#215: $10 Billion in Transactions: A Masterclass on Building a Brokerage - Chris Atherton

Always Be Building

This episode's guest is Chris Atherton. Chris is the CEO of EnergyNet, a leading online platform for oil and gas asset transactions. The company has brokered over $10 billion in deals since it was founded in 1999.
This year EnergyNet has also launched separate marketplaces for real estate, alternative energy, and other real assets under the Efficient Markets platform.
In this episode, Chris shares his 25+ years of experience in the energy industry, discusses trends shaping the future of oil and gas, and dives deep into the role of technology in asset acquisition and divestiture.
We cover the current oil and gas M&A market and the trends that Chris is seeing in 2024. We then pivot to discuss the rebrand to "Efficient Markets" and the new opportunities the company is chasing.
Whether you're an energy professional or run a brokerage business in another industry, this episode gives some incredible insight into what it takes to get deals done at scale.
Hope you enjoy the show!
Efficient Markets: https://www.efficientmarkets.com
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Precap
00:01:22 - Chris’ Background
00:01:31 - EnergyNet's Business Model
00:09:32 - Challenges in Building EnergyNet
00:14:15 - Impact of Public Market on Valuations
00:19:27 - Ideal Market Conditions
00:21:29 - The Role of Relationships and Deal Size
00:23:12 - The Importance of Experience and Understanding Sellers
00:26:54 - The Role of Standardization and Technology
00:27:42 - The Impact of Technology on Targeting Buyers
00:35:57 - The Launch of Efficient Markets
00:38:44 - Expanding into Other Resources
00:41:53 - Comparing Business Models
00:42:26 - Working with Government Entities
00:50:52 - Diversification and Growth
00:52:11 - Unique Deal Stories
00:56:12 - Networking in the Industry