There are a bunch of soft skills you need too.

Here they are:

Empathy

A new PE firm can be a HUGE culture shock for a management team. A willingness to listen, learn, & understand can go a long way in terms of building a relationship.

Negotiation

You're often navigating a push-and-shove b/t PE firm and Company founder(s). The ability to see both sides of a situation and help create a resolution can help tremendously.

Entrepreneurial Mindset

How do we make something happen instead of shutting it down?
- If no one has a solution, can you figure it out?
- How do we grow this business? Got any ideas?

"Self-starter"

This buzzword annoys me but the point is can you figure out what to do without being told?

Endurance

Everyone gets "deal fatigue" at one point or another and you will put in late nights & weekends. You have to ask yourself if you can handle that.

Humility

PE comes with a certain "prestige," and sometimes that ego can go to your head. Once you see what these amazing business founders have built, you'll see how much there is to learn.

What soft skills have helped you the most in your career?

Next Steps

If and when the time is right, I offer refreshingly straightforward Financial Modeling Courses for FP&A and Private Equity Professionals that have been recognized all over the world.  Check them out if you're interested (if not, that's cool too 👍).  Just click here.