For some interesting early summer reading here are a few things from my buy-sell world. Issues that, for the most part, can be avoided by asking the right questions. However, I can tell you from experience even if you ask the right questions you don’t always get the right answer (meaning what the client really thinks).
Question: (for all owners thinking of selling) “Have you worked with a financial professional to see if the proceeds from the sale are enough for your next great adventure in life?” A deal collapsed when the seller said because of other financial matters in his life he just can’t sell his business now. Believe me, this is not the first time I’ve experienced this, with both my clients and those on the other side of the deal. Plan before you jump.
Question: “What will you do when you sell your business?” I was working on a project involving selling the company to the management team. The owner, a client of at least three other projects, insisted he was prepared to sell. In reality, he wasn’t. He didn’t know what he would do, especially since the answer to the question was not, “Retirement.” He can’t see himself retired. Now, if the answer is retirement, my next question is, “Does your spouse want you around 24/7?”
Question: “Regarding your offer, can you show me your financing package?” A business buyer lost a deal to two other offers that were substantially higher than his offer. Then both other offers couldn’t get the financing together. My constant advise to buyers is, get financing alternatives lined up before making an offer. Another buyer got bank indications of interest before making the offer and it was powerful.
Question: “Have you hit past projections?” There’s a deal lingering because the company (actually the very optimistic seller) can’t seem to ever hit their projections. Another deal was lost recently because the seller insisted on a price based partially on earnings projections for 2019. When those projections turned out to be 25% above the actual earnings the buyer wondered if growth was possible.
Question: “What are your anticipated capital expenditures?” A business owner is touting the firm’s EBITDA as actual earnings. Yet 25-30% of annual EBITDA is new equipment with an immediate write-off. That’s cash out the door or bank payments over time. It’s a real expense. This is a lot different than when capital expenditures are for a handful of computers and are only 3% of EBITDA.
To summarize, ask the right questions (usually you’ll get an honest answer), realize how little projections are worth in today’s fast-moving world, get financing lined up before making an offer (on anything, business, home, commercial real estate, etc.), and realize while depreciation used to be a “non-cash” expense, these days it’s probably a real expense in the year assets were purchased.
“The solution to the mystery is always inferior to the mystery itself.” Jorge Luis Borges
