The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection

How to manage the priorities between the executive team and the investor

May 19, 2026

In this episode of the Raw Selection Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Christina Haxton about the relationship between private equity firms and portfolio company leadership teams.They discuss how trust, communication, alignment, and culture impact execution during periods of rapid growth — and why many businesses struggle not because of strategy, but because of leadership friction and organizational disconnect.Timestamps00:00 – Introduction to Christina Haxton01:27 – Common ex...

The Hidden Mistakes Killing PE Value (And How to Fix Them)

May 12, 2026

Episode Summary Paul Brennan, PE-backed CFO, shares lessons from exiting Lindsay Precast (sold to The Jordan Company), covering exit prep, value creation, and integration.⏱️ Key Timestamps00:00 – Intro & Background CFO experience across PE, public, and family-owned businesses.01:23 – Common PE Mistake Lack of clarity on why data requests matter → impacts alignment.03:13 – Exit Preparation 👉 Prepare every quarter Update data room  Review QoE  Avoid last-minute pressure 05:07 – Data Insight...

From Founder to Three Exits Building a Services Company and Selling to Private Equity

May 05, 2026

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Robert Irving, CEO of Buffalo Growth Partners. Robert shares his journey from building and selling a fire & life safety business to scaling within private equity and launching his own independent sponsor firm.⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics00:00 – Introduction Robert’s journey across founding, exiting, and re-entering private equity.00:30 – Building & Selling a Business Grew to ~80 technicians and exited at 29  Joined a PE-backed roll-up, comp...