A few gray hairs ago, I worked in the Capital Markets Group at Raymond James. For almost 10 years, I helped numerous companies raise capital through initial public offerings and follow-on financings involving both debt and equity.
I changed gears in the mid-90s when I became the CFO of a micro-brewery chain headquartered in Chattanooga. Although moving into the restaurant sphere was a shift for me, my experience in the financial industry served me well as I navigated the ins and outs of growing what became a $90 million company. In spite of my capital markets experience – or perhaps, because of it – I always hired an advisor when the company was positioned to make an acquisition.
