The Soul of the Deal: Creative Frameworks for Buying, Selling, and Investing in any Business

by Marc H. Morgenstern

Overview

The Soul of the Deal effortlessly teaches unconventional transactional strategies that are radically changing the approach of business buyers and sellers, investors, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. Their origin? Selling encyclopedias door-to-door, following the Grateful Dead for a lifetime, and closing 400+ successful deals.

His music-fueled philosophy that people (not spreadsheets) are the epicenter of every business interaction took Marc from Silicon Valley to Shanghai as principal, advisor, or counsel, as well as to the Board of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tangible takeaways—captured as “Morgenstern’s Maxims” — punctuate every chapter and are woven into vivid stories as much thriller as business book.

This entertaining and accessible book addresses the unchanging human, emotional, and tactical aspects of negotiating; stressing humor, real-time spontaneity and flexibility, empathy, and engaged listening as pathways to expanded negotiating and operating success.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781957588087
Publisher:	Rodin Books
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,071,910
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Marc H. Morgenstern has taught Street Smart Startups at UC Berkeley. He’s a veteran dealmaker and entrepreneur with billions of dollars of buying, selling, and financing innovative and disruptive businesses from Day One of OfficeMax to Co-Founding digital healthcare software company Within3. Marc is the Managing Partner and Founder of early-stage investor Blue Mesa Partners, as well as Mentor-at-Large for The House Fund at UC Berkeley and its portfolio companies.

Read an Excerpt

ENDORSEMENTS
“Powerful lessons distilled into one hell of a fun, easy, and thought-provoking book. Marc defies stereotypes – a Deadhead and Deal head; a gifted storyteller and dealmaker with deep understanding of human dynamics. His Maxims alone are worth the price of this impactful read.”—Stewart Kohl, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, The Riverside Company

“Every business buyer, seller, investor, and aspiring deal maker should read this instant classic. I loved it.”—Steve McLaughlin, Founder and CEO, Financial Technology Partners, 3-time Fintech Dealmaker of the Year

“Marc knows every deal’s anatomy is similar but unique. These witty and informed war stores and anecdotes will help any dealmaker or wannabe understand how deals really get done and the personalities that influence them.”—April Miller Boise, EVP, Chief Legal Officer, Intel

“Great rock and roll bands and The Soul of the Deal have a magical alchemy delivering joy for audiences and readers. Pure pleasure.”—Greg Harris, President and CEO, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

“As a venture-funded, tech startup CEO, learning from Marc has been invaluable! His book’s virtuosity makes you laugh, think, take notes, and easily absorb career-altering tactical takeaways.”—Ryan Alshak, Founder and CEO, Time by Ping

“The Soul of the Deal provides practical, expert guidance and tactics through vivid stories and useful frameworks making anyone more effective negotiating sophisticated business transactions. Mandatory reading!”—Rob Markey, Bain & Company Senior Partner, co-creator of the Net Promoter System, and co-author of New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller The Ultimate Question 2.0

“At last! The must-read book moving past legal and technical aspects of selling a business to the critical factor—the humans involved—set to some of the most important music of the past 50 years.”—Lance Hill, Co-Founder and CEO, Within3

Table of Contents

Author's Note 7

Foreword 9

Introduction, or Shakedown Streets and Beats 11

Chapter 1 Lessons from an Encyclopedia Salesman 15

Chapter 2 A Deal Made in Heaven 29

Chapter 3 "A rose by any other name may smell as sweet" but most buyers won't pay as much for it 47

Chapter 4 "A house divided against itself can't be bought" 67

Chapter 5 This wasn't my first rodeo. Where's the pony? 79

Chapter 6 "Deals don't start with a Big Bang … unless they do" 105

Chapter 7 "When people are paying tulip bulb prices, and you own tulip bulbs, you should sell them" 125

Chapter 8 "The Seller's Mantra is Certainty and Confidentiality" 141

Chapter 9 "Startups are time, cash, and emotion vampires" 151

Chapter 10 A "simple twist of fate" IPO 165

Chapter 11 With due respect to the Rolling Stones, "time, time, time is [not always] on your side, side, side" 181

Chapter 12 "God gave you one mouth and two ears. The ratio wasn't an accident" 193

Chapter 13 "What color is the next swan?" 207

Chapter 14 "Negotiating is Theater with Consequences and Results" 227

Chapter 15 "Scarcity sells … everything" 245

Chapter 16 Humor and anger: negotiating's yin and yang 251

Chapter 17 The Grateful Dead: America's musical venture capitalists 265

Outroduction 271

The DealCircle 273

Index to Morgenstern's Maxims 275

Acknowledgments 279