How Strategic Opportunism Creates Luck

Private equity firms made a fortune off Snapple after big corporations tried and foundered. Their secret: Agile business models

Roman philosopher Seneca said, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." But all too often, executives miss business openings because they refuse to deviate from their carefully prepared strategies.

Fortunately, some business innovators are adopting what I call "strategic opportunism"—a rock-solid business plan with agility that enables them to pounce on the right opportunities.

For examples of epic wins and staggering losses surrounding strategic opportunism—nd what we can learn from them—let's look at the soft drink industry.

In the early 1990s, Snapple Beverage was a fast-growing company, thanks to its having established a successful "cold channel" network of small, independent distributors who provided cold bevereges to hundreds of thousands of mom-and-pop stores and coffee shops. The market took note. Private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Co. led a $143 million leveraged buyout of Snapple in 1992 and then took the company public.
(...)By Stuart E. Jackson

Article link, How Strategic Opportunism Creates Luck