If you’ve always dismissed private equity as an option, now might be the best time to reconsider. Too often, business owners assume private equity is going to come in and gut their business, just to drive up EBITDA with some financial engineering. While this may have...
Discover the latest updates in the world of forward-thinking investment banking.
Should I Sell My Business or Hire a CEO?
Industry Insights, Exit Planning
Over the years, we've engaged with hundreds of entrepreneurs each wrestling with a pivotal decision: how to scale back their involvement without stepping away from the legacy they've built. This crossroads is no small choice: wanting greater freedom yet tied to the...
The Role of Net Working Capital Target
M&A, Industry Insights, Merger and Acquisitions, Education
The Role of Net Working Capital Target in Cash-Free/Debt-Free Deals In the complex world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), one term that often takes center stage is "Net Working Capital Target." This seemingly technical phrase holds immense importance, especially...
Thinking ahead about restructuring before you need it
Managing Risk, M&A, Owner Considerations, IP & Patents, Industry Insights
Restructuring is typically not on the tip of the tongues of CEO’s that are running profitable companies. However, we can take a page from restructuring to address the current market and position many companies find themselves in today. “Sometimes the best offense is a...
How to Avoid Seller’s Remorse in an M&A Deal
Business Valuation, Industry Insights, M&A, Owner Considerations
Many sellers enter the process of selling their private company with value expectations well above market as well as not being properly prepared. Then they wonder why they regret the results of the sale. You can avoid seller's remorse by doing the following things: 1)...
Absolute or Relative Earn-Outs in M&A Deals
Industry Insights, M&A, Owner Considerations, Business Valuation
In an M&A deal, an earn-out is an agreement between the buyer and the seller in which the seller agrees to receive additional payments—usually a percentage of the company's revenue or profits—based on the target company achieving certain financial milestones....
Why would you sell your company – Know your why.
Industry Insights, Selling a Business, M&A, Owner Considerations, M&A Education & Market, Strategic Advisory
Thirty years as a serial and parallel entrepreneur, having started, acquired, and sold 13 of my own companies after adding 22 acquisitions onto those companies (increasing enterprise value along the way) as well as advising hundreds of companies at Merit Investment...
5 Reasons Why Most Business Owners Fail to Sell Their Companies
M&A, Owner Considerations, M&A Education & Market, Strategic Advisory, Industry Insights, Selling a Business, Managing Risk
If you're a business owner, you know that retirement is one of the main goals of running a successful company. After all, 75% of business owners equate the sale of their business with retirement. However, many will miss their window based on their state of readiness...
Managing Emotions in an M&A Deal
Education, M&A, M&A Education & Market, Industry Insights, Managing Risk
When you’re gearing up for—or are in the middle of—the sale or merger of your private company, you are putting yourself into an elite group of entrepreneurs who are achieving what many others have failed to do. Pursuing an exit is hard. It’s even harder when you are...
Questions You Should Ask When Selecting Your Investment Bank
M&A Education & Market, Industry Insights, Education, M&A
This may not be the first time you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is he/she the one?” However, picking the right investment bank and lead investment banker to represent your potential deal to the marketplace is one of the most critical decisions you'll make in your...
10 Questions For an Ideal Exit – Outlier Outcomes
Industry Insights, Education, M&A, M&A Education & Market
Most owners of privately held business do not know if their business is sellable or what to do to achieve an Outlier Outcome at sale. An Ideal exit is one that is on your time, your terms and at your price. In order to help you think about orchestrating your own...
How to Prosper in Flight-to-Quality Markets
Industry Insights, M&A, M&A Education & Market
During periods of uncertainty, there is what’s called “a flight to quality.” Understandably, buyers of middle-market companies, when faced with rising costs, market uncertainties, lingering supply chain issues, or recession, etc., inherently become more risk-averse...