Corporate Strategy Inspires Crucial Acquisitions for Broadband Communications Company

Background

The Client was a broadband communications company that was expanding rapidly in the business to business category. It wanted an information service content offering that could be made available to its growing small and medium sized business customer base that would offer a point of distinction for its sales force and branding opportunity for its local voice and data service offerings.

Situation

The Client’s content arm had traditional media consumer focused activities which were growing but had neither business to business nor new media operations on which to build a strategy.  It also did not have much in the way of funding to expand in this area.

Solution

The E.L.I. Partner, as a senior executive at the time, determined that buying small businesses that could provide insights and opportunities from the business to business and internet space could be achieved with relatively little capital outlay.   He effected the acquisition of an on-line ad sales rep firm that represented branded content websites as well as a provider of premium on-line reference services that had operated in the business to business arena for many years. These two addition’s to the Client’s business provided additional management depth and market know how that lead the way for the purchase of the Office.com url. and the creation of the E.L.I. Partner led business plan that followed.

Results

Office.com, Inc. was co- founded by the E.L.I. Partner as a destination for small and medium-sized businesses, which attracted the interest of a major broadcaster that purchased a one third interest in Office.com, using media as the currency, prior to its launch for a significant valuation. The reference services were offered as a premium component of the site , and the growth of its advertising sales revenues were accelerated by utilizing the in house capabilities of the earlier acquisition.