#242: Michael Arrieta - Founder of Garden City - Buying & Growing Great Co's with Permanent Capiatl

Michael currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Garden City, a purpose-driven holding company that buys, grows, and permanently holds family-owned companies. Once acquired, Garden City seeks to grow them through culture, technology, and sales.

Most recently, Michael was an early employee & executive at DocuSign, serving as Global Vice President, General Manager, and Chief of Staff to the CEO. DocuSign has now achieved a $30B market cap with 5,000 employees. In 2016, he founded MAV Ventures, a venture capital group that has invested in over 100+ companies and multiple funds. Michael also co-founded New Story, a non-profit that has built 2,000+  homes in developing countries and is recognized for creating the world’s first-ever 3D Home Printer.

He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management, and he lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children. Mike is a follower of Jesus and seeks to honor God in everything he does.

On this episode, Chris and Mike discuss:

- His story and how he learned to be world-class at sales. (He was the #1 CutCo Knife salesman in the US)
- How Garden City values and ultimately transacts on businesses.
- How Garden City creates value for the companies they acquire. 
- Why he chose a permanent capital structure.
 
Follow Chris on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris
Follow Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/
Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital: https://www.FortCapitalLP.com
Follow Fort Capital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fort-capital/

Listen & Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oIeNSaSJ4zkTQOXiedyOr?si=dEM48cSPQ9OIQ1HiD8sjrg

Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811