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The Green Economy Update And Outlook

The global green industry is forecast to grow at a significant rate between 2022 and 2026. Over the past decade, the green economy’s market capitalization grew from $2 trillion in 2009 to more than $7 trillion in 2021. It also nearly doubled its share of the global investable market from 4% to more than 7%. Last year, the market grew at a steady rate and is expected to continue to do so with the growing adoption of strategies by key players.

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One Certainty about this Virus – Your Taxes Will Go Up

There remain innumerable uncertainties about the spreading pandemic. However, one thing became clear over the last five days – governments are opening their coffers to stem the economic dislocations caused by the many forms of “social distancing.” With air travel curtailed, stores closing, and events cancelled, central banks and executive branches are swinging into action by lowering interest rates, creating tax moratoriums, and spending whatever it takes. When we come out on the other side of this, whether that be in several weeks or months, government coffers will be empty and longer-term healing governments will feel obliged to fund and that will continue to stress public budgets.

The only answer to that stress will be higher taxes. Fortunately, unlike the measures we are seeing now, tax increases will require legislative action and legislatures don’t move all that fast. As a result, there will be a window when business is back to normal and taxes will remain at their current historically low levels around the globe. Will this be for weeks? Months? Certainly less than a year.

So for business owners looking to sell, there may very well be a slight window of opportunity. If things deteriorate further in the near term, buyers will begin shutting down their processes and will be sitting on idle cash when we emerge. They may well be nicely poised to run through a record number of deals between the medical recovery and the tax hikes.

 

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

There are pieces of the company sale process that are best handled with some air travel and face-to-face meetings, but the initial stages are not those. If you were already thinking about starting the process before this all began, you may want to consider starting now and being ready for this window of opportunity. It often takes a year to sell a business, and the first three to six months of that process can easily be performed remotely.

In fact, at Benchmark International, we’ve been handling the “deal preparation” phase of or engaged remotely for years. Between online data rooms, email, video conferencing, and other collaborative tools including Benchmark International’s newly-launched SISU deal suite software, we have been and remain ready to take our sell-side clients from engagement to signing letters of intent without any need for clients, buyers, or our employees to meet face-to-face.

 

Author
Clinton Johnston
Managing Partner
Benchmark International

T: +1 813 898 2350
E: Johnston@benchmarkintl.com

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Effects Of Coronavirus On Business Owners And The Economy

As the coronavirus known as COVID-19 spreads to more regions around the world, it is making a major impact on world and local economies. The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has already disrupted global travel and supply chains and affected businesses of all sizes in both China and abroad.

The true impacts of the virus for companies will depend upon how far and wide the outbreak spreads and its duration. If the spread is limited and relatively short-lived, the damage to many businesses could be somewhat minor and recoverable. The types of businesses that analysts warn will feel the worst impacts are hospitality chains, airlines, transportation groups, retailers and makers of luxury goods, as people postpone travel plans and avoid shopping centers. Hospitality businesses such as restaurants and hotels will also face the largest challenge at making up losses later in the year.

Supply Chain Impacts
How long factories in China remain closed is also another important aspect of the situation because of how it is affecting global supply chains, as a great deal of the world’s products are made in Chinese factories. Some industries could begin to run out of parts and miss their revenue targets, such as auto manufacturers and smartphone makers. Smaller businesses that import products from China, such as Amazon third-party sellers, could also face a shortage if factories do not begin to reopen.

Business owners should be proactively assessing their supply chains and mapping out strategies to maintain resources and address vulnerabilities. Do you have a backup plan? Is it possible to source materials locally? Getting ahead of the problem can be worthwhile if it is feasible. Once the virus is no longer an issue, factories are expected to recover and offset lost production. What that ultimately means for business owners depends on their type of business and how much of their inventory has been impacted. Companies that plan for strategic, operational and financial agility in response to future global risks will be more likely to react and recover.

On a somewhat positive note, the number of new cases of COVID-19 in China now appears to be declining, signaling hope that circumstances may be able to improve. Chinese scientists believe that the outbreak will be under control by the end of April.

 

Ready to explore your exit and growth options?

In the United States
The virus has stoked fears on Wall Street has caused markets to fall at near-record levels. Outlooks for revenue growth in 2020 are down. According to a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in the country of China, nearly half of U.S. businesses based there are expected to lose revenues if the effects of the coronavirus outbreak persist after April 30th. The U.S. House and Senate are working on funding to respond to the virus. Part of this funding may include interest-free loans to small businesses hurt by an outbreak.

There is no expert consensus as to whether COVID-19 could cause the U.S. economy to fall into a recession. Any optimism is partially due to the strength of the economy, the role of the Federal Reserve Board to provide support, and the ability to contain the virus. Meanwhile, the virus’s trajectory remains unpredictable. The Centers for Disease Control issued containment guidance to businesses. And the major stock market indexes continue to react and enter correction territory as investors try to sort out what it could all mean for business owners in the long run.

Around the World
As for the rest of the world, the impacts remain contingent upon how much the virus spreads and how effectively it can be contained. It has reached more than 40 nations so far. Currently in Europe and Asia, many companies are asking employees to work from home or take leave and are assessing their emergency plans to prevent or limit an outbreak. Hospitality companies face the biggest obstacle in this sense because the vast majority of their employees cannot do their jobs from home. In Italy, entire towns are on lockdown and tens of thousands of people are quarantined. In Japan, all schools nationwide are being asked to close for one month to help contain the spread of the virus. In South Korea, confirmed cases are rising. In Iran, cases have also risen and many schools, public offices and businesses have closed. And Saudi Arabia is closing holy Islamic sites to foreigners.

M&A Deals
The impacts on M&A activity remain unclear. If the virus causes a decline in profits for businesses, it could affect M&A. Buyers may lower offers in reaction to market changes, while sellers are likely to expect their original prices. This disparity could reduce transaction volume. For now, it remains a matter of wait and see.

Contact Us
If you are ready to make a move with your company, please reach out to our M&A experts at Benchmark International to discuss how we can help you achieve your goals.

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Global M&A Activity 2019 – Deal Makers Optimistic for the Year Ahead

Refinitiv has announced the findings of its annual Deal Makers Sentiment Survey conducted by Greenwich Associates – a survey which provides a quantitative assessment of M&A related and capital market activity in the year ahead.

The survey has revealed that, despite market turbulence, reassurance has been offered in terms of M&A and capital market trends as the deal making professionals surveyed are cautiously optimistic for the year ahead.

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Women in Power

Posted on November 12, 2018 By in US Election + Business Tips + Economy + business owner + Women

“If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation;” these words were spoken by Abigail Adams, First lady of the United States and wife to John Adams, one of the founding fathers and writers of the Declaration of Independence.  

There is no doubt that women have been aggressively challenging the status quo in their pursuits for independence, equality, and active leadership over the last couple decades. This past Tuesday November 06, 2018, women took their achievements to a whole new level and broadened the gamut of political representation to include the largest body of female members of Congress thus far.

The ladies deserve a round of applause after the turnout of this year’s US midterm elections. There were some notable historic voting records surpassed. So far, there will be at least 119 women serving in the 116th Congress. This number is up from the historic high of 107.

The central message being supported by both sides of the fence is that this turnout of elections was a huge success for this gender group as a whole. Women are playing a much larger role in law declarations than ever before, and their voice is being represented at a louder volume than ever before.

This group of elected women represents several firsts for this minority. The next Congress will have a record number of women of color, a record number of non-incumbent women, its first Native American women, its first Muslim women, and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Exit polls illustrated that 8 out of 10 Americans said it’s important to elect more women to public office.

Women are upending the idea that “men wear the pants,” and are taking the reins in corporate settings as well. According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, “more than 11.6 million firms are owned by women, employing nearly 9 million people, and generating $1.7 trillion in sales as of 2017.” Moreover, women-owned firms account for 39% of all privately held firms. These stats have been growing consistently for the last two decades as women start to play larger roles in business development and implementation, and they are only expected to continue growing.

Benchmark International supports women in their pursuits of their passions and their drivers for success, and this is highlighted by the success of one of our very own inspirational women. On November 06, 2018 Managing Director, Kendall Stafford, challenged the mainstream middle-market mergers and acquisitions sector when she was awarded the title of Investment Banker of the Year by The M&A Advisor.

The awards presented by The M&A Advisor are essentially the equivalent to the Oscars for the M&A world. Stafford is a key player in transactions completed by Benchmark International, and she is a valued team member. Stafford was among a list of eight finalists, and she was the only woman on that list, and she came out on top. Benchmark International believes in fostering success and supports our employees and our clients in all they wish to achieve.

When it’s time to sell your business, you want a team that is on your side. If you are a woman looking to get the most from a full or partial sale of your business, we are dedicated to facilitating an acquisition that gets you the best value for your business in every facet.

If you are ready to start your exit strategy, you can call the Benchmark International headquarters at (813) 898-2350 to speak with a professional who can get you on the path you seek.

Schedule a call to speak to an Analyst

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Global M&A Activity to Reach Record Figure of £2.4 Trillion in 2018

Worldwide mergers and acquisition activity will hit £2.4 trillion ($3.2 trillion) next year, as deal-making is elevated on an increasing global economic tide, according to recent forecasts.

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M&A Meat Processing Sector - Ireland

In spite of the uncertainty surrounding the meat processing sector in Ireland, M&A activity involving participants within the sector has continued apace in 2017, with the conclusion of some notable deals.

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Timing: A Critical Factor in M&A

Timing is, without doubt, one of the most critical factors in mergers and acquisitions; a recent report found that it is, in fact, the single most reliable predictor in terms of creating real shareholder value.

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Out of Africa: How the M&A Market is Evolving South of the Sahara

Benchmark International has recently opened a new office in Cape Town, South Africa (see 3rd July blog post), headed up by Andre Bresler and Dustin Graham. This is an exciting development for Benchmark International, in a dynamic evolving market.

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