Having recently attended the Exit Planning Exchange 2011 Summit at Babson College, I was delighted that several of the themes that I had espoused in my presentation of The Theatre of The Deal, during the inaugural Summit were emphasized.

• “The First thing that we must do is To Be or Not to Be—Prepared:”
  Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared: the necessity of forming a collaborative group of advisors around the owner, or potential owner. This group is targeted to advise and prepare for the foreseeable consequences of several actions; the key concept is to be prepared thoroughly investigate each and every option that is available. Not to prepare is an exercise in potential failure;
• “The importance of a face-to-face meeting, timing, location, and other logistics:”
  While the social media phenomenon is essential to greatly enhance your professional exposure, and to be able to keep in contact with several diverse people, when the time comes for an important decision, it should only be done in person. Email can transmit huge quantities of information, but it is still unable to deliver the passion and sincerity of the deliverer!

It is amazing how certain basic principles survive even as the landscape changes!