Some business owners have a plan, some have none at all, and some are handed ownership of the business from the passing of a loved one. No matter the situation, it’s important to remember that succession is an outcome rather than a plan.
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After more than 35 years of advising middle-market family business owners, I always come back to the question I’m most often asked: “How can I maximize the value of my company?” Here’s my advice.
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Selling your business will be the biggest transaction of your life, more important than launching your company or anything that happened in-between. Why? Because not only is your exit the culmination of all of your business decisions, it also sets the foundation for your financial well-being in retirement.
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As you can imagine, I’ve seen almost every situation over 35 years when it comes to people needing to sell a middle-market family business. I see new reasons all the time, which certainly keeps this business fresh for me year after year. But a situation I see all too often is that of the surviving spouse when a business owner has passed away.
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As an advisor to middle-market family business owners, I routinely help founders plan for their eventual exit and retirement. There are many elements to building and executing on an exit strategy. You need to develop goals that are aligned with those of your estate plan, you need to plan for the growth of your business over time, and you need to develop succession and transition plans as well.
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Why do people buy and sell businesses? The answers vary from company to company, but there are several common driving forces.
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The last thing you want is to feel this way when you’re looking to exit your business. Selling a business is stressful—it’s one of those high-priority events in our lives, , like getting married, the birth of our children or starting the business. It’s inevitable that these events in our lives all lead to stress, but that doesn’t mean you can’t control it!
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From overall stability to a strong sense of shared commitment, running or working in a family business has a number of advantages. But anyone who’s been involved with one knows that it’s no cake walk, either. It’s just a fact of life: family-run companies come with a unique set of benefits and challenges.
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You can sell your business to the first unsolicited buyer if you wish – but if you want to ensure a fair sale, one that yields all the profits you deserve and meets all of your goals, planning on your part is absolutely essential.
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Let’s talk about enhancing value and maximizing the return for family business owners. To get the most money and get the most people interested in buying your business, you need to plan in advance. This is where we do our best work on the planning side of our business, setting up owners for greater success, months and years ahead of the actual exit transaction.
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Some businesses fail to survive after the death, incapacity, or retirement of the controlling family members. Family business founders must balance the challenges of running any business with those related to family dynamics. Many of these challenges may be addressed by a cohesive approach to transition planning and estate planning, culminating in an exit strategy.
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This year should be unprecedented with regard to the number of Baby Boomer business owners, both in small businesses and the middle market, looking to move on to retirement. There are a variety of factors that have converged to make this seller’s market one of the better ones we’ve seen in the modern era, but it can’t last much longer.
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