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What to Do With an Unsolicited Offer to Buy Your Company

By Generational Equity

Offer to Buy Your Business

It most likely will happen to you one day: Your cell phone rings, you answer and you have the most thrilling conversation you have had in years – the person on the other end of the line wants to buy your company!

Once the thrill of being courted wanes, you realize you have no idea what to do next!

We are hearing from business owners we meet with that they are getting more of these calls than ever before, especially from private equity firms that have record amounts of capital on hand that they need to invest.

Quite frankly, if you haven’t hired a professional M&A firm before the call comes, you are going to be at the mercy of the buyer, since it’s most likely that this will not be the first time they have approached sellers in this manner. 

So without having professional guidance, you will have a number of questions to answer:

  • Do I even want to sell?
  • What is the fair market value for my company?
  • What are comparable companies selling for right now?
  • If there is one interested suitor, might there be others? If so, how do I quickly find them?
  • Who will handle the legal aspects of my transaction?
  • What would be the optimal structure for the transaction (cash, stock, notes, earn-out)?
  • How can I realistically manage the sale of my company AND run it day-to-day (it is estimated you will need 1,000 hours of your time to close most transactions)
  • What happens if this offer falls apart?

This is just a short list of issues that will hit you about 10 minutes after the call ends. And about 10 minutes after that, you will break out into a cold sweat as you realize that, even though it would be possible to close a deal with this buyer, three fundamental issues need to be addressed.

What Will Keep You Up at Night!

First, if you have no idea what your company is worth (and most owners do not), how can you decide if this offer is fair? There is an old saying in the M&A game: One offer is no offer. This is especially true of unsolicited offers when you have no idea how to even judge the validity of the offering price.

Secondly, unless you have a really well-trained middle management team – a group that can literally run the business in your absence – you realize that 1,000 hours away from the business would most likely cause it to miss projected revenue and EBITDA numbers. If that occurs, it will impact any buyer that approaches you with an offer. It is vital that during the 3- or 4-month due diligence phase, you are hitting (or exceeding) projections.

Finally, assuming you move forward, and assuming you have a great middle-management team in place, how are you going to maintain confidentiality? Certainly, you will need to let your key employees know what is going on. Your CFO and accounting department will absolutely have to know because they will play a key role during due diligence. There may be others such as your VP of HR who will have to work with a buyer before the deal closes to craft a benefits transition plan.

And what happens if the deal falls apart? You have now opened yourself up to a raft of issues like low employee morale, customers who have heard rumors about you selling, and suppliers becoming concerned about the relationship.

For all of these reasons (and even more), you need to hire an M&A advisory firm BEFORE that call comes. Although they can’t prevent these same issues from arising, they can guide you and ensure that before you sign on the dotted line that your financial and personal interests are protected.

The Generational Group of companies has successfully transferred over $5 billion in wealth to its clients over the years. Our process works because our deal teams have significant experience in dealing with professional buyers, the kind of deep-pocketed suitors that you want to negotiate with. 

If you want to learn more about how our services could benefit you and your family, please call us at 972-232-1121, or leave us your contact information and we will be in touch.

And please, if you do get that call soon, take some time to ponder the list of questions above. Don’t rashly walk down a path that is difficult to unwind if things don’t go well!

Carl Doerksen is the Director of Corporate Development at Generational Equity.

© 2021 Generational Equity, LLC All Rights Reserved

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T.D., thank you so much! You are a great leader! I love how you are using your gifts and talents to better others. You are clearly a GREAT COACH! This 3 day session undoubtedly changed the future of our business, and very well may have been the sole catalyst to save my company, my health and my marriage! A genuine “thank you” from the bottom of my heart.
Bryan D. Horn, Owner, Over Under Clothing
Your wisdom and experience were invaluable to me during this once-in-a-lifetime transaction.
Ralph Noblin, President of Noblin & Associates
The most important contribution I think Ahmad made was with his personality and work ethic. He is sincere, efficient, and very hard working. He was available to me at all times, whether it was for specific detail of the negotiation or just to talk through the bigger picture. He listened, advised, and recommended, but never forced his idea or opinions. In the time we worked together, he became a valued colleague and also a friend.
Salvo Stoch, Founder and CEO of Sleeping Partners
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have done for us. Not only did you take care of all the aspects of the sale but took extra care to make sure we knew what it looked like every step of the way. I will definitely recommend your company to anyone that is in a position to or looking to exit their business.
Shane and Johanna Kline, Owners of Vision Upfitters
I couldn’t have asked for a better team than Michael and Deborah. We couldn’t have done it without them.
Robert Evans, President and CEO of Mealtracker Dietary Software
The help you provided us during each step of this process made us feel very comfortable and confident we were selecting the right approach to transition our Company.
Andy Graham, Vice President, Modern Heating & Plumbing
After attending a conference with GE, I decided that the value they bring would be worth the expense and as soon as I started working with them, I realized that was the right decision. When we started to get LOIs, Fred Zweifel took the lead on the communication and supported negotiations throughout the process, which got tricky as we moved forward. I learned that it can be common for companies to make a great offer then work to erode that price with their discoveries, but Fred and the GE team kept that from happening.
Caroline Connelly, CEO, OptoTest
We were happy to see the interest in our company and what we cherished has not just a valuable company but an important company to the communities we served in.
Larry Moore, Owner, A Company Portable Restrooms
The process was much more involved than I expected and your help, experience and advice was a big factor in making the negotiations go as smoothly as possible.
Terry D. Wickman, President, Keytroller
Through the sale process, Generational brought in several interested buyers and we closed in about 6 months. I am so glad I accepted that invitation to the conference and could not be happier with the whole process. The team at Generational coupled with their knowledge and guidance was so valuable that in the end, I know I could never have done this on my own!
JoAnn Ellis, Owner of Fondren 5 Star Kennels
We were represented by Michael Goss with Generational. The due diligence was grueling and exhausting, but Michael propped us up and kept us motivated throughout the process. Debi and I continued to ask each other how we could possibly make it through this process without the assistance of Michael. Michael's professionalism and knowledge is absolutely amazing, and we are so blessed to have had him by our side as we made our future dreams come true.
Bob and Debi Lee, Owners of BL Technology, Inc and BL Tl Services, LLC
I quickly recognized that Don was working for Sharpe Mixers above all else, and held our interests above others.
Jay Dinnison, Owner of Sharpe Mixers
Michael worked tirelessly, He followed every lead meticulously and urgently to make sure nothing was missed.
Robert Evans, President and CEO of Mealtracker Dietary Software
The professionals at Generational Equity then helped develop a roadmap for enhancing the value of the firm and an evaluation report. This was completed by June 14, 2021. We then developed the Confidential Information Memorandum and put Taylor Studios, Inc. on the market by July.
Generational Equity’s professional staff helped me every step of the way. Their network and professionals are the only reason I sold my company this quickly. For me this is a once in a lifetime sale and I was unfamiliar with the process. I was able to lean on them with questions and concerns.
Betty L. Brennan, President, Taylor Studios
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Rick Nowak, President/CEO, Kurz Electric Solutions, Inc.
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Rick Nowak, President/CEO, Kurz Electric Solutions, Inc.
We thank you Eric and Generational Equity making our dream come true.
Larry Moore, Owner, A Company Portable Restrooms
I need to say an immense thank you to Don Ho for his stellar work ethic, attention to detail, and tireless effort. Also thank you to the whole crew at GE! Without you, Don could not do such a phenomenal job. We were shooting for closing and funding before the end of 2020, due to the uncertainty of the political landscape and taxes. I am happy to report we closed last week and will be funding tomorrow.
Dr. Caty J. Catron PhD, RN, VA-BC – Owner, Vic The Picc, LLC
We knew it would be a difficult task to have someone really understand our business and our market, prior to researching a possible buyer, so it was imperative that we found someone of your caliber, with definite proven experience in this area.
Rick Nowak, President/CEO, Kurz Electric Solutions, Inc.
We had the pleasure of working with Mr. Ahmad Behjati Managing Director, M&A, for Generational Equity during our acquisition of Papa's Dodge in late 2021. Generational Equity and Mr. Behjati represented and marketed Papa’s Dodge. As our primary contact, Mr. Behjati was professional in every facet of this acquisition process, conveying valuable advice most times and assisting us in every step of the process.
Rick Greene of Dobbs Equity Partners LLC
I would like to thank you and your firm, Generational Equity, for being our valued advisors in our journey.
Bil MacLeslie, CEO, ipHouse
Generational Equity’s assistance was invaluable in compiling and marketing our business.
Bil MacLeslie, CEO, ipHouse
I wanted to write you a quick letter to express our appreciation and our delight on the outcome of helping us through the process of our recent sale. We are very happy with the end result, and are very happy to be able to move forward with all of our future growth plans.
Terry D. Wickman, President, Keytroller
Generational Equity educated and informed us – so that we could be on the upside of a good decision (to sell).
Bil MacLeslie, CEO, ipHouse
I decided to attend the conference and hopefully receive some guidance on how to structure an exit plan of my business. Upon arriving at the conference, I was so impressed with the presentation given by Generational Equity that I set a future appointment that week to discuss the possibility of selling my business with their Senior Managing Director David Robinson.
JoAnn Ellis, Owner of Fondren 5 Star Kennels
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Jay Dinnison, Owner of Sharpe Mixers
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Eric Erlandson, Owner, Action Fastenings, Inc.
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