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Eric Furlow
Furlow Consulting LLC, Internet Mergers & Acquisitions Consulting
Eric Furlow is the President of Furlow Consulting LLC, a position he has held since December 1996.1 He is an experienced professional specializing in technology mergers and acquisitions, with a focus on internet-related assets and entities.13
Background and Experience
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Education: Furlow holds a Master of Science degree from Bentley College - Elkin B. McCallum Graduate School of Business, which he attended from 1997 to 1998.14
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Military Service: He served in the U.S. Navy as a BM-3 from 1987 to 1991.1
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Early Career: Prior to founding his consulting firm, Furlow worked as a Merger and Acquisitions Manager at A+ Network, Inc. from February 1994 to November 1996, and as a Nationwide Affiliate Program Manager at Network USA from 1992 to 1994.1
Expertise and Services
Furlow Consulting LLC specializes in:
- Assisting individuals and corporations in acquiring, merging, valuing, and divesting Internet-related assets and entities.1
- Focusing on sectors such as web hosting, cloud services, SaaS, IaaS, and managed service providers (MSPs).3
- Providing strategic guidance for organizing, marketing, and divesting companies to maximize value.3
Notable Achievements
- Involved in over 200 technology-related transactions across multiple countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, India, Ireland, and Northern Europe.4
- Published a book titled "Internet Mergers and Acquisitions: A Collection of Articles From My 20+ Years in the Lower Middle Market M&A World".2
Eric Furlow is known for his expertise in the technology M&A space, particularly in the lower middle market, and has been assisting clients in this field since 1996.13
Highlights
Is there too much positive Merger and Acquisition hype out there?
How about some realities, risks and considerations for a Tech Owner/CEO contemplating their first tech business acquisition
1. What are the odds the gaggle of migrations, transitions, legalities, due diligences, cultural fits, hiring/firing, training, integrations, hand-offs etc. … all go well during the 1st acquisition? Buyers must not forget, every bump in the road is a few basis point hit on the acquisition’s ROI.
2. Just searching for and screening deals can be extremely time consuming for several team members. While it only takes 2-4 months to close most deals, it might take 2 years and looking at 50+ companies to find a good enough target. (There are many exceptions of course.)
3. If the Owner/CEO is the one leading the acquisition, which of their current responsibilities will they set aside due to this new commitment?
4. Some of the Seller’s key people might turn out to be quite different a few months post-closing than what the Owner/CEO encountered before closing.
5. If the Owner/CEO out-bids several much larger serial acquirers, they probably overpaid for a few reasons unless this Owner/CEO has some sort of amazing competitive advantage.
6. Pride and ego might become a variable, and not in a good way. After searching for a good deal for 2 years the Owner/CEO finally finds a Jewel in the Rough, then the bidding with other buyers gets fierce. The Owner/CEO thinks … “I have to have that deal!”. (you know what happens next)
7. The Owner/CEO’s existing key employees might wonder if/when they might be replaced by the Seller’s managerial equivalents, potentially disrupting company culture.
8. The Owner/CEO might be reminded by some Sellers that when large amounts of money are at stake, the differences between lying and negotiating become blurry.
9. After signing a Letter of Intent with a Seller, most of unanticipated news that comes in regarding the deal is not going to be good.
10. Using the newly created (yesterday) in-house due diligence team for the first tech company acquisition might turn out to be more expensive than outsourcing various aspects of due diligence.
Just because it is the Owner/CEO’s first tech business acquisition, doesn’t mean it also has to be the entire team’s first acquisition experience.
Acquiring a company is more than an “M&A To-Do List”. It is a multi-team orchestra of different processes, many of which are contingent upon another, and this lasts for months.
While it’s not for everyone, acquiring a tech company can be a good strategy. There are certainly a lot of serial acquirers who are really good at it.
In closing, tech business acquisitions are a lot like Golf. It may be best for someone to play it on a regular basis or sell their clubs. (I did.)
#msp #webhosting #managedit
Lost your job due to a tech merger or acquisition? … job tips from an old dude #notAI
Some Big Tech companies have been laying off employees in bulk in the coldest most ruthless ways. Just because these big companies are taking the low road, doesn’t mean you have to.
Be the classiest person to ever leave their job, why?
o If you plan to work in the tech industry for the foreseeable future anywhere in the world, you will likely run into many of the same people over and over. This includes some of the people at the company you just left. So don’t forget, not every manager made the decision to let you go.
o Unfortunately, many people are looking for the tiniest of events or actions to label someone either a really good or a really bad person. Try not to give people, many of whom might barely know you, the opportunity to label you for life because of a justifiably negative reaction to life changing news.
o The owner and senior managers of the company might be your best source of a personal and professional reference for the next job. Even better, they might know your next boss.
o If the deal hasn’t closed yet there is a chance the initial personnel decisions will change.
o If you quickly find another job … plans might change at the company you just left and the CEO/owner or buyer might want you back. This can be used as leverage.
o Sometimes there are situations where a select number of people will be needed post-closing, but only for a transition period. This can be a great opportunity for you to simultaneously work with the buyer and look for a new job. Who knows, the buyer might be impressed with you and offer you a much better job than the one you find during the transition period … and maybe better than the one you had prior to the deal.
Final thought. If you hear that the company you work for is being acquired, of course the first things you want to know are … is it true, who is the buyer, when is the deal closing and will the buyer want to keep me or not.
If employees ask the CEO/Owner if the company is being sold … this is a real dilemma for the owner. Does the owner tell the truth … or not?
Before you put the owner in a headlock, keep in mind if word gets out that the company is for sale, the best employees might start to leave the company. This employee departure might induce the buyer of the company to walk from the deal. Or for whatever other reason the deal doesn’t close, the company would be worse off due to the employee departures.
Over the years I have been amazed at how many business owners almost killed their own company divestiture or lowered the value of their deal because the employees were not going to be taken care of to the degree the owner was comfortable with.
#msp #technology #tech
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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