--- schema: 1 type: video title: >- Defining Your Role, Equity Terms & Spotting Serious Buyers | Q&A with Paul Giannamore description: "Should you stay on as CEO after selling to private equity? How do you know if equity “alignment” is fair—or manipulation? And how can you tell if a buyer is actually serious, or just wasting your time? In this **Q&A with Paul Giannamore**, Paul explains how to define your role before closing, what to ask about cap tables and board control, and the key signals that separate serious buyers from tire-kickers. **You’ll learn:** \U0001F539 Why you must define role, title, comp & governance before signing \U0001F539 The questions to ask about cap tables, dilution & waterfalls \U0001F539 Why CEO title means nothing without board control \U0001F539 The rule of thumb: “If you want to stay, structure it. If you want to go, price it.” \U0001F539 How equity alignment can become manipulation without transparency \U0001F539 Practical signs a buyer is serious (vs. wasting time) Paul reminds sellers that **clarity upfront prevents misery post-close**. **Connect with Paul Giannamore** LinkedIn ▸ https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore Instagram ▸ https://www.instagram.com/pgiannamore \U0001F4CC **Subscribe for Weekly M&A Insights:** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIwu1ye9EHnYHSml9tu_4Q?sub_confirmation=1 \U0001F310 More resources ▸ https://www.potomaccompany.com/ \U0001F3AC *Directed, produced & filmed by Dylan Seals, Verbell Ltd.* # TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Defining Your Role Before Closing 01:00 – Rolling Equity: What to Expect & Ask For 02:00 – CEO Title Without Board Control 03:00 – Rule of Thumb: Stay vs. Go 04:00 – How to Judge If a Buyer Is Serious 05:00 – Red Flags: Vague Terms & Empty Promises #mergersandacquisitions #sellsideadvisor #equityroll #boardgovernance #dealnegotiation #middlemarket #businesssale #MAMasterclass #paulgiannamore #potomactv #exitstrategy #privateequity #businessvaluation" canonical: >- https://liquidgold.cc/channel/potomactv/explore/video/defining-your-role-equity-terms-spotting-serious-bu-bb88a2123e41 markdown: >- https://liquidgold.cc/channel/potomactv/video/defining-your-role-equity-terms-spotting-serious-bu-bb88a2123e41.md llms: null parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/potomactv.md' channel: potomactv updated: '2026-10-24T03:32:13.626Z' language: null children: [] videoId: fp4WBk6UR8s durationSeconds: 393 publishedAt: '2025-10-08T16:01:21.000Z' searchChunks: - ordinal: 0 text: null startSeconds: 10 endSeconds: 68 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=10' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 1 text: null startSeconds: 10 endSeconds: 68 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=10' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 2 text: null startSeconds: 10 endSeconds: 68 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=10' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 3 text: null startSeconds: 79 endSeconds: 123 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=79' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 4 text: null startSeconds: 79 endSeconds: 123 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=79' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 5 text: null startSeconds: 134 endSeconds: 180 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=134' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 6 text: null startSeconds: 180 endSeconds: 192 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=180' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 7 text: null startSeconds: 192 endSeconds: 248 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=192' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 8 text: null startSeconds: 259 endSeconds: 308 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=259' heldReason: rights - ordinal: 9 text: null startSeconds: 259 endSeconds: 308 watch: 'https://liquidgold.cc/watch/fp4WBk6UR8s?t=259' heldReason: rights --- # Defining Your Role, Equity Terms & Spotting Serious Buyers | Q\&A with Paul Giannamore Should you stay on as CEO after selling to private equity? How do you know if equity “alignment” is fair—or manipulation? And how can you tell if a buyer is actually serious, or just wasting your time? In this \*\*Q\&A with Paul Giannamore\*\*, Paul explains how to define your role before closing, what to ask about cap tables and board control, and the key signals that separate serious buyers from tire-kickers. \*\*You’ll learn:\*\* 🔹 Why you must define role, title, comp & governance before signing 🔹 The questions to ask about cap tables, dilution & waterfalls 🔹 Why CEO title means nothing without board control 🔹 The rule of thumb: “If you want to stay, structure it. If you want to go, price it.” 🔹 How equity alignment can become manipulation without transparency 🔹 Practical signs a buyer is serious (vs. wasting time) Paul reminds sellers that \*\*clarity upfront prevents misery post-close\*\*. \*\*Connect with Paul Giannamore\*\* LinkedIn ▸ https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore Instagram ▸ https://www.instagram.com/pgiannamore 📌 \*\*Subscribe for Weekly M\&A Insights:\*\* https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIwu1ye9EHnYHSml9tu_4Q?sub_confirmation=1 🌐 More resources ▸ https://www.potomaccompany.com/ 🎬 \*Directed, produced & filmed by Dylan Seals, Verbell Ltd.\* # TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Defining Your Role Before Closing 01:00 – Rolling Equity: What to Expect & Ask For 02:00 – CEO Title Without Board Control 03:00 – Rule of Thumb: Stay vs. Go 04:00 – How to Judge If a Buyer Is Serious 05:00 – Red Flags: Vague Terms & Empty Promises #mergersandacquisitions #sellsideadvisor #equityroll #boardgovernance #dealnegotiation #middlemarket #businesssale #MAMasterclass #paulgiannamore #potomactv #exitstrategy #privateequity #businessvaluation Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/potomactv/explore/video/defining-your-role-equity-terms-spotting-serious-bu-bb88a2123e41 · Channel: [POTOMAC M\&A](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/potomactv.md) > Search chunk text is held until public-source provenance is verified. ## Document chunks --- #### Chunk 0: Document excerpt (0:00 to 1:08) > Held: transcript rights do not permit this chunk's text. --- #### Chunk 1: Document excerpt (1:08 to 2:03) > Held: transcript rights do not permit this chunk's text. --- #### Chunk 2: Document excerpt (2:03 to 4:08) > Held: transcript rights do not permit this chunk's text. --- #### Chunk 3: Document excerpt (4:08 to 6:33) > Held: transcript rights do not permit this chunk's text.