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- G&A: Growth. Identity. Infrastructure. This Is How Founders Build No; The Sosh = Luisa Zhou; Event Today: SMB Acquisitions Networking
G&A: Growth. Identity. Infrastructure. This Is How Founders Build No; The Sosh = Luisa Zhou; Event Today: SMB Acquisitions Networking
M&A is getting personal. AI is embedding everywhere. And growth? It's architectural now—built on trust, team, and tech that actually holds. This week’s Signal unpacks the patterns beneath the moves. Let’s build what holds.
Gia Cilento & Ronald Skelton
June 17, 2025
Overview
Can you feel the way the air shifts before something clicks into place? This week’s issue sis like that, sitting right between where we've been and what's about to lock in.
From AI that's no longer on the edges but running deep inside operations, to M&A plays that say more about identity than growth, to founders using voice, velocity, and value as their building blocks, this one is dense, sharp, and grounded. If you're building something real, this issue is for you.
Why This Matters:
AI is no longer a tool for the few. It’s an operational edge for the ready. If you're building anything that needs to last, whether it's a team, a company, or a legacy, this is your wake-up call.
Read on. This one’s not optional.
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This Week's Signal
by Gia Cilento
1. M&A as Identity Work
A new class of deals is reshaping more than just balance sheets. These stories reveal the emotional and strategic depth underneath today’s M&A landscape.
Startups, Mergers, Acquisitions and Funding Round-up this week
A wide-angle view of the funding landscape shows confidence is still high, especially in tech-forward plays. Behind each transaction? A narrative about positioning, evolution, and who gets to hold the reins next. Read more...Digital Media M&A Slows, but Signs Point to a Late-Year Rebound
Media M&A has hit a temporary wall, but not because vision is lacking. What's playing out now is a recalibration of identity in a sector that knows it can't keep chasing clicks alone. Read more...
2. AI Beneath the Surface
No hype, no hot takes. These pieces show how AI is becoming the invisible backbone of business and transforming how teams grow, decide, and deliver.
AI is spurring growth and improving efficiencies on a huge scale – but it poses serious challenges
Behind the growth headlines lies the real story: AI as both opportunity and tension. A candid roundtable offers a founder-first view of what adoption really looks like. Read more...How AI Is Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Digital Business
No banner moments. Just a steady rewiring. AI is now infrastructure. This breakdown shows how, where, and why it's no longer optional. Read more...How an Empathetic AI Mindset Transforms Business Automation
AI can drive efficiency, but what about resonance? This article explores how automation can be humanized without losing its edge. Read more...
3. Growth as Architecture
Not all growth is created equal. The pieces below look at strategic levers that actually compound over time from brand to tech to trust.
Digital Product Passports Set to Transform EU Consumer Experience and Business Growth
Transparency meets expansion. These "product passports" could be a game-changer for consumer trust and cross-border scalability. Read more...GenAI Is Ready For Business Growth, But Is Your Team?
GenAI is only as strong as the team behind it. This piece breaks down what founders need to shift inside their teams to unlock what AI makes possible. Read more...7 Laws Of LinkedIn To Grow Your Personal Brand And Business
No fluff here. If you’re going to use your voice online, use it well. Jodie Cook lays down how to make LinkedIn actually work for real growth. Read more...
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🧩 In the News
Build a Profitable One-Person Business That Runs Itself — with These 7 AI Tools
If you're solo but scaling, this one's a must. Tools, tactics, and real-world examples that move the needle. Read more...AI and the Risk of Unintended Behaviour
Smart tech comes with sharp edges. This article digs into the ethical gaps that many founders are too busy to notice. Read more...The Space Economy: A New Frontier for Business Growth and Innovation
Not hype. Not sci-fi. Just a clear-eyed look at how space-based tech is driving grounded business transformation. Read more...
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🎧 In the Pods
Featuring Original Reviews by Ron Skelton and Team
Is AI Disrupting the Mergers Acquisitions Industry with Brett Story
Host: Artificial Intelligence Podcast
Guest: Brett Story
Boots-on-the-ground insight from boutique M&A. Strategy, structure, and the real impact of AI on deal velocity.
Read Ronald Skelton’s Review here.How to Grow Your Business Like a CEO with Scott Clawson
Host: M&A Science
Guest: Scott Clawson
From $300M to $3.3B, this is a rare look at what scaling with discipline really looks like, without losing the mission.
Read Ronald Skelton’s Review here.M&A Unpacked — Nostra’s Accidental Acquisition Strategy Host: Kaseya
Guest: Kevin O’Loughlin & Michael Murphy
Serendipity, culture, and intentional chaos. A candid story of how real growth happens off-script.
Read Ronald Skelton’s Review hereUnlock Your Business Potential: 5 Essential M&A Tips
Host: Investor Fuel - Real Estate Mastermind
Guest: Heather Valeri
Tactical, human, and deeply experienced. Heather Valeri walks through the emotional mechanics of founder exits.
Read Ronald Skelton’s Review here
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: Luisa Zhou
Freedom business, high-integrity scaling, and over $10M in client results. Luisa doesn’t just teach—she executes. A beautiful blend of systems, strategy, and sovereign living.
Luisa is the founder of LuisaZhou.com, the world’s largest coaching site, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs break free from the 9-5 and build six- to seven-figure coaching businesses. After scaling her first business to $106K while still in a corporate job, she turned her success into a mission—empowering over 3,500 clients across industries to do the same. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and more.
With over $10M in sales and a Freedom Business model that runs in under 20 hours a week, Luisa blends real-world results with strategic coaching and systems that truly transform lives.
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🏢 The Big Guys
EC Approves SES’s €2.8BN Acquisition of Intelsat
Greenlit with zero EU competition concerns, this acquisition reshapes the satellite sector.Blue Acquisition Corp. Announces $175M IPO
A green-tech aligned blank-check vehicle heads to market—watch this one.
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Featured Events
TODAY: SMB Acquisitions Entrepreneurs (buying / Selling of businesses) Networking - Tue, Jun 17, 2025, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - 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…
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…
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
"The firms that hold value are those that build what holds, connect what matters, and evolve with clarity."
This week reinforced the shift from performance to infrastructure. From AI powering beneath the surface to M&A that speaks to identity instead of just scale, the throughline is sharper than ever:
In the future, we will reward coherence over performative emptiness.
We’ll keep tracking the patterns that show where the real value is, the kind that endures when the cycle shifts.
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Until Next Week
Founders don’t always know what’s changing until someone sends them the signal.
If this issue brought clarity, pass it to someone in your circle who needs a clean read on where we are and where we’re going.
Questions, sponsorships, or topics you want us to explore? Reach out:
Gia Cilento on LinkedIn
Ronald Skelton on LinkedIn
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