Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory

A Neumann & Associates, LLC

July 14, 2014

How do you know the value of my business and what kinds of deals are possible?

By Joseph Eneldas

business-3365360_640

Many business owners have some idea as to the value of their business.  We often hear something like, “My friend had a similar business that he sold for one times sales revenue.”  Or “My brother-in-law had a business which was sold for 3 times cash flow.”  Or, “Businesses in our industry typically sell for 2 times profits.” None of these “anecdotal estimates,” however, will truly establish a reliable value for selling a business.

The “real market” operates under the concept of Fair Market Value – what a willing buyer and willing seller would agree to pay assuming equal access to information and no undue pressure or time constraints.  FMV is an accepted concept and tends to level the playing field in a process that is inherently adversarial.

“We tell our clients that it is not so simple to determine value and goodwill, and no one single ratio is the right ratio,” says Michael Gersten, Managing Director, A Neumann & Associates, a New Jersey-based M&A and Business Brokerage firm.  “So we use a formal appraisal process, which we call a ‘business valuation.’”

The first step is to interview the business owner and to record the business particulars in our Business Information Organizer (BIO).  This document describes the business ownership structure, its operations and  business development methods, other assets like patents, copyrights and trademarks, plus the business’ general advantages and disadvantages.

Secondly, we work with the business’ financials – the last three years tax returns, the current profit & loss (year to date, with year over year comparisons), an asset list, and revenue projections for the next three years.  From this information, a recasting is performed to determine the true cash flow of the business by adding back non-cash expenditures, owner benefits, and unusual or one-time items to show Seller’s Discretionary Cash Flow.

Independent, nationally-accredited valuation firms will then review the recasting and the BIO to determine the true business value. They use multiple valuation approaches: (i) Asset Based Approaches (based on the fair market value of the assets to be included in a particular sale); (ii) Income Based Approaches (based on how efficiently an enterprise uses the assets to produce income); and (iii) Market Based Approach (based on value multiples for similar business sales).  All in all there are 7 different valuation computations that get weighted differently depending on the particular company and industry. The result of this valuation process is that the Fair Market Value is accurately determined, independently derived, and substantially supported by the financial investing community. From the buyer’s perspective, the valuation justifies the asking price and supports the buyer’s financing requirements.

Once that value is established for the entire company, a business owner needs to make a decision regarding what percentage of the company to sell. In many cases a business owner is not ready to completely sell the entire business, but instead wants to find investors or potential partners.  Some owners are in need of ongoing income in anticipation of a succession plan or exit strategy.  Others are looking to “take some money off of the table” and perhaps spread their wealth so that they are less dependent on the business.

From the buyer’s perspective, having a seller stay on could result in increased stability for the business if handled correctly.  Another reason that having a seller stay on is potentially attractive to a buyer is that it’s an indication that the seller has confidence in the numbers, and that there are no surprises in the deal structure.

There are many ways to structure a deal so that the present owner can remain as part of the new ownership team if so desired.  The simplest way is to just hire the former owner as an employee.  Although simple, this might not meet the needs of the seller, particularly, from a future growth perspective.

Another way to structure the deal is to have the future payments tied to business performance as an “earn out,” whereby the former owner receives future payments quarterly or annually based on a predetermined algorithm.  One benefit for the seller is that the potential for “upside” – payments in excess of the minimum selling price – can be built into the deal structure.  From the buyer’s perspective, an earn-out reduces risk and keeps the knowledge and experience of the seller “in house.”

A final way to structure a deal in which the seller stays on is through a personal services or consulting contract.  In this scenario, the timeframe, specific responsibilities, and compensation are laid out in the agreement.  This form is normally used when there are specific skills of the seller that are material to the business.

In sum, once a Fair Market Value is established, there are various ways to structure a business transfer deal in which the seller stays with the business, and the probability of attracting multiple qualified buyers is greatly increased. .  Our team at A Neumann & Associates is well-versed in all of these deal structures and has developed extensive experience over the past ten years in implementing them.

 


About A Neumann & Associates, LLC
A Neumann & Associates, LLC is a professional merger & acquisition and business brokerage firm with 30 years of experience in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland that assists business owners and buyers with the business transfer process in a completely confidential manner. The company is affiliated with BBN with access to a national network of qualified buyers and sellers, and the company is a long standing member of 30+ Chambers and networking events. For more information, please contact A Neumann & Associates at 732-872-6777.

About A Neumann & Associates, LLC

A Neumann & Associates, LLC is a professional mergers & acquisitions and business brokerage firm having assisted business owners and buyers in the business valuation and business transfer process through its affiliations for the past 30 years. With an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, the company has senior trusted professionals with a deep knowledge based in multiple field offices along the East Coast and has performed hundreds of business valuations in its history. The firm’s competitive transaction fees are based on successfully completing transactions. For more information, please contact A Neumann & Associates at 732-872-6777 or info@neumannassociates.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Any questions? Please contact us at 732-872-6777
Call Now

Client Testimonials

“ I appreciate your diligent approach to screening buyers and sellers as well as the high quality CIM that you produce.”

Andrey O, Investor

“Finally enjoying retirement after recently selling my business using the services of A Neumann & Associates. Joe Oddo provided the conduit to a successful transaction. Joe knew when to inject input and when to simply listen and allow the buyers to vent, step back and regroup. The outcome met our expectations and got us to the finish line, which included my staying with the company six months in order for the buyers to get their footing and keep our workforce in the loop. He helped at every step by providing his expert guidance & resources. Thank you!”

Emily Parker Myers, Co-Owner - Myers McRae

“I had been in touch with Karin and Gary from A Neumann & Associates regarding some opportunities and was looking forward to meeting with them. Hence, when they organized a seminar in Princeton, NJ, I was quick to sign up. The seminar was very informative as the team walked the attendees through various scenarios and referenced real life buying/selling situations they had been through. The sessions by Gary, Karin and Achim were crisp and focused and brought clarity to potential seller and buyers. I strongly recommend the team and look forward to continue working with them.”

Gaurav Tyagi

“Thank you for your Event on "How to value, Sell, and Buy A Business for Maximum Profit" and the insight into ANA’s approach on what is involved in the Business Exit for sellers. Garys Hervieiou's "Business Valuation", Achim's "Deal structure" presentation and Karin’s "Preparing the Package" are real street knowledge shared. They answered attendees questions which makes it more interesting for learning from others. Great for small businesses like us. The presentations were totally worth our time and travel for the event to Princeton, NJ from Rockville MD. Ravi Bhutani, President, CIPS”

Ravi Bhutani

“Gary, this is to thank you for an excellent job done in selling our business. We could never have done it without your professional expertise, dedication and time put in without reservation to make it happen. We will gladly and highly recommend you to anybody in our position.  It was a pleasure to work with you.”

Pat Iammatteo, Owner

“Your vetting is simply outstanding, among the best I've seen from a broker.”

Eric H., Investor

“I recently contacted A. Neumann and Associates about getting a valuation of my business done. I spoke with Marc, who explained the process in detail. After meeting with Marc in order to get a clear understanding of my business, and what I was hoping to accomplish. His patience in answering all my questions and his knowledge of the proper way to market my business gave me great confidence that this is the firm I will be using to sell my business for max value. Working with Marc at A Neumann & Associates was very easy and professional. I did not know all that was going to be involved in selling my business but they helped me through the process. What I thought was going to be a just another one of those pushy sales companies was just the opposite. Polite, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to and deal with. I highly recommend this firm to anybody who wants to sell now or down the road. Marc not only knows his stuff, but actually is a real nice guy.”

Double Diamond

“Used A Neumann & Associates to sale my business. could not imagine having done it with out the patience and experience Gary provided. Thanks Gary,”

Dennis Frazier

“Working with Marc and his company was a pleasure. What I thought was going to be a just another one of those pushy sales companies was just the opposite. Polite, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to and deal with. Marc handled most of the interaction and he has one of the greatest demeanors. Again, it was a pleasure working with him and his firm.”

Douglas DiCeglio

“I recently completed an acquisition using A Neumann & Associates. Tony Valentino was very helpful and accessible during the entire process. They do a thorough job vetting both parties and got us to the finish line.”

Srini Mudambi
view all testimonials

Contact A Neumann & Associates, LLC

If you are considering selling your business, please contact us to learn more about our comprehensive service spectrum. Our experienced professionals will answer all your questions about selling a privately held business in complete confidentiality. Please fill out our contact form, or call us at 732-872-6777. We will contact you directly and will never identify ourselves to your employees.

call us now
Contact Us for a Free, Confidential Consultation

Experienced M&A Advisors available

Full Name
Email Address
Phone Number
Message