OFF-MUTE 🔈
No two IPOs are the same. And they’re becoming more common, along with new options like direct listings and SPACs. To make the most of an upcoming debut, you need to plan 6-12 months out at a minimum. Here's how to get IPO-ready so that you can benefit from all the goodness and excitement from a public exit:
🔃 Align with the team. Ask to speak with the IR or legal teams to get a download.
🗓️ Keep tabs on timing. Find out when the first private filings, S-1 filing and road shows are. Once the company files its S-1, you’ll enter a complete quiet period lockdown.
👀 Don’t overlook social. Did you know that if an employee posts an article about your company’s rumored IPO, or even likes a story on Facebook, that could warrant a flag from the SEC? Train your employees on what they can and can’t be saying.
📖 Educate reporters on your story today. If you know an IPO is coming and you’re not in a quiet period yet, you should be thinking about how to get your CEO and other spokespeople in front of reporters. Once the quiet period hits, you won’t be able to comment on anything.
📊 Know your numbers: Go through your numbers in great detail to paint a better story that shows the company’s competitive moats, the value of its exec team and where you are headed in the next ten years. That extra bit of context could mean the difference between a straight numbers story and a feature with a great narrative.
🎙️ Focus on media training: Refresh any and all spokespersons’ media training in advance.
🚨 New stakeholders and higher stakes: There are specific, legal consequences based on your decisions, with the potential for compromising or delaying the IPO if there are mistakes.
🏃IPOs are a moment in time, not a finish line: Treat IPO day as an announcement and think about the next six months. Make sure the story you tell on IPO day is one you’ll want to stick to three, six, and 12 months out.