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How M&A Impacts Your Staff

When businesses consider the possibility of a merger or acquisition, the benefits of the change are examined; improved profitability, availability of new markets and enhanced/strengthened competitive position. Now, while it is difficult to argue that these aspects of M&A can be extremely good for a company’s bottom line, the same may not be true for the business’ employees.

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How to Navigate M&As as a Small Business or Start-up

As a small business or start-up, the prospect of undergoing a merger or acquisition can be daunting. However, this need not be the case and it can, in fact, bring positive results to your company.

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M&A as a Strategy Enabler

Many mistakenly think of an acquisition strategy as the only strategy, leaving the business to ‘float’ while all hands are on deck to steer the company into the hands of another captain. But then what? Rather than be a substitute, M&A should be seen as an enabler putting the wind in the sails of a business.

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Top M&A Codenames

In the high-stakes world of M&A, discretion is the one of the most important elements, as all parties involved are under an ethical and contractual obligation to keep details private until the time is right to announce the deal. During this period, acquisitions are often given cryptic codenames to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

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BBC Radio 2: Jeremy Vine Talks Family Business

Last week, during Jeremy Vine’s show on BBC 2, the hot topic on the business queries agenda heard Vine and business expert Nick Brown discussing the trials and tribulations that UK family business owners face when they are no longer a part of the company. The key question: do you have an exit strategy in place?

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How Family Members Will Deliver Future Business Success

In the latest in our blog series on the impact of family ownership on succession planning for businesses, we look at how complex emotions can result in difficult decision making for businesses owners in terms of exit prospects.

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Outsiders Take Away Family Business “X Factor”, Says Timpson

In a recent Telegraph column, John Timpson, fourth generation chairman of multi-service retailer Timpson, criticised the idea of bringing outside professional managers into family businesses, stating they are at risk of losing their “x factor”.

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Preparing for a Transaction – Expect the unexpected

In many cases, mid-market business owners and entrepreneurs, like you, only go through the mergers and acquisitions process once in a lifetime. It’s difficult to know what to expect from a transaction, and business owners often, unknowingly, limit their chances of achieving an ideal outcome for what will likely be the biggest deal of their lives.

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Blood is Thicker than Water: Exiting Family Business

According to PwC’s latest Global Family Business Survey, only 16% of the 2,378 businesses interviewed had a documented succession plan in place.  It is particularly important for those involved in a family business to consider an exit strategy at the earliest possible stage, especially as the Business Families Foundation reports that only 13% of family businesses make it to the third generation.

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Top tips for preparing to sell your IT business

Oculus, the virtual subsidiary of Facebook, has purchased British firm Surreal Vision as part of a drive to acquire virtual reality-focused businesses. The team at Surreal Vision is said to be moving to Washington to work at the Oculus lab. So how do small IT businesses get on the radar of the bigger companies if their owners have acquisition on their mind? Here are some top tips for you if you are considering selling your IT business and want to ensure that you attract the best buyers.

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Building your business and getting the most out of deal values

It was Steve Jobs of Apple who once said: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

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The Art of Due Diligence - Part 3

Best practises for classifying and producing due diligence materials

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The Art of Due Diligence - Part 2

The biggest fear for any buyer in an M&A transaction is purchasing a problem rather than a solution.

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The Art of Due Diligence - Part 1

This is the first of three blogs that will give you, the business owner looking to sell your company, an insight into the art of due diligence and its important in the M&A process.

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10 steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business - Step 10

Throughout our 10 blog series, we have discussed the different processes and stages recommended for you, a business owner, to take that could make your company more valuable and saleable.

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10 steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business - Step 9

In our penultimate blog we will discuss legal issues in your business, and the importance of tackling them.

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10 steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business – Step 8

In the final three instalments of our 10 blog series, we will discuss running your business as though selling is not a necessity, tackling problems that may lead to legal disputes and the importance of first impressions of your company. 

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10 Steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business - Step 6

You, as a business owner, need to be aware of the vulnerabilities faced by your business if the products and services you offer are easy to replicate.

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10 Steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business - Step 5

At the halfway stage of our 10 blog series we’ve already discussed removing owner dependence, demonstrating growth in sales, profits and cash with good projections, reducing customer and supplier dependence, adding depth in staff, and making sure your business’ brand values are clear, attractive and resilient.

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10 steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business - Step 4

In this instalment, the fourth of our 10 blog series, we will discuss the importance of brand values.

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10 steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business - Step 3

In the third instalment of our 10-blog series about the steps business owners may wish to consider when working toward maximising value and saleability, we look at some of the external and internal factors at play:

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10 steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business - Step 2

We’re pleased to bring you the second instalment of our 10-part blog series about the steps you can take to improve your business in the eyes of an acquirer, before taking it to market:

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10 steps to maximise the value and saleability of your business

Over the course of a 10-blog series, we will highlight the key steps business owners should take in order to maximise the value and saleability of their business. Industry specialist and founder of ‘Prepare to Sell’, Richard Wright, advises 10 key steps.

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Don’t wait on a major event to trigger exit planning

Thoughts of selling are all too often put off by business owners until a major event demands that it be given due consideration.

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Earn-outs: inside and out

Agreements regarding the sale of a business can be structured in many ways, typically involving cash, stock, financing and earn-outs in varying degrees.

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Lessons to be learned from someone who has sold their company

In a recent article, “10 surprising lessons learned from selling my company to eBay”, internet entrepreneur, Kristopher B. Jones, founder and former president and CEO of Pepperjam details the lessons he learned during the process of selling his company.

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Adjusting your accounts to enhance sale value

Many business owners, particularly those in the lower-middle market, will often attempt to reduce their tax liability. This practice is commonplace throughout SMEs, a perk that enables business owners the ability to keep hold of more of what they earn.

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Are M&A advisers really necessary?

Time and time again, when discussing the potential sale of their business with owners, one question frequently arises: “Can’t I just sell the business myself?”

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The importance of good HR practice in completing a sale

Due diligence often throws up a broad range of issues that can threaten to scupper a deal. One of the biggest culprits, surprisingly, is an issue most business owners possibly wouldn’t consider to be a factor in this situation: HR.

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The importance of identifying active acquirers

Many business owners believe they can sell their business on their own, without using the services of an M&A adviser. That may be the case; however, this viewpoint fails to consider the negative effect on the business that the process of selling and the time it takes will have. Whilst a business owner could potentially sell without specialist advice, it’s highly likely that the eventual value received will be much lower – indeed, without an experienced M&A research, marketing and negotiating team behind them, it almost certainly will be.

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Key aspects that drive business value

When it comes to the motives and objectives of acquirers seeking to purchase a business, regardless of whether they are financial purchasers such as private equity groups, or strategic purchasers such as larger corporates looking for bolt-on opportunities, the key value drivers of the potential acquisition largely remain unchanged.

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Undervaluing the role of an M&A adviser may cost in the long run

Many business owners make one key mistake when selling their business: underestimating the value of their M&A adviser. Business owners will often marginalise their appointed M&A adviser to such an extent that it may seem their role is overly costly;however, whilst not all M&A advisers can justify their costs, a good one with strong credentials will surprise most of their clients by truly demonstrating the value an adviser can actually add.

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Avoid being perceived as a risk

Risk is the most influential factor when buyers are deciding whether to make an acquisition or investment. In cases where an acquisition opportunity has greater growth potential than a comparative opportunity which represents lower risk, the majority of acquirers will pursue the latter.

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Creative exit solutions

No two companies are ever the same, as is the case with their owners. For this reason it makes no sense to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to deal structures as a solution which may work for one company and the personal objectives of its owners may not be suitable for another.

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10 indicators that tell you when you may need to have the 'EXIT' conversation

At Benchmark International we always encourage that business owners to plan their exit in advance, as businesses which are ‘deal ready’ often attract the highest values.

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Value isn’t the only important component in a successful deal

The majority of our clients instruct Benchmark International with the task of generating the highest possible value for their company. Although this is our primary objective in any case, it is fully understandable that an outgoing business owner would wish to secure maximum value for what is possibly their most significant asset – it’s human nature, after all.

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Preparing a business for sale

Whether a decision has been made to sell a business or not it is always beneficial to consider how a prospective buyer would perceive your business. Viewing the intricacies of your business from an outside perspective is typically the best way to identify areas within your business that could possibly reduce overall value upon an eventual exit.

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How much you receive for your company depends on how you sell it

As M&A specialists we are asked one question significantly more often than any other . . .  ‘How much is my business worth?’ Most business owners expect us to give a definitive answer, however, the simple fact is that whilst a tentative valuation can be placed on a company, the acquirer and the manner in which it is sold largely determine its value.

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Beware of strangers baring gifts

It appears that many buyers are currently on the prowl, attempting to bag bargain acquisitions by exploiting business owners blinded by multi-million Dollar cheques and disadvantaged by a lack of advice from a seasoned M&A professional.

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3 vital components for a successful deal completion

Market factors inevitably play the most significant role in successful deal completions. Industry conditions, the state of local and global economies and country specific governmental legislative environments will largely effect demand and realized value upon any company sale.

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