Entries by Al Statz

Corporate Social Responsibility in Mergers and Acquisitions

Like it or not, and irrespective of our personal political ideologies, corporate social responsibility has gained in popularity in the past decade. In this article, we’ll discuss what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is and what it means for private business owners from an exit strategy perspective. The Four Pillars of CSR CSR is often thought […]

Exit Strategies Group Joins Cornerstone International Alliance

Exit Strategies is pleased to announce that we have combined resources with some of the best independent M&A firms to deliver more value to lower middle market business owner clients. Cornerstone International Alliance (CIA) is a global alliance of independent M&A firms. Formed in early 2019, it is the world’s only such alliance focused exclusively […]

Why Business Owners Should Prepare to Sell Now

  Reason 1:  Concentration of Wealth A typical business owner has 70-80% of their wealth tied up in their business. That’s a lot of eggs to carry in one basket. On top of that, private businesses are less liquid and more risky than stocks, bonds and real estate investments. Fortunately owners can control the value […]

Failing to Plan Your Exit is Planning to Fail

Ben Franklin is credited with saying, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” And Warren Buffet once said, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” These sayings are great reminders for business owners looking to exit. For most business owners, their company represents the […]

Exit Strategies Advises Olympus Controls on Sale to Applied

PORTLAND, OR (August 22, 2019) — Exit Strategies Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that Olympus Controls Corp. has been acquired by Applied Industrial Technologies.  We represented Olympus and its shareholders as their exclusive M&A advisor. Established in 1998, Olympus Controls is a leading distributor of world-class machine automation products focused on assemblies and engineered […]

Profit from Intangible Assets in a Business Sale

The sale of a business includes intangible assets. This article explains what intangible assets are and how articulating, supporting and protecting them enhances business sale outcomes. Let’s get started. What is an Intangible Asset? Intangible assets are things that are non-physical in nature that you can identify, describe, document (e.g. a contract, list, logo, drawing […]

Phase I Environmental Assessment in M&A Transactions

A Phase I environmental site assessment is commonly required by buyers and lenders in merger and acquisition transactions that include commercial real estate. One may even be called for when the target company (seller) uses or stores hazardous materials at a leased facility. Sellers are generally rewarded for conducting a Phase I assessment before taking […]

Roundup of Recent Sale Transactions

Sitting down and writing quality articles on business valuation, exit planning, mergers and acquisition strategy has taken a back seat this year, thanks to a strong M&A market. In this post I will recap many of the transactions for which Exit Strategies (ESGI) provided sell-side advisory services during the first half of 2019. I haven’t […]