How does high-growth private M&A work? What are some of the industries involved, and what is the process? Will Hawthorne, Founder of Avid Capital Advisors, an investment bank, and General Partner at Sugar Capital, a venture capital firm, shares his experience in the high-growth private M&A market. He discusses the major differences in deal structure between private and public deals, recent changes in the market that impact how cash-rich companies grow, how valuation is handled in high-growth M&A, and the influence that trust and honesty can have on a deal.

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Learn More:

• Business Valuation Guide: Do I Need a Valuation?
• M&A Negotiating Tactic #1 – Honesty
• Earnouts When Selling or Buying a Business | Complete Guide

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Listen to Other Episodes:

• Expanding Your Business with Growth Equity
• A Look Inside the Head of a Strategic Buyer
• Making Acquisitions with Public Equity

There’s an open secret in the M&A world – tax insurance. It lets you take risk off the table and turn it into a negotiating point. Yoav Shans and James Swan, tax experts from McGill and Partners — an insurance broker firm, lay it out clearly. What is tax insurance, how can it impact M&A decisions, who pays for it, and how can it help close your deal? Get answers to these questions, and many more, for buyers and sellers of any size transaction since, as we all know, you can’t escape taxes.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• Allocation of Purchase Price & Taxes When Selling a Business
• M&A Reps & Warranties
• M&A Reps & Warranties | A Complete Guide

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Listen to Other Episodes:

• The Legal Aspects of Selling a Private Company
• Do You Need Reps & Warranties Insurance When Selling a Business?

Whether you want to sell your company or are looking to buy another company to help your growth, there is a lot to consider. Tips, advice, and tales of the good, the bad, and the ugly sides to this process come from Elizabeth Cholawsky and Taylor Viens. They are with HG Insights - a leading company in the gathering and application of data to make informed acquisition decisions. In this episode, they discuss the importance of paying attention to other companies, the role that data can play in an acquisition, the importance of having a solid growth strategy, and more firsthand experience from a target and an orchestrator of acquisitions.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• Why do Companies Acquire other Businesses?
• How successful are most business acquisitions?
• Why Half of Acquisitions Fail

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Listen to Other Episodes:

• Case Study – Lessons Learned From Selling Multiple Tech Companies
• The Inside Scoop on Tech M&A
• Making Acquisitions with Public Equity

When selling a mid-market business, you may run into a family office interested in acquiring your company. But, what are family offices, how do they work, and what do they look for in a target? In this episode with James Carey, a partner at a private family office, we discuss the differences between a family office, private equity firms, and strategic acquirers, look at how family offices create value, and define growth equity. We also talk about the elements of the family office capital growth toolkit, mistakes an owner may make in consultations with growth equity investors, and tips to avoid these mistakes.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• The Private Equity Toolkit – How PE Firms Grow Businesses

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Listen to Other Episodes:

• A Broad Look at IPOs, Private Equity, and Preparing for a Sale
• Understanding Private Equity – A Primer for Sellers
• What You Need to Know Before Selling to a PE Firm

When a company is sold, the relationship between the parties has a significant impact on the success of the transaction. We discuss the sale of XPS Technologies, a private shipping software company, by Descartes, a publicly traded firm with a $5.9 billion market cap, and share perspectives on the acquisition process from both sides of the table. We discuss Descartes’ acquisition strategy and how XPS fit into it, the synergies each business looked for, key lessons learned from the acquisition, and advice to entrepreneurs who want to exit their companies.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• Earnouts When Selling or Buying a Business | Complete Guide
• M&A Guide | The 4 Types of Buyers of Businesses
• Process for Screening Buyers When Selling a Business
• Business Exit Plan & Strategy Checklist | A Complete Guide
• M&A Reps & Warranties | A Complete Guide
• The Role of M&A Lawyers When Selling Your Business

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Roger Royse, M&A attorney and tax specialist, discusses the sensitive issue of taxes and the implications of selling a closely held company with few shareholders. He presents a definition of a closely held company and discusses differences this sort of company presents in an M&A transaction, some issues around employees, and the “phantom plan.” He also addresses the importance of considering taxes when forming a company and looking ahead to the tax implications when it comes time to exit the company.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• Selling Your Business? Hire an Attorney to Increase the Bottom Line
• Allocation of Purchase Price & Taxes When Selling a Business
• M&A Basics | Asset vs. Stock Sale
• How Does Entity Type Affect the Sale of My Business?
• Informing & Retaining Employees When Selling a Business

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

This is a different sort of episode on M&A Talk. This personal chat about happiness features Marco Robert, an entrepreneur, business consultant, and truly happy person. What does happiness have to do with M&A? Why is happiness a taboo topic? How does happiness relate to the business world? What is the correlation between happiness and success? How do you find balance in your own environment? Full of wisdom, personal anecdotes, book recommendations, and much more, this episode will give you much to think about and might even change your life.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• Should I Sell My Business?

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Due diligence is a critical step in the M&A process, but it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. Anthony Nitsos specializes in helping companies optimize internal systems and shares his insights and tips on preparing for due diligence. He discusses what is involved, the areas covered, how to prepare, common patterns, and the buyer’s goal. He also covers the cost of due diligence versus the cost of being unprepared and the impact on the final price. Don’t shortchange yourself in this vital activity.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• Top 5 M&A Value Drivers for Tech & Software Companies
• M&A Due Diligence Preparation
• M&A Due Diligence | Checklist & Overview
• Why Don’t Some Businesses Sell?

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Listen in to this discussion about human capital and how it can impact the value of your business with Marco Robert, an international consultant, author, and entrepreneur with years of experience helping companies turn their fortunes around. During this wide-ranging chat with advice and real-life examples, he discusses the impact employees have on the value of a business, what may block an owner from creating more value, the biggest challenge owners face, and advice on how to create value in your business.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.

Leon Brujis talks about 2nd-level thinking and the art of investing in middle-market companies. A partner with Palladium, Leon discusses how 2nd-level thinking applies to every investing discipline, from hedge funds to private equity, venture capital, and more. He highlights the origins and impact of this concept, what makes a great investor, how to develop these skills and ensure you are engaging in 2nd-level thinking, how education impacts creativity, and how this all comes together to generate extraordinary investment returns.

View the complete show notes for this episode.

Learn More:

• Dealing with Investors Who Want to Buy Your Business
• Business Valuation & Return on Investment (ROI)

Additional Resources:

• Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Selling a Business
• Are you selling a business? Schedule a free consultation now.