Prepare . Plan . Evaluate . Optimize . Coordinate . Negotiate

Succession or exit discussions are personal. The complexities and risks are often greater because of the need for secrecy and privacy given the risks to the business of rumors spreading. Sale or succession of a business to third parties or insiders is often a one-time event for most private business owners. Even large companies are often unfamiliar with running competitive processes for sale of businesses or assets to maximize value. Valuation can often be significantly enhanced if sale or exit is preceded by good preparation, positioning, extraction of growth opportunities, tax planning and legal structuring. 

Expert guidance from a trusted advisor can provide owners and companies comfort that all aspects of the sales process are tied together in a coherent plan and that financial and other key objectives are always in focus.

Service Overview

Succession & Exit Planning

Statistics indicate that more than 70% of business owners will reach or exceed normal retirement age in 3 – 6 years. Every business owner should have a plan for succession, sale to a third party, or transfer to the next generation…..but unfortunately most do not. The benefits of good succession or exit planning include peace of mind, improving the value of the business, optimizing the sales price, minimizing tax leakage and protection of a stable financial future. Successful succession or exit planning requires careful coordination of several experts to ensure details are appropriately handled for a smooth exit or transition. It is important for a business owner to find a trusted advisor who has been there before that he/she can rely on to coordinate with his/her existing key experts to ensure a well-defined plan that will provide a smooth exit or succession and protect the business owner’s interests.

Pre-Sale Assessment

A pre-sale assessment is designed to provide an objective view of your business, financially and operationally. It focuses on your business’ strengths, opportunities for improvement, ways to improve bottom line performance, and ultimately, how to enhance its overall market value.

As a business owner, you undoubtedly have an appreciation for some of the many challenges relative to selling a company, as well as the desire to maximize the proceeds you will receive from the selling transaction. A pre-sale assessment process and resulting report will allow you to view your company through the eyes of a prospective buyer, and with the analytical clarity of a buyer’s professional advisor. Coben Advisory developed and uses a comprehensive assessment tool to determine sale readiness, identify gaps that could inhibit value, and build action plans to assist the owner to achieve key objectives. 

Sale Preparation

For a private business owner, the decision to sell your company is often the final step prior to retirement. Such an event is usually a one-time occurrence for most entrepreneurs who may have spent a good part of their life building the value of their biggest asset. You want to ensure you make your company as marketable and attractive as possible to your likely buyers to help ensure you achieve your expected price. It’s not as simple as putting up a for-sale sign and inviting bids. There are many complexities that need to be taken into consideration and many steps involved in the preparation for sale. You want to engage an advisor that has significant expertise in such matters to protect perhaps your greatest personal asset that you need to monetization to finance your planned retirement. 

Coordination of Sales Process

Many factors contribute to how successful a sale of a business will be. Many years of experience, in-depth analyses, perseverance, flexibility and our continuous ability to adapt ensures that our clients are very satisfied with the results we achieve for and with them in sales processes. We take pride in working on the front lines to lead or support sales initiatives to ensure that our clients meet their objectives at the end of a smooth process to source viable potential buyers, conduct the due diligence process for the seller, evaluate offers and negotiate and close a sale transaction.