When it comes to the M&A Process, sellers often times have many questions. Here is a list of 7 frequently asked questions about the M&A process.

As a business owner you may be asking yourself how to keep your employees motivated and focused on the long-term objectives you have put in place for your business or you may be asking yourself how to raise additional capital to grow your business. There is a way to keep employees focused and aligned with the company’s growth objectives.  Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, I was always told that you better care of the things you actually own.  Ever been to a nice hotel room and left the beds undone? The point here is that if employees take ownership of the business, they will have the business’ best interests at heart.  One of the mechanisms used by many business owners as an exit strategy is an ESOP.  An ESOP allows the continuity of an existing business and can be a great way for growth and expansion.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or better known as an ESOP, is an employee benefit plan much like a 401(k) that allows your employees to take a real interest in the success of the company ownership. In other words, employees are allocated a number of ownership shares in a business this making them ‘owners.’ Traditionally, when the process of an ESOP begins, ownership shares are usually held in a trust until the employee decides to retire or leave the business, and at that point the company buys back the shares, keeping the ownership under one roof. The best part is the shareholders of your company wouldn’t be some outside investors that are only focused on their return, but they would be the people coming to the office everyday and putting in the work to make a difference. The success of your business will directly affect your employees/shareholders retirement plan, giving them an additional reason to increase productivity and profitability.

Now, let’s say your employees are doing great but you want to take your business to its next growth stage. You may go to a bank to obtain a loan, which will result in high interest rates for a number of years. Your second option may be to seek out a financial investor, that could potentially result in losing a majority or controlling stake in your company. When companies bring in investors, they will want to see a return on their investment as quickly as possible and this can cause unwanted changes in company culture or operations. Luckily, there is a third option, creating an ESOP. This would allow you and your employees to stay in control and maintain the corporate culture you have created for your business over the many years it’s been in operation.

You’re probably thinking how does an ESOP create capital for my company. At a simplified level, the business will have to be able to borrow money from a financial institution to fund the transaction of buying company shares or shares of a current owner. Since this would be considered a loan, the business will have to pay back both principal and interest; however, the way an ESOP is set up is as a pension plan, if you speak to your CPA or tax advisor they might be able to guide you on how these contributions could alleviate your tax burden. In addition, to the contributions to repay the ESOP loan, your tax advisor might be able to illustrate that there are other tax benefits the company can benefit from. Some of these include, cash contributions to the ESOP for the purpose of buying shares from employees or even to build up cash reserves could be tax deductible. In S Corporations, the ownership held by the ESOP could be subjected to tax benefits, as the proportion held by the ESOP does not have to pay federal income tax. For example, if the ESOP owns 30% of the company, 30% of the profits from the business will not be included when paying taxes. There are restrictions on all contributions but these seldom cause an issue for the company.

You may be asking yourself, ‘why would my employees would want a stake in the business?’ ‘it’s just a job for them.’  Well the answer to this is that there are many benefits for the employees to participate in an ESOP. Just like most pension plans, the employee will not pay taxes on these contributions as long as they are working for the company. Instead of giving additional bonuses for hitting goals, which are taxed, you would be able to offer shares in the company and in the end will benefit them when they reach retirement. In a study in 2017, millennials that are in an employee stock ownership plan reported 33% higher wages, 92% higher net household worth, and 53% longer median job tenure.¹

As a business owner who values the safety and well-being of your employees, before you decide on management buyout to increase capital or step away from your business, consider all the options on the table. Benchmark International a leading lower middle market M&A firm is able to assistance you in this process when making tough decisions on the future of your company. We are here to support our client’s objectives and make an easy and graceful transition as you prepare for the step stage of your life, no matter where that might be.

Author:
Nick Woodyard
Analyst
Benchmark International

T: +1 512 347 2000
E: Woodyard@benchmarkcorporate.com

As an owner of a business, there are often times when the employees of the business can become like an extension of the owner’s family.  Employees are often present during challenging times in the business owners professional and personal life and the owners of the business can often be a stabilizing presence in an employee’s life.  One of the biggest concerns of a business owner is what the welfare of their employees will be upon a successful sale of the business. Often times, the concerns can be placed into four broad buckets,

1.) Will the employees be keeping their jobs?

2.) Will the employees be keeping their same level of compensation?

3.) How will the insurance benefits change, if at all?

4.) How will our company culture change – do we still have team building events planned every    quarter and holiday bonuses we can count on?

The answers to these questions can go a long way in determining whether a buyer is the perfect fit for a business, outside of the fundamental valuation and transaction structure.  Mergers and acquisitions are complicated endeavors, involving an incredible amount of work and attention to detail.  While in the midst of an acquisition, HR Departments are the group tasked with managing perhaps the most valuable part of a company – the human capital.  Granted, some aspects of the transaction are unavoidable, including the letting go of employees in an underperforming division or in a role that will be redundant within the acquirer’s organization.  But, if both buyer and seller can get on the same page and formulate a plan for informing the employees of a change, this will ease the transition and mitigate the fear of the unknown. 

Now, to address the first question that will come to an employee’s mind upon finding out their firm is being acquired – am I going to keep my job?  In the vast majority of transactions, employees will retain their roles and often times an acquisition can be an opportunity for upward mobility within a larger organization.  Timing will be of the utmost importance when it comes to making any type of announcement regarding an employee’s employment status, whether positive or negative. One hurdle to avoid at all costs is raising alarms unnecessarily.  In order to avoid this complication, it’s best to announce a merger or acquisition upon execution of a Definitive Purchase Agreement and the transfer of funds. This ensures that the deal is closed and official and will eliminate the risk of pulling the rug out from under the employees of a recently acquired company.  

When the topic of compensation arises, there are numerous factors at play, including the performance of both the buyer, seller and individual employee as well as the defined compensation structure that already exists within the buyer’s corporate infrastructure.  Having a discussion regarding compensation can also take a different tone – perhaps a buyer can offer employees a more compelling work/life balance, an office space that offers the opportunity to exercise, eat healthy or be in a location that is convenient and offers easy access to post office hours entertainment.  Being able to pitch potential employees on all of the value that a buyer offers aside from the number on their paycheck can help bridge any perceived gaps
in compensation.

Beyond the importance of staying employed and maintaining the current level of earnings, individual employees will also be concerned with their benefits package and whether the buyer offers a more compelling insurance package or one that could be considered a down grade.  In any event, being completely transparent about the pros and cons of the new benefits package will be important in mitigating the fear associated with change.  A buyer who makes themselves available to answer questions that are both qualitative and quantitative in nature will be able to ensure a smoother transition.  This would include providing feedback mechanisms such as one-on-one interviews, focus groups and anonymous surveys.  In most cases, there is not a need to turn everything upside down immediately – buyers should not expect for all the new employees to join their new health insurance plan immediately, buyers should also consider letting the new employees keep their old PTO until the end of the year, if a new employees has already reserved PTO, a buyer can still honor that time and garner a little morale. 

 Ultimately, communication will be key - giving employees an opportunity to feel seen and heard will give them the sense of feeling valued by their new employers.  Additionally, this will bring a level of comfort to the seller that those individuals who helped them achieve success will continue to be taken care of and that the culture of a company that takes years to create will remain intact and continue to permeate throughout the new company.

Author:
JP Santos
Senior Associate
Benchmark International

T:   +1 (512) 861 3309
E: Santos@benchmarkcorporate.com

The thought of selling your business has been on your mind for quite some time, and now you have made the decision to sell. The business is ready to go and you have been working with your advisor to bring in a suitable buyer. The offer comes in and you have signed a letter of intent. The process is in motion, and this is what you have been waiting for, but what about your employees? Your exit plan has been on your mind, but your employees probably haven’t given much thought to what will happen if and when you exit the business. You have a couple options when it comes to sharing the news of your business sale to your employees.

Share Nothing:

Some business owners opt to not share the decision to sell with their employees at all. This option can be viewed as inconsiderate, but it does alleviate the risk of a mass exodus from the company. There are pros and cons to any decision, but not telling your employees right away and keeping information for yourself allows you to keep them from undue stress.

It’s important to protect the integrity of the deal and the company. This means you need to keep details under wraps. If you spill the beans to your employees, there is no guarantee that the information will stay within your company, and it could be concerning for your client base if they catch a whiff of the pending sale.

This doesn’t mean you can’t put things in place to protect your employees through a transition, of course. You just need to pay attention to their needs and ask your advisor what your options are in a sale. If you choose this route, you need to be prepared to extinguish any rumors and answer employee questions the best you can if they notice any changes taking place.

Keep Them in the Loop:

Some owners think the best policy is to be transparent with employees from the outset. The decision to sell has been made, and you are exploring options. So, you want to inform your employees what’s going on. You can be up front with employees and let them know of your plans to sell and your desire to find the right buyer for the company who will instill the same values you hold as a business leader.

This will need to be handled delicately, so your employees will remain comfortable throughout the process. You will need to drive home the initiative that you are doing what is best for the company as a whole and selling the business doesn’t mean the end of the business but rather the growth of the business. It is important to keep the conversation positive, so your employees will get on board with your plans.

Your business is your baby, and the people who work for you are your family. A concern of many business owners thinking to sell is how they will care for their employees throughout the sales process.

Download our guide “If I Sell My Business, How Can I Protect my Employees?,” today!

In this guide, you will learn how to best communicate with your employees effectively, how to negotiate on their behalf, how to put their concerns at the forefront of your decisions, and how working alongside them can help alleviate their concerns.