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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