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September 29, 2023
The 15-Year Process Of Selling CollabraSpace
CollabraSpace Co-Founder Ray Schwemmer says he would get cold calls all the time from people looking to buy his software company. "We basically just ignored them," he said at the Baltimore Smart...
By Adam Burroughs
September 29, 2023
Transparency Is Needed When Selling A Family Business
Multigenerational family businesses, says Richard J. Wolkowitz, CEO and Family Advisor at Xylogenesis | Family Office Advisory, are tough. The family working in the business may have a different...
By Adam Burroughs
September 22, 2023
Selling Sgt. Clean
Two years ago, Brian Krusz, co-founder and director of growth and development at Sgt. Clean Car Wash, brought on a financial partner, Prairie Capital, who he says has helped the decade-old,...
By Adam Burroughs
September 15, 2023
4 Tips For Preparing To Sell Your Business
Northern Lakes Capital partner Joel Grebenick share what sellers should consider when thinking about an exit....
By Adam Burroughs
September 14, 2023
For A Successful Sale, Know What You Want
With early-stage tech companies, it's important to figure out what the entrepreneur wants because often the entrepreneur is near burnout, says Sig Mosley, managing partner of Mosley Ventures....
By Adam Burroughsd
September 14, 2023
Candid Reasons Not To Pass Your Business To The Next Generation
How — and why — Thomas J. Young sold Arrowhead Systems, a business he had no intention of selling....
By Adam Burroughs
August 25, 2023
From Sell To Sell And Buy
General Die Casters has been in business since 1957 making high-pressure aluminum die castings of parts for everything from automobiles to chainsaws. About a year ago, CEO Brian Lennon says the...
By Adam Burroughs
August 25, 2023
Take The Stigma Out Of The Exit Talk
CEOs are often hesitant to talk about exits because there's a stigma attached to it, says MATH Venture Partners Managing Director Mark Achler. "There's a concern that if you start to talk about an...
By Adam Burroughs
August 4, 2023
Deal Close Is Not The End Of The Marathon
Rendia, founded by an eye doctor and his three children to help doctors and patients understand each other better, was sold to a strategic buyer, PatientPoint, this past October. To personally prepare...
By Adam Burroughs
July 21, 2023
Lessons Learned From Selling A Business ... Twice
Bruce Milen, Chairman of the Board of Jax Kar Wash, first sold his business back in 1998 during a period of consolidation and roll ups. He had and took the opportunity to buy it back three years later...
By Adam Burroughs
June 29, 2023
Prepare At The Beginning For The Best End
Harold Green launched Chamberlain Contractors, an asphalt paving company, back in 1975, and sold it to Pavement Partners, a portfolio company of Shoreline Equity Partners, in January 2022. While he...
By Adam Burroughs
June 23, 2023
Exiting Is A Juggling Act For Owners
After a stint practicing law, Ron Cundy decided, during the depths of the Great Recession, to start a company. He and a partner launched recteq, a business that made grills, but couldn't get a product...
By Adam Burroughs
June 16, 2023
Authenticity, Transparency Key In Deal Negotiations
When preparing to sell a business, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP Partner Scott Anderson says it's best not to hide anything because the buyer, through diligence, is going to find it. "So, you might as...
By Adam Burroughs
June 16, 2023
Life After Selling
Jai Shekhawat founded Fieldglass, a cloud-based VMS platform, in 1999, grew it to be the largest vendor management software firm in the world, then sold it in 2014 for $1 billion. He's raised capital,...
By Adam Burroughs
June 9, 2023
Selling To Make The Business Better
Having sold his business, the once-high-growth startup focused on high-acuity homecare programs, Contessa Health, Co-Founder Travis Messina says when they ran their process, they used an investment...
By Adam Burroughs
June 9, 2023
To Enhance Value, Start Early
When it comes to building the right team around a family business to help create value, not every company has the right people in their family tree to do that. That, says Messerli Kramer Attorney and...
By Adam Burroughs
May 19, 2023
Sellers Should Be Clear About What They Want In A Deal
Gridiron Capital Managing Director Joe Saldutti says, as a private equity investor, what attracts him to businesses and helps him prioritize investing in one company versus another is when it's a...
By Adam Burroughs
May 12, 2023
Best Practices in Preparing for a Sale
As business owners begin preparing their company for sale, something to consider is how much time it would take to fix a problem if one is found. "The way we thought about it is, what are the things...
By Adam Burroughs
May 5, 2023
Facing Economic Headwinds, Deal Math Changes
Several area dealmakers chimed in on how they see the current market; how buyers, sellers and entrepreneurs are faring; and their expectations for how the remainder of the deal year plays out. Check out what they have to say....
By Adam Burroughs
April 6, 2023
Hugh Slater on Buying, Building And Selling EGC Enterprises
Slater Capital Managing Partner Hugh Slater on buying, building and growing EGC Enterprises....
By Adam Burroughs
March 24, 2023
Working Capital’s Vital Role in M&A
Tony Montanaro, partner in the forensic, litigation & valuation department at Louis Plung & Company, on working capital’s role in an M&A transaction. ...
By Dan Pender
March 24, 2023
How Buyers Leverage Weaknesses In A Deal
Guardian Capital Partners Managing Partner Peter Haabestad on the ways buyers pick apart deals and how business owners can maximize the opportunity of a sale....
By Adam Burroughs
March 17, 2023
Selling means more than just money
Marcum LLP Senior Partner Greg Skoda on why money might not be the most important part of a deal. ...
By Adam Burroughs
March 17, 2023
How preparing to sell your company is like a bike ride with friends
Justine E. Tobin, founder and managing partner of Tobin & Company Investment Banking Group, on how starting with the end in mind can maximize a sale opportunity and speed up the process....
By Adam Burroughs
March 17, 2023
Andrew Bennett on Provide's Sale To Fifth Third Bank
Provide Chief Business Officer Andrew Bennett spoke on the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast about Provide's sale to Fifth Third....
By Adam Burroughs
March 10, 2023
Data, Transparency Play Large Roles In A Deal
Highwood USA CEO and Founder John Quarmley talks through the company's recent sale process....
By Adam Burroughs
February 24, 2023
Sellers Be Ready
Summit Fire & Security Regional VP Steve DeJohn on the signs that a company is ready for a sale. ...
By Adam Burroughs
February 24, 2023
Earn Out Can Be A Dirty Word
Paul Stillmank, former CEO of 7Summits, on earn outs — when they're useful and when they should be avoided....
By Adam Burroughs
February 17, 2023
Are You Emotionally Prepared To Sell?
Windsor Advisory Group Partner Jon Eesley on the personal toll an M&A sales process can take, how to emotionally prepare for an event, and where to get objective advice. ...
By Adam Burroughs
February 3, 2023
Tom Goodmanson On Calabrio's Two Transactions
Tom Goodmanson, former CEO of Calabrio, spoke on the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast about the KKR transaction and the Thoma Bravo transaction that would follow, what each was like, how he prepared and what the future holds for the business. ...
By Adam Burroughs
January 13, 2023
Preparing For A Sale When You're A Social Entrepreneur
Founder and former CEO of Union Packaging Michael K. Pearson on selling his company and preparing for life after a sale....
By Adam Burroughs
January 13, 2023
With SmartWitness, Business Liability Tool Turns Into $200M Return For Nick Merchef
Nick Mirchef and his son-in-law, Chris Pflanz, went through the trails and tribulations of early-stage capital raises with their company SmartWitness and found a big payday at the end of it all. Today, they’re offering others advice using their experience as a guide. ...
By Dan Pender
December 16, 2022
The Importance To Buyers Of High Probability Of Close
Mereo Capital Partners Co-Founder Leo Helmers on the indicators of a high probability to close and why those matter to buyers. ...
By Adam Burroughs
December 9, 2022
Reasons To Consider A Family Office
Walnut Ridge CEO and Managing Partner Mike Moran on the pros and cons for sellers partnering with a family office, how family offices differ from other options, and what life is like for owners post-transaction....
By Adam Burroughs
December 9, 2022
Chris Whelan On Selling Health Express Urgent Care
Health Express Urgent Care Owner Chris Whelan on selling his business to South Shore Health System....
By Adam Burroughs
December 9, 2022
Value Proposition Tops List In Battery Solutions' Deal Prep
Battery Solutions CFO Craig Fishel on preparing for his company's sale earlier this year to Retriev Technologies....
By Adam Burroughs
December 9, 2022
Plenty Of Prep Helps Updox Accelerate Sale Timeline
Former Updox CEO Mike Morgan on building up Updox, the process of selling to EverCommerce, and why he chose to leave the company after the sale....
By Adam Burroughs
November 18, 2022
Revolutionary Security's Race To The Finish Line
Former Revolutionary Security CEO Rich Mahler on the sale of the company to Accenture — the period leading up to the deal, COVID's effect and more....
By Adam Burroughs
November 4, 2022
The Value Of Preparation Before Liquidity Events
JBC Technologies' Joseph Bliss, Proformex's Lou Schneeberger, BNY Mellon Wealth Management's Ronald Ambrogio and BDO's Robert Berdanier on the value of preparation before liquidity events....
By Adam Burroughs
October 21, 2022
Begin With The End In Mind
MATH Venture Partners' Mert Hilmi Iseri and Mark Achler, along with UBS's James Jack and Michael R. Gatewood, share valuable personal lessons learned over several successful M&A exits. ...
By Adam Burroughs
September 15, 2022
Finding alignment in a family business
AchieveNEXT's Christin Cardone McClave, and UBS’s Bianca Benedetti-Fang and Julie Fox on how McClave’s family managed through being business partners over the years, why they ultimately decided a full sale was a path they wanted to pursue, and how they have adjusted back to being a family, after the transaction. ...
By Adam Burroughs
September 15, 2022
Value Creation In The M&A Lifecycle
Congruity 360's Mark Shirman, ARK Behavioral Health’s Peter McLoughlin and Twelve Points Wealth Management’s David Clayman on value creation in the M&A lifecycle....
By Adam Burroughs
September 9, 2022
What to consider when considering minority investments
Broadview Group Holdings' Clay Hunter, LoanNEX's Eloise Schmitz, Lewis & Clark AgriFood's Tim Hassler, PNC's Tim Brady and BDO USA's Meg Kellogg on what minority control sales look like, and how planning in advance can lead to multiple bites at the apple....
By Adam Burroughs
September 9, 2022
Accelerating growth through private equity
Schill Grounds Management's Jerry Schill on the company's deal with Argonne and how it will help accelerate the business's growth....
By Adam Burroughs
September 2, 2022
Ilya Bodner on Bold Penguin's Acquisition
Bold Penguin Founder Ilya Bodner on the company's acquisition, how it decided that was the best choice and the benefits the deal offered....
By Adam Burroughs
August 26, 2022
Pre-transaction must-dos for sellers
Kreischer Miller's Brian Kitchen on maximizing your deal success with pre-transaction tax structuring....
By Adam Burroughs
August 19, 2022
Finding a sale at a crossroads
Fab Fours CEO Greg Higgs on his company's sale to Warn Industries and his post-deal plans. ...
By Adam Burroughs
August 11, 2022
When (and when not) to call an investment banker
Christopher Riley, CEO, United Cutwater, has more than 30 years’ experience owning and operating more than a dozen businesses in numerous industries. He discusses the current M&A landscape and what business owners should be doing if they’re considering selling....
By Dan Pender
August 11, 2022
When there's more than money to a deal
Orbus Past Chairman & Owner Simon Perutz on his former company's acquisition...
By Adam Burroughs
August 5, 2022
Evaluating your sell-side options in an exit
RiverGlade Capital's Kevin McGrath, Council Capital's Nick Cooper, Pinnacle Financial Partners' Tyler Morgan, Capital Alignment Partners' John Pontius, Whistler Capital's Darshan Prabhu and Bass, Berry & Sims' Tatjana Paterno discuss what goes into a successful exit beyond a liquidity event, including when a private equity firm sells one of its portfolio companies....
By Adam Burroughs
