Trilogy Search Series Ep.3: Tom Klein and Roland Lessard - Ep.118

My guests on this episode are Tom Klein and Roland Lessard, Tom and Roland launched a partnered search after running a background screening business together and acquired a language service business focused on intellectual property in 2016, which they sold last year in 2021. In both companies, growth through acquisition was a core to their playbook and we spend a ton of time diving into best practices and things to avoid in doing so.
This is one of the best episodes of the podcast for understanding M&A, synergies, and change management, and if any of these topics apply to your business, you'll want to tune in. This conversation covers all things M&A, shifting teams, understanding culture and structure, effective leadership, and integrations with new companies and teams.
We got on such a roll near the end that I entirely skipped my closing questions to make room for more discussion, and I think it paid off. By the end of this longer-than-usual episode, I hope you're in agreement. Enjoy.
Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.
Links:
Tom Klein on LinkedIn
Roland Lessard on LinkedIn
Morningside Translations

Topics:
(3:58) - Tom and Roland’s Backgrounds
(13:03) - How many companies within the industry did you speak with during your search?
(16:35) - What was the company you bought and how did you plan out growth?
(20:02) - Where were the biggest pains during your massive growth from $5mm to $30mm?
(26:25) - What strategies did you use to get up to speed with everyone’s role when making changes?
(32:08) - What’s your philosophy and experience with M&A?
(42:51) - What are some Do’s and Don’ts of tuck-in acquisitions?
(58:07) - How do you implement synergies and change management when you’ve acquired one of these companies?
(1:12:45) - Additional commentary on synergies

My guests on this episode are Tom Klein and Roland Lessard, Tom and Roland launched a partnered search after running a background screening business together and acquired a language service business focused on intellectual property in 2016, which they sold last year in 2021. In both companies, growth through acquisition was a core to their playbook and we spend a ton of time diving into best practices and things to avoid in doing so.

This is one of the best episodes of the podcast for understanding M&A, synergies, and change management, and if any of these topics apply to your business, you'll want to tune in. This conversation covers all things M&A, shifting teams, understanding culture and structure, effective leadership, and integrations with new companies and teams.

We got on such a roll near the end that I entirely skipped my closing questions to make room for more discussion, and I think it paid off. By the end of this longer-than-usual episode, I hope you're in agreement. Enjoy.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Links:

Tom Klein on LinkedIn

Roland Lessard on LinkedIn

Morningside Translations

Topics:

(3:58) - Tom and Roland’s Backgrounds

(13:03) - How many companies within the industry did you speak with during your search?

(16:35) - What was the company you bought and how did you plan out growth?

(20:02) - Where were the biggest pains during your massive growth from $5mm to $30mm?

(26:25) - What strategies did you use to get up to speed with everyone’s role when making changes?

(32:08) - What’s your philosophy and experience with M&A?

(42:51) - What are some Do’s and Don’ts of tuck-in acquisitions?

(58:07) - How do you implement synergies and change management when you’ve acquired one of these companies?

(1:12:45) - Additional commentary on synergies