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Top Tips to be Due Diligence Ready

It is imperative that during an M&A transaction thorough due diligence is conducted, not least because it helps to establish the true value of a transaction.

Due diligence is a term applied to the work acquirers undertake after signing HoTs (Heads of Terms) and falls into three main categories: commercial due diligence, financial due diligence and legal due diligence. It is a review of the seller’s company and includes looking into areas such as potential risks and liabilities, the seller’s competition, middle management and employees, financial status, intellectual property, and assets.

It is not an easy task to conduct, so here are five tips on how to ease the process:

TIP ONE: IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO PREPARE

An acquirer will want to see an extensive list of documentation which can include copies of contracts with suppliers, intellectual property registration, computer systems and data protection, employment contracts and pensions, and much more.

It is wise to draw up a due diligence checklist anticipating what an acquirer will want to know – most will provide this when the time comes but a checklist early on ensures that these documents are prepared and up-to-date.

Being prepared with this information, before an exit is even on the cards, is important as it can help expedite the transaction and make the company look more attractive to potential acquirers – if information can be provided quickly, an acquirer will know the transaction is being taken seriously.


TIP TWO: USE A DATA ROOM

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How Can I sell the Business I Love ?

Bringing a business to success is an emotional journey from start to finish. Years are spent making sacrifices and taking tough decisions. So, as you get closer to retirement age, choosing to sell your business can be a bittersweet step to take. You raised your business like a child, and you have grown attached to it. How do you begin to make the decision to sell it?

First and foremost, you need to know your reasons for selling. Perhaps, you started your own business, so you could take control of your life and call the shots. Maybe, it was to provide a better life for you or your family. If you are reaching retirement age, then you have probably made a full circle and came back to those initial reasons. Those same motivators can be the drivers behind your ultimate decision to develop a strategy so that you can exit your company.

You love your business, but you love your family too. Perhaps you feel it’s come time to refocus your time and energy on your personal life. That’s okay, and you have several options at your disposal. Balancing work life and home life can be a challenge. Don’t let your obligations to your business keep you from fulfilling your goals at home.

If the decision to sell is on the table, there are a few paths you can take. A partial sale of your business is one option. This option is intriguing if you aren’t sure if you are ready to leave your business entirely. Bringing in a strategic buyer for your business that can begin working alongside you and help your business grow to its full potential will give you more time for your personal goals, while still allowing you to stay involved in your business. You can take on a less rigorous role without having to step down completely.

Strategic buyers are looking for a synergistic partnership that will allow them to either expand their footprint within a particular market, or one that will give them the chance to break into a new industry. Your business will add value to a strategic buyer’s plans , so they will want to see success in your company. This means your incentives will be aligned and if your company isn’t successful, neither is theirs.

Another option is a sale with an eventual complete exit. A complete sale does not have to happen immediately. You can slowly transition out of your business over time. This is a good option if you want to retire and leave your business completely, but care about your employees and the legacy you’ve left behind after you are gone.   

A buyer who buys your business out right is called a financial buyer. Your business is an investment, and this buyer will need to have a management team in place, most likely your management team. If you want to make sure your business is going to be okay without you, it’s a good idea to transition with the business, so your employees can get acclimated to the changes as well.

Also, if your employees see your commitment and support to transitioning through the changes with them, it will help alleviate doubts they might be having about the sale themselves. When you decide to leave the business you love, you want to make sure you are leaving it in the right hands, and you want to make sure the employees who helped you build it are in good hands as well.

One thing you definitely should not do is tackle a sale on your own. If you are vested in focusing on selling your business and neglect your daily responsibilities within the business itself, you can potentially harm your business because your focus has shifted. Successfully completing a sale takes a great deal of time and understanding of the mergers and acquisitions transaction process. Patience is a virtue, and selling your business will take a little time, but with the right team in place, you can get maximum value for your company.

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View Our Exclusive US Opportunities

Benchmark International has been engaged as the exclusive sell-side broker for international companies across all industries. However, in this PDF, we are showcasing our Featured US Opportunities.

If you find the teasers you would like to see, please contact Garrett Spek at Spek@BenchmarkCorporate.com or call 813-898-2373 and provide the six digit 
alphanumeric code.

All of these clients have retained Benchmark International as their exclusive broker and we are not co-brokering any of them so if you have seen them elsewhere, we are the source. That said, we appreciate your passing this list on to any and all serious buyers you may know of.

Featured US Opportunities PDF

Benchmark sells over 100 businesses every year, many involving cross-border deals. If you have specific acquisition interests, please email your criteria to acquirerupdate@benchmarkcorporate.com.  You can also let us know if you would like to sign up to receive future opportunity marketing emails.

Beyond this list, we also have EmbraceBenchmark.com, which showcases a complete listing of our US opportunities.

Looking to Aquire an Exclusive Opportunity in the Americas?
Contact Kendall Stafford at Stafford@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Europe?
Contact Bhavina Halai at Halai@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Africa?
Contact Andre Bresler at Bresler@BenchmarkCorporate.com 

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Cape Town Named as Number One City of Opportunity in Africa

Cape Town has ranked in the top 31 opportunity cities, placing sixth out of 13 middle-income cities and as Africa’s number one opportunity city, according to a report by PwC.

Of the other middle-income cities on the report, nine of the cities are more than double the size of Cape Town and, aside from Rio de Janeiro, the other middle-income cities were either a capital of its country, or the largest city.

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Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the acquisition of Plastic Revolutions, Inc. to Industrial Container Services

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the acquisition of Plastic Revolutions, Inc. to Industrial Container Services.

Plastic Revolutions, Inc. is a plastic recycling company that diverts post-consumer and post-industrial waste from landfills. The company receives plastic material in various forms from manufacturers, material recovery facilities, and brokers.

The acquirer, Industrial Container Services, is the largest provider of reusable container solutions in North America. The company offers the most complete container management systems available including reconditioning, manufacturing, distribution, used container collection and recycling services for all major industrial packaging types.

 

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

 

Given the current market standards, the Benchmark International team decided to focus on synergistic buyers for the client. This allowed Plastic Revolutions to obtain the best possible value in a transaction as both parties would benefit from the acquisition. The acquirer can now bring plastic recycling in house.

Regarding the deal, Transaction Director Leo Vanderschuur stated “It was a pleasure to represent Plastic Revolutions in this transaction, and on behalf of Benchmark International, we are extremely pleased with the outcome. Allowing both the seller and acquirer to prosper and benefit is always an ideal end result.”

The President of Plastic Revolutions, John Hagan, stated that his experience with Benchmark International was top notch. "Benchmark was unbelievably helpful in assisting in the sale of my company. They explained the process and were in front of the pack the entire way to the finish line," he said. "I would highly recommend Benchmark to anyone wanting to sell their company."

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Top 10 Industries for Private Equity Investment Revealed

A study by Private Equity Info has identified the top 10 industries that private equity firms have been acquiring during 2018. Below is a breakdown of the industries along with why they have been so popular with private equity firms.

1. Manufacturing

Manufacturing features on the list, in part, as a result of advancements in manufacturing. With automation, processes are made more efficient in many different sectors such as technology, aerospace, automobile and medical devices, making manufacturing companies an attractive prospect for private equity firms as they can utilise the technology in their portfolio companies and it is a good investment.

Watermill Group is a prime example of a private equity firm acquiring manufacturing companies. It currently has three manufacturing companies in its portfolio and within the past year acquired Andaray (Holdings) Limited and its subsidiary Cooper & Turner.

Commenting on this, Steve Karol, Managing Partner at Watermill Group said, “We are bullish on manufacturing in North America. Advanced manufacturing is creating a lot of new opportunities in many different sectors for many different companies.”

 2. Software

Similar to manufacturing, the software industry is popular with private equity firms as it can be utilised within other sectors for their advancement.

Software can be utilised in all manner of sectors and is proving particularly popular in retail as it can detect changes in customer attitude. While a valuable asset to have, it is incredibly difficult for other sectors to replicate what the software can do, therefore lends itself as an add-on to other companies.

Proof of this is within European M&A. Within the last year, software M&A activity set a new record for the number of transactions conducted and one of the main drivers for this growth was private equity, with statistics from Mergermarket showing that there were $11.2 billion of private equity deals conducted out of the $24.7 billion overall total for 2017.

Interested in private equity investment?

 3. Technology

Once again, private equity is investing as technology is a useful asset to be used to improve portfolio companies.

What has been interesting over the past year is how private equity firms, themselves, have started to utilise technology for their own benefit, not just for the benefit of portfolio companies. For example, artificial intelligence systems are now being used to screen investment opportunities. This phenomenon is not expected to slow down either, as a survey by Coller Capital shows three quarters of investors believe their private equity programmes could be improved by the use of external data sources such as third party software and cloud applications to the digital marketplace.

 

 4. Healthcare

There is an interest in healthcare from private equity given the fact that this is a growth sector because of the ageing population and the fact that the system is fragmented and needs to be consolidated. Recent acquisitions in this industry include that of Envision Healthcare by KKR in June 2018.

It’s particularly good news for healthcare companies in the UK, as private equity firms have been increasingly active in this market, believing the sector will fare well throughout Brexit.

 

5. Data

Data, in a similar way to technology, has been popular with private equity firms because of both acquiring the assets for their portfolio companies and because data can be used within the transactions themselves.

The use of data and analytics in private equity is gaining momentum as it can be used to identify issues at a quicker rate and focus the due diligence process, enabling both the buyer and seller to close a deal faster. It is important that a deal can be closed quickly for private equity firms, as record amount of dry powder available means that there is a lot more competition in the market.

 

 6. Oil & Gas

As the oil & gas industry has strengthened in 2018 with a rise in commodity prices, costs and emerging technology the market is forecast to accelerate, with an expected global value of $2,627.4bn by the end of 2022, compared to $1,977.3bn in 2017.

This could make the industry an attractive prospect to private equity buyers although, that being said, oil & gas has always been a popular industry for private equity investment as it is a commodity that is always in demand, it produces a steady cash flow, there are high barriers to entry into the market, and it attracts strong profits.

 

7. Medical

While the medical industry has some crossover with healthcare, there is more of a focus on the area of medical devices, particularly within manufacturing and research. As innovative new drugs and devices are continually coming to market this is attractive for private equity. A recent acquisition in this sphere includes Mérieux Développement and Gimv’s acquisition of Stiplastics Healthcaring.

Feel like it's a good time to sell?

8. Construction/10. Engineering

While construction and engineering appeared in eighth and tenth places respectively, there has been an increased presence of private equity firms in the combined engineering and construction industry. While last year saw an increase in private equity exits, there was also an increase in acquisition activity.

One notable transaction in 2017 was that of Warburg Pincus’ acquisition of Service Logic. This acquisition is a key example of why private equity interest has increased as Service Logic is a HVAC and mechanical services provider, an area which private equity firms are eager to enter because of the recurring revenues available. There has been even more interest in recent years as the aftermarket is growing as a result of a need for it within the construction industry.

 

 9. Transportation & Logistics

Private equity in the transportation & logistics industry has emerged as a large player since the 2008 financial crisis as it worked at consolidating a fragmented market and financing expansion. In 2014, there was a shift to publicly trading companies acquiring transportation & logistics companies, and private equity took advantage of a buyers’ market and sold. By 2015, however, private equity was back to being the main contender as spending slowed down from publicly traded companies due to their stock prices falling, whereas private equity had the necessary resources.

One such company that specialises in transportation & logistics acquisitions is Greenbriar Equity Group, with the majority of its current portfolio dating back to 2015. Some of its recent acquisitions include The Whitcraft Group (April 2017) and LaserShip (March 2018).

 

WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE

Call Benchmark International today if you are interested in an exit or growth strategy or if you are interested in acquiring.

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Upcoming Webinar: Now that the Valuation is Set, Here’s Where You will Win or Lose the Deal - PART II

If you joined us for part one of this webinar last month, you already understand why coming up with the valuation is only one of many key deal points you will need to secure in order make your exit a success. In part two we will examine another six key issues, this time focusing in on those that come even later in the process; after deal fatigue has set in and you feel like you can’t possibly have anything left to fight about or give away.

  1. Winning the net working capital fight
  2. Your indemnification of the acquirer
  3. How the disclosure schedules protect you
  4. Can reps and warranties insurance assist you?
  5. The inevitable non-competes
  6. Meet the Grim Reaper of your sale process - Delays

Register and save your seat! 

If you missed part I, the video can be found here and I encourage you to take an hour to get caught up to ensure you get the most out of part II this month.

Date & Time: 
August 30th, 2018
10:00 am EST

Host:
Clinton Johnston
Managing Director
Benchmark International

 

WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE. 

Call Benchmark International today if you are interested in an exit or growth strategy or if you are interested in acquiring.

Schedule a call to speak to an Analyst

Americas: Sam Smoot at +1 (813) 898 2350 / Smoot@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Europe: Carl Settle at +44 (0)161 359 4400 / Settle@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Africa: Anthony McCardle at +2721 300 2055 / McCardle@BenchmarkCorporate.com

 

ABOUT BENCHMARK INTERNATIONAL

Benchmark International’s global offices provide business owners in the middle market and lower middle market with creative, value-maximizing solutions for growing and exiting their businesses. To date, Benchmark International has handled engagements in excess of $5B across 30 industries worldwide. With decades of global M&A experience, Benchmark International’s deal teams, working from 13 offices across the world, have assisted hundreds of owners with achieving their personal objectives and ensuring the continued growth of their businesses.

Website: http://www.benchmarkcorporate.com
Blog: http://blog.benchmarkcorporate.com/ 

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Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the acquisition of Central Window of Vero Beach, Inc. by Florida Window and Door.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the acquisition of Central Window of Vero Beach, Inc. by Florida Window and Door. Central Window of Vero Beach is a supplier and installer of windows, doors, and specialty screens for contractors and end-users.

Florida Window and Door and its affiliates have been in the replacement window business since 1983, and have successfully serviced over 80,000 residential and commercial properties throughout the Midwest, East Coast, and Florida. The company continues to expand its footprint through acquisition. Central Window fits well strategically with Florida Window and Door’s growth plan.

Wendy Labadie at Central Window stated that "Benchmark was very aggressive, in a professional way. The time is of the essencemindset proved to be beneficial to us. We would not have been able to find a qualified buyer without their vetting process.

 

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

 

Scott Berman, President of Florida Window and Door commented, “Central Window provides us the opportunity to acquire a business that has been in business for over 38 years with a stellar reputation and qualified staff. The company allows us to further expand our geographic footprint in the State of Florida. We look forward to the opportunity of growing this business and welcome the employees of Central Window to our company.” Mr. Berman also added, “Benchmark was extremely helpful in the process and allowed us to complete the deal on schedule as a result of their guidance.”

Regarding the deal, Transaction Director Leo VanderSchuur stated “It was a pleasure to represent Central Window of Vero Beach in this transaction and, on behalf of Benchmark International, we are extremely pleased with the outcome. Allowingboth the seller and acquirer to prosper and benefit is always an ideal end result.”

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M&A Activity in Ireland Valued at a Record High €70.9bn in First Half of 2018

A new study concerning M&A activity in the first half of 2018 by William Fry in collaboration with Mergermarket has shown that 76 M&A deals were undertaken with a combined value of nearly €71bn.

Contributing to the success is Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical’s proposed takeover of Irish headquartered Shire Pharmaceuticals for €67.1bn – the largest ever foreign takeover by a Japanese company.

While megadeals are certainly encouraging, Irish M&A has not just boosted its deal value with one-off transactions such as the proposed Takeda/Shire deal. The number of deals conducted has remained fairly stable since H1 2017’s review, with 80 transactions recorded compared to this year’s 76.

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View Our Featured International Business Opportunities

Benchmark International has been engaged as the exclusive sell-side broker for international companies across all industries. Please take a moment to review the Featured International Opportunities PDF.

If you find the teasers you would like to see, please contact Anthony Sourour at Sourour@BenchmarkCorporate.com or +1 813 898 2391 and provide the six digit
alphanumeric code.

All of these clients have retained Benchmark International as their exclusive broker and we are not co-brokering any of them so if you have seen them elsewhere, we are the source. That said, we appreciate your passing this list on to any and all serious buyers you may know of.

Featured International Opportunities PDF

Benchmark sells over 100 businesses every year, many involving cross-border deals. If you have specific acquisition interests, please email your criteria to acquirerupdate@benchmarkcorporate.com.  You can also let us know if you would like to sign up to receive future opportunity marketing emails.

Beyond this list, we also have EmbraceBenchmark.com, which showcases a complete listing of our US opportunities.

Looking to Aquire an Exclusive Opportunity in the Americas?
Contact Kendall Stafford at Stafford@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Europe?
Contact Bhavina Halai at Halai@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Looking to Acquire an Exclusive Opportunity in Africa?
Contact Andre Bresler at Bresler@BenchmarkCorporate.com 

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Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the merger between Network Technologies, Inc. and Automated Systems Design.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the merger between Network Technologies, Inc. and Automated Systems Design. Network Technologies, Inc.

(NTI) is an IT infrastructure design and planning firm, specializing in technology cabling, audio/visual design and control systems, security systems and wireless networks.

Automated Systems Design (ASD), is a nationwide provider of design, engineering, installation, and project management for workplace technologies for customers in a variety of industries. 

 

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

 

Jeff Cook, President and majority owner of NTI said “The Benchmark team was very professional, responsive and provided great guidance during our entire transaction process. Having Benchmark on our side, focusing on the details of the transaction process, allowed our management team to continue to focus on the day to day running of our business. I would highly recommend partnering with Benchmark for any small to mid-size business owner that is considering the sale or merger of their firm. We are excited to be part of the ASD team and look forward to providing expanded services and capabilities to our clients through the synergies of the combined companies.” 

We are very pleased to welcome NTI, led by Jeff Cook and Scott Dupuis, to the ASD family. The combined companies of ASD and NTI is a strong strategic fit that will provide our customers a fully integrated design/build organization. NTI's experienced management team and operational staff will be a strong addition to our organization and we look forward to integrating the team over the next few months. We believe the merged companies further our goal to expand our service offerings to both NTI and ASD customers throughout the US. We look forward to building on the success of both organizations and to continue to grow our customer base through the strong reputation of delivering projects on time and budget.said Kevin Kiziah, President and CEO of ASD. 

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A Healthy Pipeline of Deals: M&A Transactions in the Healthcare Industry

Posted on August 9, 2018 By in healthcare + M&A

M&A is playing an increasingly important role in the changing landscape of the healthcare industry with a growth in these types of transactions globally.

In 2017, the value of M&A deals in the industry rose 27 per cent to $332 billion and the deal count increased 16 per cent.

The US has been particularly prevalent in this area, with a recent study by Mergermarket showing that there were 579 deals for healthcare targets in 2017, the second-highest on record.

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Tags: healthcare, M&A

Benchmark International Advises on the Sale of Profab Access Limited to ERA Home Security Limited

Posted on August 8, 2018 By in UK Deals + UK M&A

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the sale of Warwickshire based manufacturer of riser doors, steel doors and access panels, Profab, to home security specialist, ERA.

Established in 2000, Profab provides to a B2B client base worldwide, with its products featuring in a number of prestigious buildings.

ERA, a division of Tyman Plc, is a specialist in the design and manufacture of window/door hardware and home security alarm systems. In 2017, Bilco UK Ltd, a provider of standard and bespoke roof access hatches, floor doors, ladders and smoke vents, and Howe Green Limited, a manufacturer of fabricated floor access covers, linear drainage, tree pit covers and bespoke metalwork, became a part of ERA, following the acquisition of Howe Green.

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Tags: UK Deals, UK M&A

Benchmark International Facilitates the Sale of GPL Landscaping to Rotolo Consultants

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the acquisition of GPL Landscaping to Rotolo Consultants, Inc.

Benchmark International acted as the representative for GPL Landscaping throughout this transaction. This represents Benchmark International’s fourth successful deal closing in the Landscaping industry over the last two years. Benchmark International maintained a close relationship with the client to obtain a good value for both parties.

“The landscaping industry has become a hot sector for lower middle market M&A,” said Benchmark International Managing Director Clinton Johnston. “The volumes and multiples we are seeing now, as well as the sheer number of repeat buyers and closed transactions, especially below the Mason-Dixon Line, could never have been predicted even as recently as five years ago. While there is an exciting quantity of well-funded potential acquirers, each is looking for very specific criteria and will only pay the value sellers are demanding in cases where an exact match can be found for their criteria.”

 

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

 

GPL Landscaping provides landscape maintenance and installation services to commercial and high-end residential accounts located in Florida. Approximately 80% of revenue is based on recurring maintenance programs. An established bank of customers made them a positive prospect for potential buyers.

Rotolo Consultants (RCI) Is a well-established regional landscaping company. RCI has designed, constructed, and maintained many of the most innovative and beautiful landscapes in the southeastern US. Through the years, they have evolved from a small family nursery business to one of the largest, most respected firms in the industry. “We are very excited about the acquisition of GPL Landscaping. (The company) comes with an experienced management team that has been at the core of its success,” said Keith Rotolo, president and CEO of RCI. “RCI will now be able to offer our extensive landscape and construction scopes of work to a new client base while aggressively growing the existing landscape maintenance presence that GPL had established. We will continue to explore acquisition opportunities in northwest Florida as well as in our core markets.”

Benchmark International Transaction Director, John Deeks, stated, “This transaction was not without its bumps and delays. However, as we knew that this client represented a perfect fit for the buyer in terms of geography, commercial to residential mix, level of recurring business, and management practices; we knew this was the right deal for our client and the valuation offered by RCI would be difficult to replicate. As a result, we fought hard to keep this deal on track, reminding the buyer of this compatibility at every opportunity and fighting through some unusually lengthy roadblocks.”

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Steven Keane Wins Chairman of the Year!

Benchmark International is proud to announce that our Chairman, Steven Keane, has won Chairman of the Year 2018 by Acquisition International. Congratulations Steven!!!

 

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Webinar Video: Now That the Valuation is Set, Here's Where You Will Win or Lose the Deal

 

 

M&A Webinar: Now that the Valuation is Set, Here’s Where You will Win or Lose the Deal

Many sellers think they have reached the finish line once the buyer has been selected or perhaps when the letter of intent is executed. Even those who know they haven’t reached that line often believe all key elements of the transaction have been ironed out and all that remains is the “technical” part. To better understand many of the material issues that remain open after the letter of intent is executed, this webinar will walk participants through a wide array of those open issues. 

  1. Stock versus asset deals, which is really better?
  2. Tax elections = dirty words
  3. Monetizing the real estate portion
  4. Protecting yourself with employment and consulting agreements
  5. Seller notes and earn outs – never say never
  6. Escrows, who needs them?
  7. Winning the net working capital fight
  8. Your indemnification of the acquirer
  9. How the disclosure schedules protect you
  10. Can reps and warranties insurance assist you?
  11. The inevitable non-competes
  12. Meet the Grim Reaper of your sale process- Delays

You can also watch it here on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/282908864

Hosted By:
Clinton Johnston
Managing Director
Benchmark International

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