by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Valuation, Exit Planning, Sell a Business |
What should a business owner do to prepare to sell his or her business some time in the near future?
Aside from right-sizing the business’s overhead costs to line up with its current level of revenue, and looking for opportunities the pandemic may be presenting, there are four things a business owner can do now to prepare to sell. And more importantly, doing these four things will mean that when a Letter of Intent is received from a buyer, the business will be very well-prepared to survive the due diligence stage of the sale.
by Neal Isaacs, MBA, CBI, CM&AP | Exit Planning, Sell a Business |
As an intermediary, I have many conversations with business owners about how much their business is worth. As these conversations progress, owners realize that it’s not how much they make, it’s how much they can keep that truly matters.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Capital, Exit Planning, Sell a Business |
The Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a Procedural Notice on October 2, 2020 which offers business owners and lenders guidance on how Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans are to be handled when a business has a change in ownership.
This post summarizes the notice and includes an Infographic to assist business owners. It includes the following topic:
When does a Business Sale Require the SBA’s Approval
Does a Business Sale Require the PPP Lender’s Approval or Notification
Required Steps Pre and Post-Closing for PPP Borrowers
SBA Timeframe to Approve a Sale or Merger when a PPP Loan Transfers
Does the EIDL Grant Impose Additional Steps When Selling a Business
by Neal Isaacs, MBA, CBI, CM&AP | Business Valuation, Sell a Business |
The COVID 19 Era has begun. In addition to lives lost, there’s an economic toll that has yet to be determined at the time this content is being written. With small businesses on life support, these are scary times for business owners and for the intermediaries helping owners navigate through them. So how has COVID 19 affected business transactions?
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business |
If you’re considering the sale of your business, or possibly the acquisition of another competing business, it’s important to understand the selling/buying process.
An often overlooked and important first step during the process of buying or selling a business involves the negotiation of certain terms the buyer and seller will ultimately agree to at the closing table once the due diligence phase of the process is completed.
If either party ignores the importance of the initial terms’ negotiations, they can often end up with a bad deal or no deal at all.
by Neal Isaacs, MBA, CBI, CM&AP | Business Valuation, Exit Planning, Sell a Business |
As a business intermediary helping owners determine the “Most Probable Sales Price,” or MPSP of their businesses here in the Triangle, I hear a common question:
“That value makes sense, but what about all my stuff? Can I get paid for that too?”
The answer is rarely what the business owner wants to hear, but there’s a sound reason for it, and understanding how businesses are priced can help an owner with decisions on how to allocate resources for assets; especially if they are planning to sell in the near future.
In this article, we’ll explore the market approach for small businesses and what value the assets carry…
by Jason Milleisen, SBA Workout Specialist | Exit Planning, Sell a Business |
Learn about three very important facts you need to know as you prepare your SBA business for sale.
by Jason Milleisen, SBA Workout Specialist | Business Capital, Exit Planning |
For many businesses, the ultimate goal is to sell the business. Can you picture it? Walk away from the daily stress and aggravation with a fat pile of cash. Hop a plane to your favorite tropical destination and spend the rest of your days lounging a white sandy beach, sipping pina coladas out of a coconut, without a care in the world.
Well, friends, the above scenario is the ideal scenario. I like sipping cold drinks on a beach as much as the next guy, and I hope that happens for you. But if you clicked on this article, you may be looking at a much different scenario.
And that’s what this article is going to cover: the less-than-ideal scenario.
by Neal Isaacs, MBA, CBI, CM&AP | Sell a Business |
Have a Question? Ask your question below and one of our Advisors will answer. Yes it’s easy to get fixated on the sale price. It’s the number you tell people years after the sale if you want to brag. However, much like losing weight, the sale price of your... 
by Neal Isaacs, MBA, CBI, CM&AP | Sell a Business |
Have a Question? Ask your question below and one of our Advisors will answer. Commercial Lease Assignment Problems As part of selling your business, the lease can be one of the most overlooked barriers to completing the deal. The buyer and seller may have a... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business |
Speaker: Holly A. Magister, CPA and Certified Financial Planner® This post is intended to help those who either own a business or advise business owners in the lower-middle market — defined as a business with gross revenue between $5MM and $50MM — and is... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Valuation, Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
v Have a Question? Add it to the bottom of this post! When a business is sold, sometimes an adjustment to the purchase price is needed to make up any difference between available working capital at the time of closing, and the working capital needed to maintain... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Grow a Business, Trepopedia |
A business debt schedule is a tool that helps businesses review, assess, and visualize debts. A debt schedule allows businesses to make strategic decisions about paying off debt, acquiring new debt, or creating long-term projections for investors and creditors. It... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Exit Planning, Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
Have a Question? Ask your question below and one of our Advisors will answer. A seller’s note receivable is an alternative form of business capital. This type of debt financing is often used in small business acquisitions, where the seller agrees to accept a... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Valuation, Sell a Business |
Business goodwill is defined as an intangible asset that increases a business’s value above and beyond its current market value. Business goodwill arises when one company is acquired by another at a premium, above market or book value price. Goodwill can be attributed... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Valuation, Grow a Business, Trepopedia |
Capitalization Rate, more commonly referred to as Cap Rate, is the rate of return on a real estate investment based on the income the property is expected to generate. In other words, the Capitalization Rate is used to estimate an investor’s likely return on... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
Goodwill is defined as an intangible asset that is created as the result of an acquisition of one company by another, at a premium price over its fair market value. The willingness of a buyer to pay a premium for a given business may be due to value built up over time... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Grow a Business, Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
EBITDA Valuation is an industry multiple or ratio method that is used commonly to determine the Enterprise Value of a company operating in the lower-middle or middle market. It differs from the method typically used by small businesses (also referred to as Main... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Grow a Business, Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
Have a Question? Ask your question below and one of our Advisors will answer. There is a significant difference between “working capital” and “change in working capital.” Working capital is a snapshot of a moment in time which measures the level of assets a business... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Valuation, Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment (or FF&E) is an accounting term used in the process of valuing, liquidating, or selling a company or building. FF&E refers to any fixture, piece of furniture, or piece of equipment that is moveable and is not permanently... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
An Earn Out Payment is additional future compensation paid to the owner(s) of a business after it is sold. The terms and conditions that yield an earn out payment are contained in an Earn Out Agreement which is part of the Agreement of Sale. Typically, this payment is... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Grow a Business, Sell a Business, Start a Business, Trepopedia |
An employment agreement is a formal contract between an employer and an employee which defines the conditions of employment. This agreement usually will specify major employment details and include everything from compensation to expectations for specific work to be... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
Have a Question? Ask your question below and one of our Advisors will answer. The term sandbagging refers to an intentional lowering of expectations. Sandbagging can apply to anything from sports to business, and is the practice of intentionally deceiving others in... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
When things go wrong with the sale of a business the parties involved look for remedies in the liquidated damages provisions established in the purchase agreement. Such provisions are included when a purchase agreement has been signed in advance of an actual closing when the business is transferred and a purchase price is paid.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
When a business is about to be sold, the parties to the sale may find it beneficial to establish an escrow agent to handle the transfer of certain assets and cash between the buyer and seller. Many times the parties agree to use the escrow account held by one of the party’s business attorneys. However, in many cases the parties prefer to hire an independent escrow agent to handle the assets and cash that will change hands.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business |
When working through a business sale, an inordinate number of resources on both sides of the table are dedicated to drafting and negotiating the Stock Purchase or Asset Purchase Agreement. This is true especially in the last one-to-two weeks before the closing. In fact, I’ve had clients remark that during their entire tenure as an entrepreneur, they never spent as much time speaking to their advisors as they did during the last week of their business ownership journey!
by Julie Kline, Attorney | Sell a Business |
So you’ve decided to sell your business, but what structure is right for the transaction? Buyers and sellers often prefer different structures due to various factors which change based on the structure and which have different impacts on the parties. Generally there are three (3) categories of factors that drive the eventual structure of a deal: (1) business issues, (2) assignments and consents, and (3) tax issues.
by Julie Kline, Attorney | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
Term Sheets or Letters of Intent (LOIs) are commonly used in the buying or selling of businesses. The purpose of LOIs are to state clearly the principal terms that the parties have agreed to as part of the deal and to represent the intent of the parties to pursue the contemplated transaction.
by Sabrina Baker, PHR | Sell a Business |
In a perfect world, when one business buys another, the staff of the purchased company would be able to transition into a role with the buying company. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. What’s more, the company being purchased may not know what is... 
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Grow a Business, Sell a Business |
One of the many questions asked by entrepreneurs as they plan for the sale of their business is related to the Adjusted EBITDA definition.
by Paul Cronin | Sell a Business |
When an asset has a grossly inflated price, it is by definition an asset bubble. Does this apply to many small businesses in the US? Probably yes, in my opinion. Most small businesses have a balance sheet listing some assets; therefore they are subject to being part of a bubble.
by Julie Kline, Attorney | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
Indemnification allocates the risk of various post-closing losses between buyer and seller. For this reason, the indemnification provisions of your purchase agreement will very likely be among the most heavily negotiated provisions in your purchase agreement.
by Matt Harnett, CAIA | Business Capital, Grow a Business |
As markets recover post-recession, business owners are presented with growth opportunities. However, a business owner may not have access to the capital needed to execute on a growth strategy. Where does a business owner turn?
by Leilani Costa, Attorney | Sell a Business |
There are many pitfalls to avoid and precautions to be taken when contemplating the sale of your business to a competitor. In particular, selling a business to a competitor can have tricky antitrust implications that require much care prior to closing.
by The Exit Promise Contributors | Business Capital, Grow a Business |
Many entrepreneurs faced with the demands on cash of a growing business are tempted to sell equity to outside investors, or perhaps give away stock to retain a valuable employee. Diluting your stake in this way may solve the immediate problem, but it can have unforeseen consequences when the business eventually is sold. Stockholders’ personal circumstances evolve in different ways over the lifetime of a company, and whatever the original intention everyone may not be on the same page when you are ready to sell.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Capital, Sell a Business |
Many business owners are under the wrong impression that their business debt will disappear when their business is sold. In some cases, the debt is absorbed or is assumed by the buyer. But usually this is not the case.
by Matt Harnett, CAIA | Business Capital, Sell a Business |
Recapitalizations can be used to provide liquidity to owners, refinance the balance sheet or fund future growth initiatives. When the owners sell a majority of the business but still retains some ownership, it is termed a “majority recapitalization”.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
When the Letter of Intent (LOI) expiration date and time is defined, the buyer is putting the seller on notice that he or she must either agree to the terms defined in the letter or lose the opportunity to sell the business to the buyer authoring the LOI.
by Matt Harnett, CAIA | Sell a Business |
Management Buyouts, or MBOS, can sometimes have a negative connotation. Maybe that’s because it sounds like the management team is getting “taken out”. On the contrary, it is the exact opposite. A Management Buyout is a fancy acronym for when the current managers buy controlling interest of a company from its owners. That’s a good thing for management!
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business |
If you have ever endured the process of selling a business with the assistance of professional advisors who specialize in mergers and acquisitions, you will agree with me that this is not something to try at home!
by Leilani Costa, Attorney | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
During the initial negotiations of a business sale, one of the primary issues is whether to structure the sale as an asset sale or a stock sale. Typically the seller and the buyer have opposing preferences in this regard. The seller generally prefers a stock sale; while the buyer generally prefers an asset sale.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Business Valuation, Grow a Business, Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
EBITDA is an acronym for Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization. EBITDA is often used as a measure of a business’s cash flow. Also it is used frequently in many business valuation formulas, depending on the business’s specific industry.
by The Exit Promise Contributors | Grow a Business, Sell a Business |
Your worst nightmare comes true! You get an email on Friday afternoon from your largest customer indicating that they are changing suppliers for “strategic reasons.” They represent 20% of your sales revenue and 35% of your profits.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business |
It is a unique pleasure to find two equal partners or shareholders acting in harmony over selling a business. Unfortunately, when I say “unique”, I mean rarely ever. Please understand, it is not as if this never happens. It is just so unusual, that when faced with the situation, I find myself warning both parties before they proceed to sell their business.
by Michael Silverman, Attorney | Sell a Business |
If you have the opportunity to buy or sell a business, negotiating the terms of a letter of intent (an “LOI”) is one of the first and most critical steps in the process of completing the transaction. A well-written letter of intent provides a valuable foundation for a potential transaction as it captures the parties’ intentions with regard to the structure, timing and material terms of the transaction. An LOI often imposes significant obligations on each of the parties, and consequently is typically the product of fairly intense negotiations between the parties.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
When you sell a business, typically you will find language in the Stock or Asset Purchase Agreement that defines exactly what the Seller and the Buyer agree to do or guarantee as part of the transaction. In other words, each may agree to make the other party not responsible. The term used to identify this particular form of guarantee is indemnification.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
The “indemnification basket” is one of the most important deal terms found in the Letter of Intent and ultimately in the Purchase Agreement and is often misunderstood by both the buyer and seller of a business. Buyers want the basket to be as low as possible and Sellers want it to be as high as possible. Baskets may be one of two types: a deductible basket or a tipping basket.
by Michael Silverman, Attorney | Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
A typical entrepreneur invests a tremendous amount of time, effort and money in building a business. That is why it is so important for entrepreneurs to make sure employees and third parties who work with the business are prohibited from improperly using or disclosing any confidential or proprietary information of the business(e.g. customer lists, trade secrets and financial statements). Similarly, and in connection with the opportunity to sell a business, it is critical for the owner of the business not to provide any confidential information to a prospective purchaser until that party has signed a well-written non disclosure agreement.
by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Grow a Business, Sell a Business, Trepopedia |
What is a Stay Bonus Plan? A Stay Bonus Plan is a formal agreement between a business enterprise and one or several of its key employees. The purpose of this type of bonus plan is to entice key employees to remain (or stay) employed by the business enterprise during a... by Holly Magister, CPA, CFP® | Exit Planning, Sell a Business |
There are ways to improve the likelihood you will achieve a successful sale of your company if you take the time to develop ground rules with your business partners. The sooner you do so in the process of selling a company, the better.
