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Pre IPO Communications Activities
Before any private company does an initial public offering (IPO), there are some activities to be considered.
◦ Act like a public company - think, act and speak as if you were already publicly traded.
◦ Gain greater visibility and credibility for the CEO/COO with stakeholders, especially prospective investors, customers and the business press.
◦ Place the management on public platforms with presentations that set it apart in competitor and industry comparisons.
◦ Establish a corporate fingerprint that makes the firm immediately recognizable in the financial community - those ideas, philosophies and practices that make you different.
◦ Define distinct investor value drivers - those "investible" ideas that will attract and hold financial community interest. These are generally management strengths, competitive edge, growth record and potential, market size and dynamics and credentials of partners ("borrowed equity").
◦ Anticipate the "changing" public disclosure environment that embraces immediacy, transparency, accuracy and accountability. Relate Sarbanes-Oxley, Regulation Fair Disclosure and other key SEC and stock exchange disclosure standards to the company's private operations.Develop media and disclosure guidelines to accomplish this.
◦ Identify and cultivate selected industry analysts to serve as third party authenticators and sources of information for reporters and equity analysts. Do the same with referenceable customers.
◦ Champion a relevant industry/business issue and become an expert source for reporters/analysts.
◦ Ramp up a business/financial media effort to get and the CEO on more investor radars as an emerging force in the market.
◦ Rally the understanding and support of your employees, especially middle managers and specialists and partners.
◦ Produce communications materials that support this effort: annual report-style documents, road show materials with investor focus, potential direct mail and advertising copy points, web site changes that transition from private to public.
◦ Approach this effort as a six- to 12-month build-up, with the overarching goal of higher value recognition for and its human, financial and physical assets. Undertake an action plan to accomplish each of these "going public" bullets. Be certain to consult legal counsel to clarify your plan before enacting it.
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Take a guerrilla-style, opportunistic approach for this financial marketing campaign. Traditional corporate communications and IR alone won't cut it!
° Identify key people and organizations to get on your radar in this pre-IPO period
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