G&A: Precision. Pattern. Positioning. The Sosh = Russell Brunson

Where AI Maturity Meets Exit Readiness and Growth Infrastructure. Let’s build what holds.

AuthorAuthor

Gia Cilento & Ronald Skelton
July 01, 2025

M&A is entering a phase of recalibration and repositioning. AI is evolving into a mature force, structured, grounded, and increasingly central to operational systems. And growth? It’s finally shifting from chaos to coherence. This week’s signal reveals where owners are creating intelligent advantage through early structuring, internal readiness, and clean capital logic.

Overview

Founders who are watching the sky for signals might miss what’s moving beneath their feet. This week brought grounded, powerful clues about what’s shifting next, not in theory, but in form. From HR teams unprepared for incoming deal flow to PE sharpening ROI models under pressure, the pattern is clear: what comes next will belong to those already building for it.

We’re also seeing AI grow up. Hype cycles have cleared. What remains is grounded maturity applied, aligned, and increasingly essential. Strategy-first frameworks are emerging, helping companies position AI as operational infrastructure instead of opportunistic flair. The same shift is showing up in growth: founders are rewiring marketing, innovation, and legal preparation for predictable outcomes and long-range stability.

If you’re still chasing tactics, this isn’t your moment. But if you’re ready to lead from the core, leveraging structure, team readiness, and actual value, this signal is for you.

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This Week's Signal

by Gia Cilento

M&A READINESS IS A LEADERSHIP MOVE

Is HR Prepared for M&A? 
Despite a sluggish start to the year, 54% of companies expect an uptick in M&A. Yet only 19% believe they’re fully prepared, especially on the HR side. Cultural due diligence, integration planning, and team alignment are being overlooked, creating a quiet liability.
Read more…

Why Governance Is the M&A X-Factor 
As regulatory landscapes shift post-election, governance has moved from optional to essential. This isn’t just compliance—it’s value protection. The deals that will close in Q4 and beyond will reflect internal cohesion, not external optimism.
Read more…

From Collapse to Horizon: 
2023 marked a low point, but beneath the surface, a recalibration is happening. Deals are smaller, quieter, but more strategic. Owners who prepared in the downturn will be rewarded in the next climb.
Read more…

AI AS INFRASTRUCTURE, NOT ADD-ON

Advancing AI Maturity 
AI isn’t about tools—it’s about alignment. This piece offers a vision for embedding AI into your core business model. Companies that mature in this way are the ones whose value compounds.
Read more…

AI for Business Growth 
Customer experience is becoming the AI beachhead. Smart automation at the front end creates space for deeper transformation at the core. Alexis isn’t just answering questions—it’s rerouting workflows.
Read more…

AI Integration Strategy: Start Here 
Before investing in AI, most companies need to clarify four things: data hygiene, outcome mapping, process visibility, and accountability structure. Without these, AI will expose chaos—not create clarity.
Read more…

INFRASTRUCTURE IS THE NEW GROWTH

Unified Growth Strategy 
Small business growth is accelerating—but only where infrastructure is sound. Unified marketing, streamlined tools, and clear ROI pathways are replacing scattered tactics. Linda Donnelly breaks it down.
Read more…

Technology + Growth: A New Equation
CIOs are stepping into a more foundational role: not just enabling growth, but engineering it. This piece tracks the shift from IT as cost center to tech as strategy. If you’re still treating ops and growth separately, it’s time to upgrade your frame.
Read more…

The Engine Behind Middle Class Growth 
The global rise of the middle class is more than demographic—it’s economic infrastructure for small business. As access increases, so does the demand for systems that can scale with dignity and precision.
Read more…

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🧩 In the News

Legal Strategy in M&A Is Shifting Early – Deal experts urge founders to engage legal advisors at the strategy stage, not post-LOI.
Read more…

AI Investment Surges Past $300B – Tech giants are outpacing most industries in AI infrastructure buildouts. Where they invest, systems follow.
Read more…

2025 AI Abandonment Rates Expected to Rise – Gartner warns that 30% of GenAI projects will be scrapped before value is realized. Integration discipline matters more than speed.
Read more…

Governance Is Now a Growth Asset – New data shows firms with clean governance protocols close deals 32% faster and retain 2.4x more post-close value.
Read more…

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🎧 In the Pods

Featuring Original Reviews by Ron Skelton and Team

ROI: The One Metric That Rules Them All
Host: Bill | Guest: Solo Deep Dive
A masterclass in private equity math, this episode demystifies ROI, ROA, and ROE for owners and acquirers. Why PE loves leverage, how timing kills returns, and what sellers often miss.
Review by Ronald Skelton: [ROI Episode]

What Every Owner Should Know About Legal Strategy
Host: Acquisition Stars | Guest: Alex Lubyansky
From deal prep to emotional readiness, this legal download hits everything most founders overlook until it’s too late. Lubyansky lays out what clean exits require—and when you need to start.
Review by Ronald Skelton: [Legal Strategy with Alex Lubyansky]

Inside the Hidden World of M&A
Host: Alan O’Neill | Guest: Mark Eardley (Langcliffe)
Eardley unveils how Langcliffe built one of Europe’s top deal engines by flipping the origination model. If you think deal flow is just about buyer lists, this episode will rewire you.
Review by Ronald Skelton: [Hidden World of M&A]

M&Azing (Ep. 19): AI, Exits & The CEO Mindset
Host: Gareth Hill | Guest: Paul Avins
From scale-up identity shifts to AI-powered exit prep, this conversation with Paul Avins is part psychology, part playbook. Required listening for founders between $5M and $50M.
Review by Ronald Skelton: [Paul Avins on CEO Mindset]

Founders don’t always know what’s changing until someone sends them the signal. If this issue brought clarity, share it with someone who needs it. 

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The Sosh

Who to follow this week: Russell Brunson

Russell is a renowned entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of ClickFunnels, a leading software platform empowering over 90,000 entrepreneurs to launch and scale their businesses through sales funnels. Over the past 14 years, he has built a global community of over 2 million entrepreneurs, sold more than 450,000 books, and popularized funnel marketing. Featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Huffington Post, Russell also hosts the top-rated Marketing Secrets podcast and was named EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year (Utah, 2018). Beyond business, he actively supports nonprofits such as Operation Underground Railroad and Village Impact.

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🏢 The Big Guys

Omnicom’s $13.5bn acquisition of rival Interpublic can move forward on the condition the new company does not enter agreements with others to steer ad dollars towards or away from publishers based on political content, the US Federal Trade Commission said on Monday.

IGT is set to return to Las Vegas following its $6.3 billion acquisition by Apollo Global Management, a deal that combines IGT’s gaming and digital business with Everi Holdings to form a newly integrated company headquartered in Nevada.

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SMB Acquisitions Entrepreneurs (buying / Selling of businesses) Networking - 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT - Event by Ronald Skelton
This is a business networking event, not a presentation. You will be asked to introduce yourself, tell us about what type of business you'd like to buy, grow, or sell, and what help, if any, you need. The objective is to build teams, share ideas and resources, and help each other succeed. Check it out…

The Future of Work - September 2-5, 2025 - 46th Annual Training Event, The Hilton Orlando, Orlando, FL
For over four decades, America’s SBDC has hosted its annual professional development event for its business advisors and SBDC network professionals. This national event brings together over a thousand SBDC professionals and around fifty sponsors and exhibitors for learning, networking, and engagement. Check it out…

2025 Leadership In Dealmaking Summit - September 16 & 17, 2025 – New York, NY
Featuring:  International M&A thought leadership sessions, M&A Connects Networking and One-on-One Meetings, 16th Annual International M&A Awards, and 16th Annual Emerging Leaders Awards. Check it out…

3rd Annual M&A Summit - 2025 - September 17, 2025 - JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
From broad perspectives on deal-making to insightful tips on exiting a business, attendees gained a wealth of knowledge. Want in? Don’t miss our 2025 Summit. Check it out…

Start Or Grow Your Dream Business - October 15th & 16th, 2025 - Las Vegas Convention Center & April 29th & 30th, 2026 - Miami Beach Convention Center
For over 20 years, The Business Show has been providing a platform for entrepreneurs looking to start a business or SMBs looking to grow and develop their business, the show has helped thousands of business owners. Whether you're looking to start a business or are currently running a small business, you will find all the advice and guidance you need to take your business to the next level! Check it out…

The Power of the Unpredictable - November 5-6, 2025 - Jacob Javits Convention Center
Since 2004, the World Business Forum New York gathers thousands of senior executives to learn from a program of world-class business thought leaders. Check it out…

2025 Future of Dealmaking Summit - November 18 & 19, 2025 – New York, NY
Featuring: Financing, restructuring, and M&A thought leadership sessions, M&A Connects Networking and One-on-One Meetings, and the 24th Annual M&A Advisor Awards. Check it out…

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🔭 Strategic Throughline

Founders building for what holds are laying down the new foundation. Whether through clean capital logic, embedded AI alignment, or early legal strategy, the signal is loud: coherence compounds. In every corner of the ecosystem, we’re seeing the same shift toward systems that strengthen with time, not strain. The ones who lead this wave won’t need to shout. Their architecture will speak for itself. ………………………………………………………………………

Share the Signal

If this week’s signal sharpened your lens, send it to a founder, buyer, or advisor who’s ready for the next elevation. The future isn’t hidden. It’s just structured for those who can see it.

Questions, sponsorships, or topics you want us to explore? Reach out:
Gia Cilento on LinkedIn
Ronald Skelton on LinkedIn

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