I sold my business for 10 x EBIT. David played a large role in that effort.
David’s initial overture to me was via a handwritten letter. I hadn’t seen a handwritten letter in years. I was so impressed, I had to contact him.
A mentor, for me, and I can only describe one with David in mind, is somebody I like and can lean on. Bill Withers’ classic song, ‘Lean on Me’, usually springs to mind when I think of David. If you know the song, you will instantly understand that David and I have become good friends.
David is a great, objective sounding board. I would call him to bounce an idea around and he would either be supportive of it, or pour cold water on the idea, depending on what was deserved 
.
We developed an interesting role for David in the selling of my company. He would attend negotiations with potential buyers. Those meetings were often very tense. A room filled with lawyers and a lot of money at stake. Even the professionals on my side seemed to have their own agenda. David had ONLY my interests at heart.
For the most part, David sat quietly and listened very intently to everything that was said. After processing what had transpired, David would offer ideas that were a bit oblique. He’d seen things that everyone else in the room had missed. When carefully contemplated, David’s insights and suggestions often proved to be profound, and profoundly helpful. If there are people who take a helicopter view, David takes the view from above the helicopter.
Unlike other mentors and business coaches, David never once tried to sell me another package. When I tabulated his bills and weighed them against all that he had done for me, all that he helped me accomplish, I realised that I had gotten great value for my money.
