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Don’t Let the Pandemic Sideline Your Dreams

by John Howe, Director

After the Great Recession we found a lot of owners delaying selling so they could focus on rebuilding and growing profitability.

As we emerge from the Covid 19 shut downs, some may be fearing “oh no, I am stuck in the saddle again.”

We think there is reason to look at the horizon more positively. That involves taking action – either to formally plan and adjusting to improve salability or to put this period in perspective, explain how you survived and even thrived, and selling.

There are reasons this might be a good option.

Buyers are still in the market

Every day we receive emails and calls from buyer groups seeking acquisition opportunities. This has not stopped nor slowed down.

Buyers include companies seeking to grow through acquisition. Private equity funds continue seeking to add strength to portfolio companies they already own. Searchers are active pursuing the America dream – their own company.

This has not stopped. Demand is still there. And funding is still available.

Footnoting pandemic performance

Part of the process of selling involves putting a comprehensive financial picture together, and highlighting one-time events or special circumstances. Any business coming to market over the next year or so will need to tell the story, good or bad, about how they performed through the pandemic.

If we are retained to represent you, this will be covered in the information package and explore both the before and after performance.

Normalization recasts expenses that are one time in nature. In this case, virtually all businesses have been impacted so it will not be shocking to anyone looking at the financial package.

Some have actually seen revenue grow.

Should we hold or sell?

After the Great Recession many owners had to take a “one more year” attitude. The impact of that crisis was so great that even those approaching retirement age decided they had to wait.

But those same people are now at a crossroads again and have to decide how much longer they should wait.

Don’t avoid taking action

I believe entrepreneurs tend strongly toward optimism. After all, 19 times out of 20 when I talk to an owner about their projections, business is going to grow. It is not a bad attitude to have, especially when you consider the fortitude you need to run a business.

But that optimism is also why so many succumb to what we call "one-more-year-itis." That's the condition that leads owners to delay selling, even in an up M&A market, when the proceeds would more than fund their retirement.

Hopefully, this time owners will think strategically. Instead of waiting to hit a certain milestone age, or waiting for some trigger in their life, perhaps we'll see more planning to exit on their own terms.

Doing that means keeping tabs on your business value, creating a vision for your financial future, and selling when the numbers line up. We are ready when you are, and for many of you, this is probably the right time. Don’t wait for the next disruption to happen.

Business Transitions Strategies is a founding partner of Cornerstone International Alliance

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