Stories With Traction
The Stories With Traction Podcast was created to empower leaders to elevate their businesses through the art of strategic storytelling. By engaging clients and inspiring team members, leaders can significantly impact the world around them. Each episode offers insights into storytelling, marketing, sales, company culture, and leadership, providing practical tools to drive growth and influence positive change. Tune in to transform your approach and lead with purpose.
Stories With Traction
#188: Respect, Legacy, and the Power of One: How Great Buyers Think
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
SHOW NOTES:
Matt Zaun sits down with Malcolm Peace, who shares how his team at Tsetserra evaluates and acquires businesses through a lens that goes beyond numbers. Malcolm introduces a core question that guides their investment thesis: “Do you fit into the story?” Instead of assuming they can “rebuild the plane mid-flight,” Malcolm explains why the best acquisitions align with what’s already working and why respect, posture, and emotional dynamics matter as much as diligence and deal structure.
They also explore the emotional weight of legacy when founders consider selling; why Malcolm’s attention to detail comes from tennis and coaching; how to block out noise by focusing on “the one thing"; and why persuasion may be the most AI-proof skill for the next generation. Finally, Malcolm shares how his team uses AI to accelerate evaluation and operations while emphasizing that AI doesn’t drive adoption without human trust.