Selling Your Business Successfully (part 2)
Wealth management is about making smart decisions
with our wealth in order to achieve all that is important to us.
We would argue that wealth in itself isn't enough to help us achieve
our goals and dreams. We must be proactive in managing the taxation,
investing, as well as the spending of wealth in order to achieve
a high confidence strategy.
| Take-aways
• The biggest beneficiary
from the sale may be Uncle Sam.
• Manage the taxation, investing and spending of wealth.
• Chose your exit advisers very carefully
7 Steps to a Sale
• Develop your exit strategy.
• Get your house in order.
• Value your business.
• Have preliminary discussions with prospects.
• Follow due diligence.
• Structure the deal.
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Developing your team is Critical Step Two in the
process of selling your business. Part One, focused on developing
your exit strategy. Your team will typically consist of a CPA,
a transaction attorney, a financial adviser, an M&A firm and
an estate-planning attorney. If you are the typical CEO we've
dealt with, then millions of dollars are on the line when you
are in the process of cashing-out. You should therefore chose
the right advisers very carefully.
Beware: The biggest beneficiary from the sale may be Uncle Sam.
Taxes can eat most of your proceeds if you aren't careful, but
with proper planning you may pay very little taxes.
Exit-strategies advisers know how to:
- Help you establish and quantify realistic exit objectives.
- Determine not just value, but a likely sale price for your
company.
- Create or enhance the value drivers in your company.
- Expedite the sale process by avoiding mistakes and solving
challenges.
- Level the playing field so that the buyer's advisers don't
outperform yours.
- Minimize the IRS tax bite.
- Design and implement wealth transfers to subsequent generations.
- Tell you when you are not ready to sell your company.
When locating your team of professionals you'll
want to know that they understand and specialize in helping entrepreneurs
with the exit process. If they don't then they'll certainly acquire
a great deal of expertise in working on your sale but you will
be the one paying for their education – and it will be a
very expensive education.
Your investment banker should be a specialist in
your industry. He or she will find, qualify and, in some cases,
interview the buyers for you. Investment bankers usually require
a monthly retainer in addition to a success fee at the close of
the deal.
Your financial adviser helps assemble the advisory
team, gathers information and facilitates meetings during the
early stages of the exit-strategies process. He will help you
determine the sum of money you need from a sale to attain financial
security. He also typically works with you years after the sale
is done. Although you probably already have a financial adviser,
it would be critical to use an exit-strategies specialist when
selling your business.
A transaction attorney specializes in executing
transactions. She knows what's happening in the marketplace and
how to keep a deal moving toward a close. She also provides the
horsepower you will need to level the playing field. Buyers arm
themselves with highly experienced transaction professionals.
To ensure yourself a fair shake, you must do the same.
Questions to ask potential professional
advisers:
About the firm
- What investment banking services do you provide? Which ones
are your core services or strengths?
- What is your past experience?
- What makes your firm different and better?
- Who will be staffed on the assignment for our company?
- Can I speak with some of your past clients?
- How do you charge for your services and why is this fair compensation?
- Why should our company hire you and your firm?
Know the market
- What do you know about the (your industry)?
- Please explain the depth and breadth of your relationships
with buyers, sellers, financiers, investors and other professional
services providers serving my industry.
Deal process
- What will be done in advance to prepare our business for the
sale?
- What are the steps in your deal process and how long does
it take?
- What proprietary resources or intelligence does your firm
have to facilitate the success of the deal?
- How does your deal process differ from others and why is it
prone to generate better results?
- In the deal process, what can I expect you to do and what
am I expected to do?
Post deal
- How can you help me after the deal is finalized?
- In your mind, what are the keys to a successful transaction?
Read
Part 3 & 4 »
Christopher G. Snyder and Haitham "Hutch"
E. Ashoo are principals of Pillar Financial Services in Walnut
Creek. Contact them at 925-356-6780.
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