Lately, I’ve been noticing a trend: more and more companies are being bought up by hedge funds. When this happens, the focus often shifts from culture and people to purely the bottom line. And when companies lose sight of what made them great—their people—things start to fall apart. While unfortunate for them, this creates a unique opportunity for you.
Let me explain with a few real-world examples I’ve seen recently:
Opportunity #1: A Rock Star Finds a New Home
One of my clients connected with a talented professional who had been a key player in scaling his organization. His company was bought out by a hedge fund, and management shifted its focus solely to profits, neglecting the people and culture that built their success. Feeling undervalued and seeing no future there, this high performer started looking elsewhere.
Meanwhile, my client is on the cusp of franchising his business. In a conversation, he shared his vision with this gentleman, who immediately began offering ideas and strategies based on his previous experience. Fast forward a few months—and a few in-depth conversations—and this once-disillusioned employee is now joining my client’s team, ready to help scale the business to new heights.
The lesson? When companies prioritize profits over people, top talent starts looking for the next opportunity. Be ready to spot them.
Opportunity #2: A Leader in Waiting
Another acquaintance of mine worked his way up from the lowest rung of an organization to just below the leadership team. After years of hard work, he hit a ceiling. Once again, the company was rolled up into a hedge fund. Instead of recognizing his contributions and potential, leadership became focused on cutting costs.
After he voiced some ideas on how the company could improve, he was told, “We need to find a position for you because people like you don’t come by every day.” The next day, he was fired.
Companies that lose sight of their people end up losing their best talent. And that’s your gain if you’re paying attention.
Opportunity #3: Scaling Down Creates Opportunity
In another case, a company facing market uncertainty and tariffs decided to scale down. Among the casualties was yet another high-quality individual—someone now looking for a new opportunity.
The Takeaway: Stay Alert, Stay Ready
Here’s the point: when hedge funds or big money take over companies and shift focus from people to profits, they often push their best talent out the door. These are the moments you should be watching for.
Know what kind of people fit your culture. Stay aware of your competitors. Pay attention to industry shifts. When a company starts putting the bottom line above the very people who built it, you might just find the next rock star for your team.
Stay sharp. Stay ready. And be prepared to seize the opportunity when it comes.
COACH MICHAEL DILL is an Award-Winning Certified Business Coach, global speaker, and published author. He is a proud ActionCOACH Franchise Partner as well as the President of Power & Ice Wealth Creation—a strategic leadership company that works with business owners, leaders, teams, and entrepreneurs to both develop a systematized and structured organization while accelerating their mindset, efficiencies, and effectiveness to grow both personally and professionally to achieve extraordinary results. He brings more than 40 years of business and entrepreneurial experience in his leadership, team training, and mentoring practice.
BusinessCoachMichaelDill.com