Member Highlight: Kate Soto

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Member Highlight: Kate Soto

Judith Dollar
Chapter Highlight
May 9, 2024

KATE SOTO, PARTNER, MIRUS CAPITAL ADVISORS

Kate Soto, Partner at Mirus Capital Advisors, has been a member of AM&AA since 2022. She currently serves on the board of the New England chapter. She has a passion for both teaching business owners how to build a sound financial footing, and learning how businesses carve out their place in the market. How long have you been a member of AM&AA and what leadership roles, if any, have you held throughout that time? I have been a member since the beginning of 2022. I serve on the board of the New England chapter. When asked what drives her commitment to her craft and industry, Kate replied: My firm, Mirus Capital Advisors, works primarily with founder- and family-owned businesses, and I enjoy helping business owners to achieve liquidity for a business that they’ve spent decades building. Beyond that, I find it fascinating to learn about different companies and how they’ve come up with a unique solution to meet a market need. What are some insights or at least one piece of advice you wish you would have known when you first started in the industry? One thing that I’ve learned over time is the importance of picking up the phone or having an in-person meeting for critical conversations. Email is great, but sometimes a conversation can be much more efficient and convey subtleties that you just won’t get in an email. I also found during the COVID pandemic that while it was possible to conduct a process entirely through Zoom meetings, you often won’t get the same quality of interaction and the same level of personal connection that could be achieved with an in-person meeting. What is top of mind for you in your business right now? It would be nice to see interest rates come down soon! With that being said, we continue to see strong levels of interest and valuations for most opportunities, and I am optimistic that 2024 will be a good year for middle market M&A. How has being a member of a trade association resulted in business growth for you? I have received introductions to business owners from other trusted advisors who I’ve met through trade associations. In one case, I met an advisor through a small networking group a couple of times, and he followed up to suggest that I meet with his client. It turned out that I had good industry experience in the sector, and it was a great fit for my firm in terms of size and situation as well. We were hired by the company, and a few months later, closed a transaction with a buyer who was well suited to meet the objectives of the sellers. What legacy industry impact would you most desire to be known for? I’ve had some great mentors myself over the years, and hope to pass that on by helping other young professionals learn the trade and move forward in their careers.