of businesses to success. Watch the video to get the full conversation.
