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15 May 2025

Guest Appearance on Built to Sell Radio with John Warrillow

By |2025-07-26T19:52:00+00:00May 15th, 2025|Categories: Selling a Business|Tags: , , , |

Guest Appearance on Built to Sell Radio with John Warrillow.

I was blessed with the opportunity to speak with John Warrillow about my previous exit from a 20-person advertising agency. John is the author of Built to Sell, a best-selling book that focuses on teaching owners how to create a business that can thrive without them. The book was the genesis of the Value Builder System™ – an assessment to help owners evaluate their business readiness and then a suite of tools to unlock its value.

The Value Builder System™ is used by over 80,000 business owners and I use it as part of my business coaching practice to help businesses protect, grow, and realize the value of their companies.

Listen to the episode from May 9, 2025 here: Exit Story: Selling a 20-Person Agency for 5.5x EBITDA

In this episode, you discover how to:

  • Structure a multi-partner business for an exit
  • Move from marketing budgets into operational spending
  • Navigate conflicting goals between co-founders
  • Use recurring revenue to create financial stability
  • Avoid getting burned in an earn-out
  • Sell to a sophisticated acquirer without losing your shirt
  • Exit without fireworks—and still win

If you’re building a service business and want to know what a normal exit looks like, this episode is worth your time.

Guest Appearance on Built to Sell Radio with John Warrillow
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6 Mar 2025

Navigating Business Sales with Short-Term Leases

By |2025-03-15T23:35:12+00:00March 6th, 2025|Categories: Selling a Business, Starting a Business|Tags: , , |

Navigating Business Sales with Short-Term Leases.

For business owners considering a sale, a looming lease expiration can significantly impact the transaction’s success and the business’s valuation. The real estate component is intrinsically linked to the business’s overall viability, making thorough lease review and strategic planning essential. Let’s explore the intricacies of selling a business with a short-term lease, highlighting the crucial steps to protect your business’s salability and value.

Scrutinize Your Lease

Before initiating any sale process, a comprehensive review of your existing lease agreement is paramount. This goes beyond a cursory glance. You need to meticulously examine:

  • Lease Term and Renewal Options: Understand the exact expiration date. Identify any renewal options, including notice periods and conditions. Late notice can cause loss of renewal rights.
  • Rent Escalation Clauses: Analyze how rent increases are calculated and scheduled. Predict future rent obligations and their impact on profitability.
  • Transfer and Assignment Provisions: Determine if the lease allows for assignment to a new owner. Understand any restrictions or landlord approval requirements. This is one of the most important clauses to review.
  • Maintenance and Repair Responsibilities: Clarify who is responsible for repairs and maintenance. Identify potential liabilities for deferred maintenance.
  • Permitted Use of the Premises: Ensure the business’s current operations comply with the permitted use clause. Confirm that the buyer’s intended use is also permitted.
  • Termination Clauses: Understand the conditions under which the lease can be terminated. Identify any penalties for early termination.
  • Security Deposit and Other Financial Obligations: Verify the amount of the security deposit and its return conditions. Identify any other financial obligations, such as common area maintenance (CAM) charges.
  • Co-tenancy and Exclusive Use Clauses: Co-tenancy clauses can allow a tenant to break a lease if an anchor tenant leaves. Exclusive use clauses grant a tenant the right to be the only business of its type within the leased area. These can be very valuable to a buyer.

Why This Level of Scrutiny Matters

  • Business Valuation: A favorable lease significantly enhances a business’s value. Conversely, a problematic lease can deter potential buyers and lower the sale price.
  • Due Diligence: Potential buyers will conduct thorough due diligence, including lease review. Any red flags can jeopardize the sale.
  • Landlord/Tenant Relationship: Understanding the lease terms provides insight into the landlord’s expectations and potential flexibility.

Addressing Short-Term Lease Challenges

  • Holdover Clauses: Be aware of holdover clauses that can trigger substantial rent increases if you remain in the premises after the lease expires. Proactively address lease expiration to avoid unexpected financial burdens.
  • Month-to-Month Leases: While seemingly flexible, month-to-month leases can create uncertainty for buyers. Consider negotiating a longer-term lease with an exit clause to provide stability.
  • Professional Guidance is Essential: Engage a business broker with experience in handling sales with short-term leases. Seek legal counsel to review and interpret lease terms and negotiate favorable amendments.

Emphasizing Lease Importance to Buyers

  • Highlight the lease’s role in the business’s stability and growth potential.
  • Demonstrate how a secure lease can be a valuable asset.
  • Provide potential buyers with a clear and concise summary of key lease terms.
  • Protecting Your Business’s Salability

By prioritizing lease review, addressing potential challenges, and seeking professional guidance, you can effectively navigate the sale of your business with a short-term lease. Remember, a well-structured lease can significantly enhance your business’s value and attract qualified buyers.

Photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash

Navigating Business Sales with Short-Term Leases
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20 Feb 2025

Understanding the Basics of EBITDA

By |2025-02-21T01:17:33+00:00February 20th, 2025|Categories: Selling a Business, Starting a Business|Tags: , , , |

Understanding the Basics of EBITDA.

Ever wondered how companies get valued when they’re bought and sold? One of the most important numbers people look at is EBITDA. It’s a bit of a mouthful (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), but it’s key to understanding a company’s financial health. Think of it as a way to see how much money a business is really making from its operations.

EBITDA: The Basics

EBITDA isn’t just for big M&A deals. Traders, analysts, portfolio managers, and even lenders all use it. It helps them figure out a company’s value and its ability to pay back debts. While EBITDA gives a great snapshot of performance, it’s not the whole picture.

If you’re thinking about selling your business someday, understanding EBITDA is super important. Knowing how it’s calculated can help you show off your company’s financials in the best possible light, making your post-sale cash flow look amazing to buyers. Investors often use EBITDA to figure out a company’s enterprise value, and buyers usually offer a multiple of EBITDA when making an offer.

EBITDA vs. Cash Flow: Clearing Up the Confusion

A common misconception is that EBITDA and cash flow are the same thing. They’re related, but definitely not identical. EBITDA is a useful measure of a company’s operational profitability, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. EBITDA is more like a proxy for pre-tax operational cash flow. It gives an estimate of the cash flow you might expect after a sale. By leaving out things like depreciation, amortization, debt, and taxes, EBITDA lets buyers compare different companies on a more level playing field. It focuses on earnings before those expenses, giving a useful, yet not perfect, idea of cash flow. Cash flow is a more complete picture of a company’s financial health, as it shows how much cash it has available for operations.

Adjusted EBITDA: Making Your Company Even More Attractive

Sometimes, a company has unusual expenses or income that aren’t part of its regular operations. That’s where adjusted EBITDA comes in. It takes those one-time or unusual items out of the equation to give a clearer picture of the company’s true operating performance. This is especially important in M&A deals, because it shows what the earnings might look like under new ownership.

Think of it this way: adjusted EBITDA helps paint a more realistic picture of your company’s future profitability, making it more appealing to potential buyers and helping everyone agree on a fair price. Common adjustments include one-time expenses or income, owner-related expenses, non-cash expenses, and other non-operational items.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Understanding the Basics of EBITDA - image of a dollar sign
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23 Jan 2025

Financial or Strategic Buyers – Who is Best for My Business?

By |2025-01-23T17:30:42+00:00January 23rd, 2025|Categories: Selling a Business|Tags: , , |

Financial or Strategic Buyers – Who is Best for My Business?

When exploring a company sale, understanding the distinct motivations and approaches of potential buyers is crucial. Broadly, these fall into two primary categories: Financial or Strategic Buyers.

Financial Buyers typically encompass private equity firms, family offices, and other investment vehicles. Their ultimate goal is a return on investment in a reasonable amount of time.

Focus

Primarily driven by financial returns, seeking to enhance the acquired company’s profitability and generate attractive returns on investment.

Due Diligence

Focus on financial performance, cash flow generation, and the potential for value enhancement through operational improvements, cost optimization, or add-on acquisitions.

Investment Horizon

Typically shorter-term, with a typical holding period of 3-7 years, followed by an exit strategy such as an IPO or a secondary sale.

Strategic Buyers are typically operating companies within the same industry or related sectors. They might be competitors, vendors or customers of your business. They are looking for acquisitions that easily integrate with their existing business.

Focus

Driven by strategic synergies, such as expanding market share, gaining access to new technologies or geographic markets, or achieving cost efficiencies through vertical or horizontal integration.

Due Diligence

Emphasis on strategic fit, competitive advantages, and the potential for revenue enhancement or cost reduction post-acquisition.

Investment Horizon

Long-term, often indefinite, with a focus on integrating the acquired company into their existing operations.

Both types of buyers may be good options when developing a targeted marketing list when you take your business to the market. A seller’s motivations and desired results will determine which type of buyer would be the best fit. It’s an important consideration as you develop your marketing strategy for selling your business. Some key differences include:

  • Evaluation Criteria: Strategics prioritize strategic fit and synergies, while financials focus on financial performance and standalone value.
  • Industry Expertise: Strategics possess inherent industry knowledge, while financials conduct extensive due diligence to assess industry attractiveness and risk.
  • Post-Acquistion Plans: Strategics emphasize integration and operational synergies, while financials often seek to improve financial performance and implement operational best practices.
  • Investment Horizon: Strategics have a long-term perspective, while financials operate on a defined investment horizon with a focus on maximizing returns within that timeframe.
  • Transaction Approach: Strategics may have more complex internal approval processes, while financials typically have more streamlined M&A processes.

In essence, strategic buyers are motivated by long-term strategic gains and are willing to pay a premium for synergistic acquisitions. Financial buyers are driven by financial returns and seek to acquire businesses that offer strong cash flow potential and opportunities for value enhancement. By understanding these key distinctions, sellers can effectively target the most appropriate buyer pool and maximize the value of their transaction.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Financial or Strategic Buyers - arrows on road next to feet for choosing the right path
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