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Exit Planning Insights
Is Private Equity the Right Solution for Your Exit?
September 13, 2017 / in Exit Planning, Sell a Business / by Al Statz
Is Private Equity the Right Solution for Your Exit? Private Equity Groups (PEGs) are disciplined buyers of lower middle-market companies. Most have cash funds and lender relationships in place for the right acquisition opportunities. PEGs often recapitalize a company, where they purchase a majority or minority interest. They bring growth capital and business acumen to unleash the company’s full potential. A recapitalization gives the owner substantial liquidity now, and a second hopefully larger bite of …
Six Reasons NOT to Skim
August 9, 2017 / in Business Strategy, Exit Planning, Sell a Business / by Don Ross
Pulling unreported cash receipts out of a business is indefensible and unwise under any circumstances, but particularly if the owner expects to exit in the next 3-5 years. All of us during our childhood were offered the parental edict: “Don’t do it, you are only hurting yourself.” So “why”, you may ask . . . now that you are a grown adult, “should I not skim?” Many reasons immediately come to mind and I am certain …
Buy Low, Sell High
June 13, 2017 / in Exit Planning, Sell a Business / by Exit Strategies
Timing is everything. Almost everyone is familiar with the world’s greatest tip to stock investors, “buy low, sell high.” These simple words of wisdom are equally useful to private business owners; however, sage advice is not always easy to follow in the same moment you’re reaping the benefits of high profitability. With the current bull market in its eighth year, the lower middle market is economically healthy across many industries. I talk to business owners …
Goethe on Exit Planning
June 2, 2017 / in Business Strategy, Exit Planning / by Al Statz
Early this morning at my Rotary meeting I heard a quote that struck a chord with me. Our speaker, Stephan Stubbins, recounted the story of how he co-founded a successful theater company that helped save one of our local state parks. Once Stephan and his partners quit their jobs and fully committed themselves to starting a theater company, things started to happen for them. The quote he shared is by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ( 1749 – 1832) the prolific German …
Which Business Valuation Will Facilitate Negotiation?
May 22, 2017 / in Business Valuation, Exit Planning / by Exit Strategies
You are getting ready to sell your business so you must ask yourself some questions: When do I want to exit? Who are the most likely buyers? Is my business adequately prepared to sell? How does it compare to other like businesses? And of course, what’s my business worth? All business valuation relies on some prediction of the future. Business appraisers apply a variety of adjustments to financial statements, theoretical constructs and historical data to …
Make No Mistake: The IRS is Serious About Qualified Appraisals and Appraisers
May 3, 2017 / in Business Valuation, Exit Planning / by Al Statz
The IRS and the Tax Courts are serious about requiring taxpayers to properly determine the value of non-cash estate assets, gifts and charitable contributions. To avoid having the value of an inherited, gifted or donated privately-held business interest challenged or rejected by the IRS, obtain a qualified business appraisal (valuation) from a qualified business appraiser. The IRS defines a qualified appraisal as one that: is performed in accordance with generally accepted appraisal standards; meets the relevant requirements of …
Is 2017 a good year to sell my company?
April 26, 2017 / in Exit Planning, News, Sell a Business / by Roy Martinez
Sellers often ask us if it is a good time to sell their business. My response is usually, “yes, but it depends”. The optimum time to sell a particular business depends on many factors, and this article discusses some of them. First of all, timing depends on the company: How are its business fundamentals? Is it growing? Flat? Shrinking? Is it profitable? How is the quality of earnings? What is the outlook for the business …
Do investment bankers, M&A advisors and business brokers actually add value? If so, how?
March 30, 2017 / in Exit Planning, Sell a Business / by Al Statz
Financially savvy company owners, such as private equity groups and diversified public companies, clearly see the value that M&A advisors add, since virtually all of them hire one to run a professional sale process when selling a company in their portfolio — even when they know who the buyers are and which one is likely will pay the highest price. On the other hand, most entrepreneurs only sell their company once. As a first time …
Increase Business Value with Recurring Revenue
March 23, 2017 / in Exit Planning, Sell a Business / by Exit Strategies
Businesses with a higher percentage of recurring revenue generally sell for higher prices. Recurring revenue business models are highly sought after by strategic and private equity buyers because they are perceived as less risky. Future revenue is more predictable and requires less ongoing sales effort and reinvestment. Companies like Salesforce.com pioneered recurring revenue in the software world, creating the Software as a Service (or SaaS) model. SaaS turned the traditional software licensing model on its …
Case Study: How One Entrepreneur’s Advisors Enabled a Successful Estate Transfer
March 1, 2017 / in Business Valuation, Exit Planning / by Bob Altieri
I recently had a client who wanted to transfer his medical distribution company to his son and retire with peace of mind — a common occurrence these days. Dad and his CPA requested an opinion of Fair Market Value to set the price for a transfer of stock. After I appraised the company (S corp.) stock at $2.0 million, Dad and Son asked me how to finance the transaction. Dad was reluctant to carry a long-term loan for …
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