Alan Hixon
Founder and Principal, Hixon Enterprise Partners
Most recently the outside operator brought into a venture-backed B2B software company, where recurring revenue grew 56%. Before that, founder, CEO, and incoming executive for thirty years across four companies, including downsizing and restructuring through the collapse in IT spending after Y2K, the dotcom crash, and the post-9/11 recession.
~$80m
Built from start-up in 5 years,
500 employees, and 1,000 customers
~$40m
Realized across five separate divestitures
2
Turnarounds led as the incoming executive
4
Acquisitions executed and integrated
THE RECORD
Moved upmarket, and recurring revenue grew 56%
Repositioned a venture-backed B2B software company around what enterprise buyers valued, rebuilt the proposal, and led the negotiations. The largest new deal was nearly two and a half times the ARR of any previous customer.
Founded, built, and sold in five parts
~$80m, 500 employees, and 1,000 customers in five years across five business lines. Surpassed IBM to become the second largest AS/400 disaster recovery business in the UK. Divested each business separately for a combined ~$40m.
Partnership access larger competitors could not get
Secured a Dell professional services partnership as a start-up with no trading history, which Dell had not done before. Personally closed $6.9m at Vistra Energy, $3.9m at Easton Bell Sports, and $1m at SRS Distribution.
Two turnarounds as incoming executive
Returned a declining managed services business to growth as incoming CEO, winning multiple six-figure agreements including Rothschild & Co. Also entered an unfamiliar industry and doubled sales inside six months.
Documents
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ROADMAP READOUT: WORKED EXAMPLE
6 of the 29 slides from a full Growth Accelerator Roadmap readout, run on a fictional software company: the KPIs, the projected financials, two of the eight pillars, the recommendations and the three-year ARR, with a contents page showing everything else it covers.
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PDF, 6 of 29 slides
Case Study: SMB to enterprise sales
A venture-backed software company was selling almost entirely into medium business accounts with collateral built for a transactional buyer. Repositioned around what enterprise buyers valued, rebuilt the proposal, and led the negotiation. The agreement closed at nearly two and a half times the ARR of any previous customer.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Pricing model for profitability & growth
The price was based on the number of units covered, but cost was driven by the components that had to be supported, which varied enormously between customers. Rebuilt the model around what it actually costs to support. The largest active opportunity repriced at roughly double, and the minimum fee reduced by almost half.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Value proposition positioned for buyers
The commercial material was organized around the platform, which works in a meeting but not when the document is passed to whoever approves the spend. Rebuilt around the buyer, with a claim written for each member of the buying group. The datasheet became one of the company's key commercial documents.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Leading with value then pricing
The company demonstrated its platform well but had no business value justification, so every conversation came back to price and discounting became the way deals closed. Built a proposal that established value before cost. On a typical enterprise deal the calculated cost offset came to roughly three times the annual fee.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Six sales assets created in six weeks
A Device as a Service provider was aiming its new business effort at small and medium business, with nothing built for approaching a large enterprise. Six commercial assets were created in six weeks, including a model that priced the costs a buyer wasn't identifying. The European sales team asked to use the sales assets.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Doubling sales in six months
A direct selling business had a good product and capable people but was not signing up members anywhere near the rate it needed. Rewrote the earnings case, gave members the materials to recruit with, and made the existing field team effective. Sales doubled within six months.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Business turnaround in less than a year
A managed services business was close to failure and could not fund the platform its new high availability service needed. Restructured for runway, rebuilt the brand, and turned an IBM partnership concept into an executed agreement. The decline was arrested and the business was growing inside a year.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Launching a new program through Dell
Dell's GeoPartner program resold partner professional services but did not cover Managed Services. A track record built inside the program earned the case for extending it. Dell created the program, appointed a manager and compensated its sales team on it. The business signed over twenty contracts in ten years.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: A new service that disrupted a market
The incumbent had bought its disaster recovery capacity when the hardware was expensive and was pricing in the depreciation. Created disruptive pricing that was published openly where every competitor used customized pricing. 300 customers in four years, overtaking IBM to become the second largest provider in the UK.
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PDF, 1 page
Case Study: Rapid growth where others struggled
IBM's sales agency rate had fallen to 9% and the market had concluded it was no longer worth the effort. Modeled it as a standalone business with no office and a 100% work-from-home business model, reducing overhead and creating healthy profits. Delivered a 40% net margin in the first year.
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PDF, 1 page
Track record: Alan Hixon's achievements
Thirty years of building, buying, fixing and selling businesses, engagement by engagement with the numbers attached. Built to around $80m and sold in five parts for $40m, two turnarounds as the incoming executive, four acquisitions, and most recently 56% growth in recurring revenue at a venture-backed software company.
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PDF, 2 pages