Demystifying Technology by the MacLaurin Group
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsThis is a podcast series designed for the C-level suite of small-to-medium sized companies who are trying to maximize technology for their organization. We’re getting behind some of the buzzwords, introducing potential new concepts, and contextualizing it all into a format that will allow them to become actionable.
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Episodes
[e041] An inside look into the ABA 2021 Deal Points Study
February 01, 2022 14:22 - 29 minutes - 41.1 MBHave you noticed unusual activity in the M&A market recently? Learn how the market has changed and which topics we now need to focus on as a result. Tune into our recent podcast discussing the 2021 Deal Points Study with Lisa Hedrick. Lisa, a partner with Hirschler law firm, is not only an M&A attorney but also leads one of the working groups responsible for the American Bar Association’s Private Target Mergers and Acquisitions Deal Points Study. You might remember hearing Lisa on ou...
[e040] Wolf of Wall Street or Maker of Main Street?
November 17, 2021 14:18 - 50 minutes - 69.4 MBWould it surprise you to know the main currency in PE in addition to money is human capital? Curious what can be a deal breaker for both PE firm and portfolio? Listen to our CEO, and best selling author of the private equity book “Courage to Lose Sight of Shore”, Kelley Powell and Leon Brujis, Partner of Palladium Equity Partners discuss what backing a successful entrepreneur looks like.
[e039] Stack Overflow 2021 Developer Survey Review
October 06, 2021 18:32 - 1 hour - 83.5 MBIt’s that time of the year again. Curious to learn more about the new surge of developers and how that affects technology? Jim Milbery of ParkerGale joins Alan, Ryan and Cormac for another year of discussion around the new data results from Stack Overflow’s 2021 Developer Survey. A few key takeaways from this discussion… 💡 An increase in professional developers in the self-employed/independent contractors category 💡 JavaScript continues its streak as the most commonly used programmin...
[e038] DbSchema
January 21, 2021 16:27 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBEvery developer should have this in their toolbox. DbSchema, a database designer, gives a visual representation of your database. A database represents not only raw data, but the relationship between that data. DbSchema articulates this relationship in a visual and accessible manner that breaths fresh life into usually dull diagrams. This makes it easier for everyone, especially non-developers, to comprehend and contribute to what is seen as many outside, as a dark art. Thank you Drago...
[e037] Cybersecurity & The State of US/Canada Relations
September 02, 2020 19:47 - 22 minutes - 30.4 MBCybersecurity is not just about protecting the data. It is also making sure that your core systems are readily available at all times. Alan and Jim set US/Canada relations back 200 years while discussing the evolving state of cybersecurity with Dom and Christian of Cyber SC. Spoiler, this is no longer the domain of larger corporations. Our friends from north of the border discuss the importance of cybersecurity due diligence during the PE deal process, cybersecurity roadmap creation an...
[e036] Stack Overflow 2020 Developer Survey Review
July 07, 2020 17:59 - 52 minutes - 72.4 MBAre you a sucker for a good technology survey? We are too! Listen to hear what surprised us in our yearly review of the Stack Overflow developer survey. Ryan and Alan are joined by industry expert, Partner of ParkerGale and fellow podcaster of the Private Equity Funcast, Jim Milbery.
[e035] Amazon Aurora
April 29, 2020 13:49 - 30 minutes - 42.5 MBIt scales with you, is easily manageable, and has incredible recovery capabilities, saving you time, money, and worry -- Alan and Ryan discuss Aurora, the MySQL and Postgres compatible database-as-a-service from Amazon AWS which has done wonders for managing and scaling databases in production.
[e034] Makers vs Menders with Andrea Goulet
March 05, 2020 13:53 - 36 minutes - 50.5 MBLegacy is something that you leave behind with the expectation that you are paving a path for the success of others. So why do we fear the word ‘legacy’ when referring to code? Jim Headley sits down with Andrea Goulet of Corgibytes who explains that legacy code is not always something to fear, but something that can be built upon and improved. View on Medium
[e033] Lisa Hedrick gives an insider's view of the M&A seller's market
February 27, 2020 20:29 - 20 minutes - 27.9 MBWould you like to get an insider’s view of the current M&A seller’s market? Lisa Hedrick, Partner at Hirschler and Issue Group Leader for the American Bar Association’s biannual “Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study”, provides valuable insight into this extensive report’s most significant acquisition trends. Discover what this could mean for your business or portfolio companies. View on Medium
[e032] Logging
February 12, 2020 19:15 - 17 minutes - 24.2 MBIs it a painful, manual, time consuming, or non-existent process for your IT team to trace a problem back to its source? In this podcast, Alan and Ryan discuss the importance of good logging practices and outline three litmus tests to evaluate if your enterprise logging system is heading in the right direction.
[e031] Messaging and Roles
January 07, 2020 15:03 - 25 minutes - 34.3 MBRyan Burch and Alan Williamson talk about how you can utilize different types of messaging queues to decouple applications, with a focus on the three main players in AWS -- SQS, SNS and Amazon MQ. They then dive deeper into how to securely access these and other AWS services while your applications are running inside of AWS without having to pass around the equivalent of usernames and passwords. View on Medium
[e030] Heinz Kabutz on Imposter Syndrome
December 17, 2019 16:16 - 37 minutes - 51.4 MBWe all have fear. As he faces harsh criticism while writing “Dynamic Proxies in Java”, Dr. Heinz Kabutz says that there seems to be this perception in which we always have to look like we know what we are doing and that we have to have it right all the time. The key takeaway -- Accept feedback from people that you respect and do not allow negativity to determine your self-worth in your career. View on Medium
[e029] Gretchen Perkins Talks About the Flex Equity Fund
December 10, 2019 13:50 - 17 minutes - 23.5 MBMacLaurin Group was a proud Gold Sponsor of this year's ACG Richmond Capital Conference. While there, we hosted a series of short conversations with experts in the private equity space to discover their outlook and areas of excitement as they look toward the coming year. We are joined by Gretchen Perkins, of Huron Capital, as she discusses with Alan Williamson investment strategies for both the traditional buyout versus non-control equity. Gretchen goes deeper into how their Flex Equity f...
[e028] The eyes see what the mind knows — where are your blind spots with sales?
November 21, 2019 15:46 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBAre you confident that your sales team has the knowledge to spot when deals will move with the appropriate velocity to get them across the line? Robin Green, President of Sandler Training, talks with Alan Williamson and Jim Headley about advising companies to develop methodology and data-driven sales processes as they expand. Robin emphasizes the three key ingredients needed in the recipe to increase sales — build better habits, reinforce positive beliefs and execute innovative strategies.
[e027] Boutique Investment Banking: Brian Alas emphasizes understanding your numbers to share your story and value in a deal process
November 12, 2019 13:42 - 14 minutes - 20 MBMacLaurin Group was a proud Gold Sponsor of this year's ACG Richmond Capital Conference. While there, we hosted a series of short conversations with experts in the private equity space to discover their outlook and areas of excitement as they look toward the coming year. How does a founder flawlessly navigate a competitive sales process? Jim Headley sits down with Brian Alas of Boxwood Partners, a boutique investment bank in Richmond, to share advice with founders for effectively conveyin...
[e026] Sidney Glick talks about substantial changes in the M&A space
October 25, 2019 13:04 - 13 minutes - 18.9 MBMacLaurin Group was a proud Gold Sponsor of this year's ACG Richmond Capital Conference. While there, we hosted a series of short conversations with experts in the private equity space to discover their outlook and areas of excitement as they look toward the coming year. When choosing a transaction advisory partner, it is important that the firm has a dedicated practice with people that possess a significant deal & industry experience. Sidney Glick of Cherry Bekaert, a full service accoun...
[e025] Andrew Lohmann and Lisa Hedrick on Legal Trends and Common Pitfalls in the Deal Process
October 17, 2019 14:32 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBMacLaurin Group was a proud Gold Sponsor of this year's ACG Richmond Capital Conference. While there, we hosted a series of short conversations with experts in the private equity space to discover their outlook and areas of excitement as they look toward the coming year. It is not always about valuation in a seller’s market - trust in a right-fit partner plays a key role. Lisa Hedrick and Andrew Lohmann of Hirschler, a Richmond-based law firm, sat down with Jim Headley to talk about the ...
[e024] Liza Bowersox discusses the importance and challenges of valuations as diverse as burlap sacks and Lamborghinis
October 15, 2019 13:01 - 17 minutes - 24.7 MBMacLaurin Group was a proud Gold Sponsor at this year's ACG Richmond Capital Conference. While there, we hosted a series of short conversations with experts in the private equity space to discover their outlook and areas of excitement as they look toward the coming year. In this episode, Jim Headley sits down with Liza Bowersox, recognized by the American Society of Appraisers as an Accredited Senior Appraiser and Vice President of Venture First to discuss how she approaches valuation f...
[e023] Jack Surma of Tecum Capital, discusses relationship-focused, long-term partnerships
October 10, 2019 13:37 - 11 minutes - 16.2 MBMacLaurin Group was a proud Gold Sponsor at this year's ACG Richmond Capital Conference. While there, we hosted a series of short conversations with experts in the private equity space to discover their outlook and areas of excitement as they look toward the coming year. In this episode, Alan Williamson interviews Jack Surma of Tecum Capital, a PE fund prescribing mezzanine debt, minority equity, and control equity, named by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 50 Founder-Friendly Private Equ...
[e022] Jonathan Brabrand on Knowing When to Sell
October 08, 2019 14:22 - 11 minutes - 15.6 MBMacLaurin Group was a proud Gold Sponsor at this year's ACG Richmond Capital Conference. While there, we hosted a series of short conversations with experts in the private equity space to discover their outlook and areas of excitement as they look toward the coming year. In this episode, Alan Williamson speaks with Jonathan Brabrand, Managing Director of Fahrenheit Advisors, Entrepreneur and author of “The $100 Million Exit: Lessons for Every Business Owner” expected publication April 202...
[e021] Development Stack - Choose Wisely
September 24, 2019 13:08 - 23 minutes - 32.2 MBProgramming language - why should I care? What is a typical development stack inside of a portfolio company? The MacLaurin Group looks at development stacks and discusses why the choice is so important. View on Medium
[e020] Kirk talks with Alan on recent Microsoft acquisition
September 12, 2019 15:16 - 28 minutes - 39.2 MBWe talk with Kirk Pepperdine, co-founder of jClarity, a Java based performance tuning company that was recently acquired by Microsoft. Discover the evolution of jClarity and how bringing a structured performance model, using machine learning, for tuning language runtimes led to success and an exciting future with the most unlikely of Java bedfellows: Microsoft.
[e019] Part 2 - Intimate Conversation series featuring Justin Marquardt on Deals in P.E.
September 05, 2019 13:16 - 16 minutes - 22.6 MBMacLaurin Group’s Intimate Conversation series continues with our guest Justin Marquardt, Principal at New Harbor Capital in our Part II of the discussion for learning about the process of deals in Private Equity. Justin continues to share insights about the process — from deal valuation to determining when it makes sense to delay a deal.
[e018] Why storing passwords in clear text is so bad
September 03, 2019 15:35 - 12 minutes - 17.3 MBYou keep hearing that you shouldn’t store passwords in clear text. Why though? What does that actually mean, and what are the risks? Jim and Alan discuss this thorny issue, provide some insights as to what-is-what and how you can easily rectify this. Once you’ve listened to it, you can head over and read a more in-depth article on the issue. https://medium.com/maclaurin-group/what-is-clear-text-passwords-and-why-you-shouldnt-store-them-e61c604b1fb7
[e017] Part 1 - Intimate Conversation series featuring Justin Marquardt on Deals in P.E.
August 22, 2019 14:54 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBMacLaurin Group’s Intimate Conversation series continues with our guest Justin Marquardt, Principal at New Harbor Capital. In Part I, Justin talks about the process of Private Equity Deals — from evaluating a Confidential Information Memorandum to turning due diligence into valuable strategy sessions. Much of what happens with deals in P.E. is something not understood by founders who have not been through the process. Justin gives insight into what to expect once you have the opportunity...
[e016] Maker's Schedule vs. Manager's Schedule with Cameron Herold, author of 'Meetings Suck'
August 06, 2019 15:12 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MBAs leaders we must understand both the Maker’s Schedule and the Manager’s schedule. A small interruption has the potential to completely derail progress of a development team, impacting clients and your business. Most leaders have never been trained to run a meeting or to understand the impact of what seems to be a small interruption. Yet, leaders are asked to run meetings every day. In the previous episode on the debate of the Manager’s Schedule vs the Maker’s Schedule Jim Milbery of ...
[e015] What is CI/CD?
July 29, 2019 18:52 - 33 minutes - 45.7 MBMoving to a CI/CD style release process is becoming popular, what is it and when does it make sense?
[e014] Intimate Conversations with Kristina Heinze
July 15, 2019 18:40 - 21 minutes - 28.8 MBWe welcome Kristina Heinze of ParkerGale onto the show. Our hosts Jim and Kelley talk with Kristina as she offers insight into how she selects founders to invest in.
[e013] Demystifying Version Control
June 25, 2019 17:07 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBOn this week’s Demystifying Technology episode, Alan and Ryan discuss version control, the bedrock of any software engineering team. Life has no form edit-undo, but your software department can!
[e012] The CTO Leader, Myth and Legend Part II: Skills Private Equity Demands in a Successful CTO
June 19, 2019 19:23 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MBA CTO is no different from any other leader in business in that they need to have the same skills to motivate and inspire to get the best out of their team. The role of CTO is one of the most exciting and varied roles at the executive level. Alan Williamson and Jim Headley share experiences supporting private equity clients and their portfolio companies to recruit for the right CTO to lead and inspire through periods of high growth.
[e011] The CTO Leader, Myth and Legend Part I: Recruit a CTO to Lead and Inspire
June 10, 2019 14:43 - 9 minutes - 8.3 MBAre you are a CEO/CFO curious if you need a Chief Technology Officer (CTO)? Are you are an inspiring CTO ready for the next step in your career? The role of CTO has many meanings with the responsibilities ranging dramatically from company to company and company size. The role of CTO is one of the most exciting and varied roles at the executive level. Alan Williamson and Jim Headley share experiences supporting private equity clients and their portfolio companies to recruit for the right CT...
[e010] Exploring Private Equity With Jim Milbery
March 25, 2019 14:29 - 29 minutes - 14.1 MBWe were honored to have some time with Jim Milbery, founding partner of ParkerGale Capital, a private equity firm that specializes in growing founder-led companies, to discuss how the world looks from their side of the desk. https://maclaurin.group/
[e009] Data Storage Considerations
December 31, 2018 19:58 - 13 minutes - 6.44 MBStoring data seems a rather trivial task these days given the sheer amount of storage options available. However, that doesn't mean you don't have to give consideration to the type of data, ownership, security and aging properties. Alan talks with Jim and Jeff on the sort of things you should be mindful of. https://maclaurin.group/
[e008] Getting started with BI
November 06, 2018 13:32 - 16 minutes - 9.83 MBYou've probably heard the fancy term, Business Intelligence, and we would wager more likely than not you are already doing some form of BI without even realizing. Alan probes Jim on this episode to help those get a real start in the world of BI without having to blow the IT budget. https://maclaurin.group/
[e007] Demystifying SalesForce
October 16, 2018 12:39 - 15 minutes - 7.44 MBSalesForce eh? That is that tool for tracking sales leads isn't it? In the beginning maybe, but SalesForce had a vision way beyond just helping sales team. Jim and Alan jump into what SalesForce is and why it is a popular choice in the P/E space. https://maclaurin.group/
[e006] Demystifying GDPR
October 01, 2018 20:07 - 14 minutes - 7.11 MBAs of May 25th, 2018, Europe is dealing with a new data privacy reality affectionately known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). What does it mean for us here in the USA? Well, quite a bit as it happens. In this weeks episode, Alan quizzes Jim on the subject, as he been spending a lot of time getting into the details, as it is coming up more and more with the companies we help. For more information, you can read Jim's article on GDPR.
[e005] Demystifying Serverless Computing
September 24, 2018 19:10 - 20 minutes - 9.93 MBServerless computing is a term you have been hearing about, or if you haven't, then you probably will start hearing it. In this episode, Jim talks with Alan on the overall concept and discusses the benefits such a paradigm can bring to an organization. They also go through the areas to which serverless is not terribly suited for.
[e004] Demystifying Amazon AWS & Microsoft Azure with Stefan Bauer
September 17, 2018 13:36 - 16 minutes - 19.1 MBYou can't deny that the two horses in the cloud race are Amazon's AWS and Microsoft's Azure, with AWS significantly out in front. But is there that huge a difference between the two? In this episode Jim and Alan sit down with Stefan Bauer, MIS Manager for Elephant Auto insurance who is responsible for their data warehousing and business intelligence both on-prem and in-cloud. Stefan is a veteran of both Azure and AWS architectures (having previously authored a book on AWS RedShift). Stef...
[e003] Demystifying Business Intelligence
August 28, 2018 10:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBBusiness Intelligence, or BI, is a phrase that is often branded around but few understand the true power that it can deliver to an organization. Jim Headley and Alan Williamson take a look into the world of BI, breaking down some of the misconceptions.
[e002] Demystifying the Technical Due Diligence
August 24, 2018 19:08 - 22 minutes - 17.4 MBIf you have ever wondered what a technical due diligence is all about then this is the episode for you. Listen to Jim Headley and Alan Williamson talk through the in's and out's, what to expect and how not to fear what some believe is an interrogation.
[e001] Introduction Episode
August 24, 2018 19:01 - 3 minutes - 5.48 MBWelcome to the introduction of the MacLaurin Demystifying Technology podcast series. Let Jim Headley and Alan Williamson take you through what will be coming up in this series dedicated towards making technology accessible to CEO's, CFO's, Private Equity and Investment houses.