Who We Are

Interview

Interviewer: Tell us about Lever 6. Is there anything significant about the name?

Me: Let’s start with an example.

If I were to describe a company with high employee turnover and negativity, poor culture, demonstrably dysfunctional teams, weak customer satisfaction, and high churn, would you be likely to invest in or acquire that company?

Probably not.

Further, if that same company could not consistently forecast its operations, struggled to find and use the data needed to run the business, and lacked the processes or track record to improve, innovate, or create new products and services, would that change your answer?

Probably not.

Those questions represent the six levers in Lever 6: Culture, Collaboration, Customer, Controls, Context, and Creativity.

We believe sustainable business value is defined, managed, and improved through that taxonomy.

Interviewer: Why did you start Lever 6?

Me: Because most business owners will not get the transition outcome they want.

That may sound blunt, but it is true.

A company can be profitable, respected, and important to its employees and customers, and still not be ready for a transaction. It may be too dependent on the owner. It may lack the controls, data, systems, or management depth a buyer expects. It may have a great story, but not enough evidence to support the valuation the owner has in mind.

And even when a transaction happens, that does not automatically mean the owner achieved success.

Success has to be defined more broadly. Did the owner create personal wealth? Did the company land in the right hands? Were employees and customers treated well? Did the owner’s family understand and support the transition? Did the owner feel proud of the outcome 12 months later?

Lever 6 exists because we believe more owners can get to that kind of outcome, but not by accident. It takes preparation, value creation, honest conversations, and long-game thinking.

That is the problem we are here to solve.

Interviewer: What do you think most advisors, consultants, bankers, or investors misunderstand about founder-led and family-led businesses?

Me: Many of them are too transaction-oriented.

To be clear, getting to a successful transaction matters. It matters a lot. But with founder-led and family-led businesses, the transaction is not the whole story.

These owners often care deeply about legacy. They care about their employees. They care about their customers. They care about whether the business survives and improves after they are no longer the person making every important decision.

That requires long-game thinking.

The best outcomes usually come from combining transaction readiness with business readiness. It is not just, “Can we sell this company?” It is, “Can we make this company stronger, more transferable, and more valuable in a way that respects what the owner built?”

That is a very different conversation.

Interviewer: That’s a great answer. Can we dive in more? It seems like frameworks are important to you.

Me: Sure. And yes, frameworks, methodologies, and standards are very important to us.

We are value-creation practitioners. Frameworks create governance and velocity, which we believe are two of the most important dimensions of any value-creation program.

Recurring Revenue Architecture, Partnernomics, EOS, Scaling Up, ISO, Agile: we and our partner ecosystem are fluent in these frameworks and more.

Interviewer: You use the phrase “value creation” often. What does that actually mean to you?

Me: Value creation has to be deliberate.

It starts by defining what value actually means for a specific company, owner, investor, or situation. Then the strategy, operating tactics, resources, and accountability systems need to be tied directly to that definition of value.

It is not a feel-good strategy document. It is not a generic opportunity assessment. And it is not a list of 47 things everyone agrees would be nice to improve someday.

For most early-stage, growth-stage, and lower-middle-market companies, resources are constrained. That is the point. Value creation becomes a forcing function. It requires owners, investors, and managers to focus only on the things that matter most, drive that vision into the organization, hold people accountable, and provide the resources to get it done.

At Lever 6, we organize that work around six value-creation principles: Culture, Collaboration, Customer, Controls, Context, and Creativity.

Every value-creation initiative should connect to one or more of those areas. Companies do not need to be perfect in all six. But they do need to establish a baseline, understand where they are exposed, and then improve the specific processes that matter most to enterprise value.

Interviewer: So would you say your approach is highly consultative? Is that your differentiator?

Me: I think we have several differentiators, but yes, we strive to be consultative versus transactional.

We believe our operating backgrounds make us more valuable to those we serve. We have owned businesses, made payroll, signed personal loan guarantees, and lived with the consequences of decisions after the presentation ends.

That matters.

Interviewer: You mentioned that your team has owned businesses, made payroll, and signed personal guarantees. Why does that matter?

Me: Because we have sat in the same chair as founders and business owners.

That experience creates transparency and empathy. It allows us to have more honest conversations because we understand that these decisions are not purely financial.

We know what it feels like when payroll is coming due. We know what it feels like when the bank wants a personal guarantee. We know what it feels like when a business decision affects your spouse, your family, your employees, and your future.

That does not mean we always tell owners what they want to hear. In fact, the opposite is often true.

But it does mean we can say, honestly, “I understand where you are. I understand what is at stake. Here is what we can do together to get closer to the outcome you want, and here are the areas where we are going to have to make some hard choices.”

That combination of empathy and candor matters.

Interviewer: Let’s talk about who you serve. What is your mission and purpose?

Me: We mainly work with family- and founder-led businesses, as well as institutional capital providers seeking venture, growth, and buyout opportunities.

We are opportunistic in the best sense of the word. We can engage as an advisor, a buyer, or an investor.

A perfect engagement is one where we begin as a business transition advisor. Then, if a capital transaction emerges and it makes sense for us to be the buyer or capital provider, we have the ability to step into that role.

Interviewer: What kind of founder or business owner is the best fit for Lever 6?

Me: The best fit is a founder or business owner who can still see a bigger vision for what they have built.

In many cases, they are proud of the company, loyal to the brand, deeply connected to their employees and customers, and yet quietly frustrated that the business has fallen short of what they know it could become.

That is an important distinction.

We are not looking for owners who have given up. We are looking for owners who still care. They may need help creating the next chapter, but they still have pride in the business, loyalty to the people who helped build it, and a desire to see the company continue to grow.

The right founder usually wants two things at the same time. They want the business to be stronger, more valuable, and better prepared for transition. And they want to satisfy their personal wealth objectives after years of risk, sacrifice, and effort.

That is where we can be helpful.

We can act as a transition partner, a value-creation partner, and, in select cases, a capital partner. The goal is not just to help an owner exit. The goal is to help them move into the next chapter with confidence, clarity, and pride.

Interviewer: What kind of founder or business owner is probably not a good fit for Lever 6?

Me: A founder looking for the easy button.

We are probably not the right fit for an owner who does not care about legacy, employees, customers, or what happens to the business after a transaction.

We are also not the right fit for someone who simply wants the maximum number, the best terms, and no serious discussion about what has to improve in the business to support those expectations.

And, candidly, we try to avoid what I call the “7-Eleven valuation owner.”

That is the owner who hears one valuation multiple from one company in one industry under one set of circumstances and assumes it applies perfectly to their business. That mindset usually creates frustration, wasted time, and poor outcomes.

We want to work with owners who are ambitious, realistic, and willing to do the work.

Interviewer: Would you call yourself an independent sponsor?

Me: I would say we have the ability and desire to operate as an independent sponsor on select opportunities.

Interviewer: What should institutional capital providers or private equity firms understand about Lever 6?

Me: We can play several roles, but the common theme is value creation.

We can be a value-creation partner, an operating partner, an advisory resource, or an independent sponsor on select opportunities.

Where we are most useful is in situations where operating improvement, transition planning, founder dynamics, or lower-middle-market complexity matter. We are comfortable working with owners before a transaction, during a transaction, and after a transaction.

Our role is not limited to sourcing a deal or producing a memo. We are interested in helping create a better business.

Interviewer: Are there any particular themes or market sectors you are focused on?

Me: We have experience across a number of industries and company lifecycles, but the lower-middle market is where we like to engage.

I spend much of my time on recurring revenue businesses, which are often dominated by technology and software firms. Our more recent projects have included aviation MRO, benefits administration, CPG, and animal health.

The common theme is usually a high degree of technology, IP, engineering, or operational complexity that differentiates the company.

Interviewer: If someone only remembered one thing after reading this page, what would you want it to be?

Me: I would want them to remember that most business owners dramatically underestimate how hard it is to achieve a truly successful transition.

A lot of owners assume that because they have built a good business, there will naturally be a buyer, a premium valuation, great terms, and a clean transition. That is usually not how it works.

Only a fraction of companies that go to market actually get a deal done. And even among owners who do sell, many are not happy with the result a year later. Sometimes the number was lower than expected. Sometimes the terms were harder than expected. Sometimes the owner was financially ready, but not personally ready. Sometimes the legacy, employees, customers, or brand did not end up in the place they hoped.

That is why value creation matters.

Misperceptions of value waste a lot of time and money. So does waiting too long to prepare. The 7-Eleven valuation owner is the easy example: someone sees one headline multiple, from one company, in one market, at one point in time, and assumes it applies to their company.

It rarely does.

A better outcome requires more than a valuation opinion or a transaction process. It requires preparation, operating improvement, realistic expectations, and a clear definition of what success actually means.

That is the work Lever 6 was built to do.

Interviewer: Sounds like a lot of fun. This has been very helpful. What is the best way for someone to learn more?

Me: We are very approachable and usually start with learning conversations or mastermind-style sessions with prospective partners, founders, and investors.

You can email me at trock@lever6.com or send me a DM on LinkedIn.