Defining Excellence

T.V. METZ & CO., LLC
Boutique Investment Banking

Sales of Companies

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Books by Thomas Metz:

Selling the Intangible Company

Perfect Your Exit Strategy

Defining Excellence

Why is the United States Rich?

Defining Excellence

The Discipline of Company Definition

by Thomas Metz

Bettencourt Publishing Ltd., August 2019
Soft Cover and Kindle, 121 pages

A business exists for only one reason—to deliver value to its customers. Therefore, a company should be defined by its customers, not by its products or services. Company definition impacts how you think about your company—how you perceive your markets, your customers and new opportunities for growth.

Company definition impacts every corporate communication—press releases, investor presentations, annual report, 10Q and your website. Clarity is not optional.

The first part of the book presents guidelines to craft an intelligent and powerful definition. It describes the theory behind an effective company definition and putting the customer at the center of the enterprise. It introduces the concept of “knowledge space” and presents numerous examples that illustrate clarity of company definition. It includes best practices and 16 rules to construct a first-rate definition.

The second part of the book describes how company definition underpins a firm’s strategy for growth. The thesis is that if a company defines itself differently then it will view growth opportunities in a new light.

Growth is the essential element for creating shareholder value. Initiatives associated with growing revenue drive more value than any other action. Growth is the key predictor of success over the long term. Growth strategy includes exploring for new opportunities. Topics include:

The nature of opportunity
Enemies of opportunity
Adjacent markets and opportunities
New business models
Ecosystems and platforms

Companies must keep fresh, find new problems to solve, gain new skills and explore for attractive new sectors. Go down uncharted alleys and see what’s at the end. Many times, these are dead ends, but sometimes they open up to broad avenues and exciting new markets. Recalibrating your company definition is an excellent way to open the door to new areas for opportunity and growth.

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About the Author

Thomas Metz founded the boutique investment bank T.V. Metz & Co., LLC in 1983 and has been an investment banker for more than three decades. The firm specializes in arranging mergers and acquisitions in the technology industries. Mr. Metz has degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oregon and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a frequent speaker on mergers, acquisitions and entrepreneurial topics.

Tom has authored four books:

Selling the Intangible Company—How to Negotiate and Capture the Value of a Growth Firm (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
Perfect Your Exit Strategy—7 Steps to Maximum Value (Bettencourt, 2016).
Defining Excellence—The Discipline of Company Definition (Bettencourt, 2019).
Why is the United States Rich? 10 Myths Exposed (Bettencourt, 2021).

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