In an ideal world, every seller of a privately-held company would leave the closing table with enough cash to enjoy the “golden years.” But we live in the real world and unless your company is worth well in excess of $10 million and you find a buyer who is willing and able to pay all cash, you may receive part of the consideration for your company in a form other than cash. If you transfer your company to an insider (co-owner,
In a strong Merger & Acquisition (M&A) market, buyers compare the relative strength of your company’s value drivers to those of your competitors. In today’s M&A market, however, buyers want companies that possess all of the characteristics of a well-run business. Additionally, tighter credit forces buyers to use more of their own capital to buy businesses so they look for acquisitions that carry minimal business risk. Companies with strong value drivers in place carry less risk.
Planning for your business’ future success is a long-term effort in problem solving. Usually, the problems you’ll try to solve result from the natural evolution of the business. For example, as your business has grown, you may have hired more employees or managers to keep pace. Problems like these are good problems to have.
But as many owners create road maps for future success, they can create problems for themselves. Self-made problems are much more difficult for owners to solve,
For many owners, the answer to one question determines whether they can leave their companies: “How much money will I get when I sell?”
This question is critical, and answering it is Step Two of The Seven Step Exit Planning Process™. Realistically, you can’t exit your business unless you achieve financial independence, and the primary source of that independence is likely to be the funds you receive for your business when you leave.
If the value of an Exit Plan isn’t already obvious, let’s look at a few hard, cold facts…
First, you are far from the only fish in the sea. As the wave of Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) reaching and passing retirement age crests, the departures of those who own businesses could result in a glut of companies for sale, driving down valuations and giving new leverage to buyers. Simply put,
James Keefe sat nervously in his Exit Planning Advisor’s office. Until the day before, he had been president of Keefe Automotive Sales, one of the region’s largest new car dealerships. Now he was out of a job and felt he was a victim. Naturally, his first thought was to sue those responsible for his misfortune. The targets of his wrath were his younger sister and his mother. They had forced him out of the business.
With over half of today’s 9.5 million owners of established businesses reaching the retirement age of 50 years old or older it is likely that many of you will be ready to leave your business within the next decade or so1. What have you done to plan for that day?
What are you waiting for? How could planning for the biggest financial event of your life not be worth your time and effort?
Well…
A successful business Exit Plan achieves three important owner goals:
With the recent buzz about Baby Boomer business owners preparing to leave their companies within the next few years, there can be confusion about the different terminology used for this planning concept. For instance, many people believe that succession planning and Exit Planning are one within the same and can be used interchangeably when talking about owners who are in the process of leaving their businesses. However, this misconception can end up leaving you unprepared for one of the biggest financial events of your life.
If you simply are not emotionally ready to sell, if there is still fire in your belly — enough fire to fuel your continued investment in the company — or if you ultimately want to leave the business to family members or employees, then you may not be in a position to sell your business — yet. If you and the business are ready to sell, but you still hesitate, let’s look at typical reasons for that hesitation and what you may be able to do about it.
