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Tag: Selling a Business

Advantages of The Montana Group

Advantages of The Montana Group

Advantages of The Montana Group:

Experience You Can Depend On: Your talent is running a business. Ours is selling a business. The Montana Group brings many years of mergers and acquisition experience to each transaction, including in-depth industry knowledge, a sound background in finance and accounting, and especially strong negotiating skills. We take the time to get to know you and your business so that we can more accurately represent its value to prospective buyers. We identify the nuances that enhance its worth and desirability. Whether you lead the competition in your geographic territory or industry, boast outstanding customer retention, or have a masterful management team, we will utilize this to negotiate the highest price for your company’s particular expertise. You will walk away from the sale process confident that you have received an exceptional return on your business investment and yet the buyer will feel secure in the knowledge that he has obtained an outstanding company. Since 1991, we have worked hard to ensure that our clients were glad they chose The Montana Group.

Personal Relationships and Hands-On Involvement: Success comes from hard work, a willingness to roll up your shirtsleeves and do whatever it takes to get the job done. You know. You’ve done it. And you can expect the same from The Montana Group. Business Brokerage isn’t a sideline with us. Per our Founder and President, Emmett Barnes, “It’s what we do – all day, every day”.One-on-one Attention: Our Principals are your partners from contact to closing. They will be in constant communication with both you and the buyer to keep the process on track and to attempt to quell every concern. We work toward an orderly and efficient sale of your business.

The Quiet Approach: You didn’t build your business with a lot of fanfare and you don’t want to sell it that way either. That’s why The Montana Group employs its Quiet Approach to business brokerage. When you select The Montana Group as your business broker, you are engaging the resources of professionals who understand the need for efficiency and confidentiality. Our job is to work quickly and quietly for a successful sale, yet minimize the potential disruption for the business. Your job is to conduct business as usual to ensure the continued success of your company. It’s a proven partnership that works.

No Retainer: By not requiring a retainer, it affirms that we will only accept your business listing if we feel comfortable in our ability to selling a business at a price acceptable to you. Consequently, we are in concert with you.

Business Evaluation: We will gladly provide a complimentary business valuation for those businesses with a minimum of $2 million of annual pretax profits.

Experience: All Partners involved have a minimum of 15+ years of experience selling businesses.

Accounting: After executing our Listing Agreement The Montana Group provides a recast of your business’ Income Statements and Balance Sheets at no charge. This enhances your business valuation by increasing your cash flow income stream; the most influential component to pricing a business.

Our Network of Buyers: Since our inception in 1991, we focused on developing an extensive buyer database which currently has in excess of 500 prospective business buyers, each with a fund of at least $50 million and a drive to invest it. Our goal is to locate potential buyers who have an enthusiasm for acquiring within the industry of our client. The dynamics affecting the appetite for acquisition change constantly so it is essential that we continually expand our reach for the perfect match. Of course, we always get our client’s approval on which we approach to discuss the purchase of their Company. We know that a key to the success of The Montana Group is our comprehensive database of qualified and motivated buyers and the relationships we have built with them.

Business Valuation Factors

Business Valuation Factors

There are many complex formulas in expensive business valuation software that spit out reams of data on the value of a private business. This data is certainly interesting and can be helpful in determining price expectations but this is an inexact science, at best.  While this valuation approach is necessary and helpful when there are estate issues or legal issues such as buy-sell disputes the only answer is that a business is worth what a buyer is willing to pay at the time the business is for sale.
To formulate a ballpark answer to this question the following would be helpful:
  • Who is the buyer?
  • What is the buyer’s motive?
  • What is the buyer’s experience in making acquisitions?
  • What is the buyer’s financial strength?
  • What is the buyer’s concern with their competition for this purchase?
  • The Buyer’s recent acquisition activity in this type of business.
  • Are there many similar companies available to purchase?
  • What are the future growth opportunities of the company?
  • Proprietary products?
  • Barrier to entry?
  • Management post-sale?
  • Is there competition or perceived competition on this acquisition?
Does the business’ representative have a large database of potential acquirers?
Of course, private businesses are not often publicizing their sale price so it’s rare that there is a comparative sale to review. Even if this information were available the question would be does this buyer want to buy another company? Is buyer more or less motivated to buy another company? How about the unsuccessful potential buyers – are they more motivated now to increase their valuation? Comparing a private business’ value to a public company in the same line of business seems a stretch as larger businesses trade at significantly higher multiple and the same can be said for publicly traded ones.
So, the answer…… “you need a good representative to properly present the company to facet of the buyer market that would likely have an interest in the company and wait and see. However, this representative should be able to provide an accurate complimentary valuation range that can be used to determine if the owner is now a seller”, per Emmett Barnes, President of The Montana Group (www.montanagroup.com).
Benefits of Working with The Montana Group

Benefits of Working with The Montana Group

Benefits of Working with The Montana Group

Experience You Can Depend On: Your talent is running a business. Ours is selling a business. The Montana Group brings many years of mergers and acquisition experience to each transaction, including in-depth industry knowledge, a sound background in finance and accounting, and especially strong negotiating skills. We take the time to get to know you and your business so that we can more accurately represent its value to prospective buyers. We identify the nuances that enhance its worth and desirability. Whether you lead the competition in your geographic territory or industry, boast outstanding customer retention, or have a masterful management team, we will utilize this to negotiate the highest price for your company’s particular expertise. You will walk away from the sale process confident that you have received an exceptional return on your business investment and yet the buyer will feel secure in the knowledge that he has obtained an outstanding company. Since 1991, we have worked hard to ensure that our clients were glad they chose The Montana Group.

Personal Relationships and Hands-On Involvement: Success comes from hard work, a willingness to roll up your shirtsleeves and do whatever it takes to get the job done. You know. You’ve done it. And you can expect the same from The Montana Group. Business Brokerage isn’t a sideline with us. Per our Founder and President, Emmett Barnes, “It’s what we do – all day, every day”.One-on-one Attention: Our Principals are your partners from contact to closing. They will be in constant communication with both you and the buyer to keep the process on track and to attempt to quell every concern. We work toward an orderly and efficient sale of your business.

The Quiet Approach: You didn’t build your business with a lot of fanfare and you don’t want to sell it that way either. That’s why The Montana Group employs its Quiet Approach to business brokerage. When you select The Montana Group as your business broker, you are engaging the resources of professionals who understand the need for efficiency and confidentiality. Our job is to work quickly and quietly for a successful sale, yet minimize the potential disruption for the business. Your job is to conduct business as usual to ensure the continued success of your company. It’s a proven partnership that works.

No Retainer: By not requiring a retainer, it affirms that we will only accept your business listing if we feel comfortable in our ability to selling a business at a price acceptable to you. Consequently, we are in concert with you.

Business Evaluation: We will gladly provide a complimentary business valuation for those businesses with a minimum of $2 million of annual pretax profits.

Experience: All Partners involved have a minimum of 15+ years of experience selling businesses.

Accounting: After executing our Listing Agreement The Montana Group provides a recast of your business’ Income Statements and Balance Sheets at no charge. This enhances your business valuation by increasing your cash flow income stream; the most influential component to pricing a business.

Our Network of Buyers: Since our inception in 1991, we focused on developing an extensive buyer database which currently has in excess of 500 prospective business buyers, each with a fund of at least $50 million and a drive to invest it. Our goal is to locate potential buyers who have an enthusiasm for acquiring within the industry of our client. The dynamics affecting the appetite for acquisition change constantly so it is essential that we continually expand our reach for the perfect match. Of course, we always get our client’s approval on which we approach to discuss the purchase of their Company. We know that a key to the success of The Montana Group is our comprehensive database of qualified and motivated buyers and the relationships we have built with them.

 

How can The Montana Group help the Business Owner?

How can The Montana Group help the Business Owner?

As we have consulted in the sale of businesses since 1991 we have learned what is appealing and what is of concern to the potential buyers. This is why we believe we are best described as consultants who analyze a business from the perspective of the buyers and make recommendations that should ease concerns and increase enthusiasm for the acquisition of a business. Often these suggestions are not difficult to implement and have a short lag before there is apparent improvement in the company’s profit or simply eliminate some operational issues going forward that could negatively influence the buyers.

Additionally, The Montana Group will provide its accountant to review the balance sheets and income statements for the prior three years and the current year to date financial information. We will also construct a budget for the remaining fiscal year, as well as, the next one. The potential buyers will use this to determine their valuation so it is critical that this information is provided in a format that best positions the business. The experienced consultant should more than cover their fee with this part of the presentation.

The summary narrative of the company is necessary in order to gauge the initial interest of the buyers and the buyers’ motivations should be such that their enthusiasm for the company raises their offer. A well-written narrative can enhance this.

It is important that interested buyers understand the sellers’ representative’s past successes and ability to bring competition into the process. Of course, buyers prefer not to pay any more than is necessary so they need to feel that in order to acquire the company their bid must be competitive. A consultant with many completed transactions will know how to properly enhance the ultimate transaction price but also in additional seller benefits, which can be substantial.

“Selling a business is a once-in-a-lifetime and lifestyle change that often affects multiple generations. So, use a specialist with years of experience. While this can be done by the business owner in an attempt to be frugal, our 25 years with this specific focus tells us that often the owner is reducing the sale price in multiples over the money saved from not paying a success-based consulting fee.”, says Emmett Barnes, President and Founder of The Montana Group. (www.montanagroup.com)