You knew him. He was the talk of the town. Spent a fortune. Had everything. Then, suddenly, busted. Bankrupt.

Everyone was shocked.

What happened, as the facts came to light, wasn’t misfortune. It wasn’t even unique. Just another instance of a man achieving a high level of prosperity and then, over time, his beliefs about his wealth and his ability to spend grew to exceed even his sizeable income. He developed his own sense of entitlement. His own story of manifest destiny. He began working less and spending more time enjoying the fruits. Flaunting his wealth and exercising his power. Read the rest of this entry »

If your company’s earnings have not suffered greatly during the recession, now might be the very best of all times to execute a management buyout. Buyers are out in mass and paying premiums for companies that have performed well during the recession.
We did not see this coming but Premiums are being paid for companies that are selling today. Companies that would have topped out at five or six times EBITDA three years ago are going for seven, even eight today. Read the rest of this entry »

For owners of large and midsize companies, need for liquidity does not have to be an all-or-nothing decision. It really isn’t like the famous song by The Clash:

“Should I stay or should I go now? If I go it could be trouble. If I stay it could be double.”

When business owner(s) need or want to take big money home, they have options. Read the rest of this entry »

Need to buy out a shareholder but don’t want to put up your own money?

Need to take some chips off the table but don’t want to sell out?

Reduce your risk and gain some experienced, well-capitalized and well-connected partners?

Consider leveraged recapitalization. Read the rest of this entry »

Cash is king, but owning a business can have some pretty nice perquisites. So what does a business owner do when he or she really wants to take serious chips off the table but does not want to give up ownership or management?

The answer may be sponsorless recapitalization. Read the rest of this entry »

Business owners hold something of value — ownership in a business. And, in the life of an owner, there typically comes a time when he/she becomes willing to part with his ownership in exchange for some things he/she values. Typically, the thing of value is money. But in every deal there are many deal points. Many more than just money. Read the rest of this entry »

Most successful business owners are good people. Caring people. I’ve worked with thousands of them.

Jerks tend to implode, eventually. Traits of care, honesty and integrity aid the business owner in surviving and succeeding over the long haul, so most who “make it” are “good folks,” as we say in the South.

Yes, most successful business owners are also driven to achieve material and financial success, but such is not the extent of who they are. They care about the people around them, such as their employees. They contribute to charitable causes. Read the rest of this entry »

Acquisition Advisors talks about win-win transactions. That is, business purchase/sale transactions that result in a “win” for the owner-seller, buyer, employees and community. By “community,” we mean where the company operates.

When the right buyer is found, the business has its greatest opportunity to thrive. This, of course, is good for the community as it continues to employ, provide livelihoods and contribute to the community’s tax base. Read the rest of this entry »

Thousands of sources of equity capital in the U.S. and around the world are willing and able to pay top dollar for great companies, leave the tenured management in place, provide meaningful ownership to the manager or management team that remains, and mentor and support the new owner-managers in continuing to grow the business. This is the type of transaction Acquisition Advisors specializes in and is proud to bring about. Read the rest of this entry »