Thoughts for the owner considering the sale of a part or all of his/her private business
An Opportunity for Freedom
Your company is successful. Profits have grown and prospects are better than ever. But something is different. Business may not be as exciting and satisfying as before. You have more unwanted responsibilities and, therefore, less personal freedom. Some of your goals seem further away than ever.
Freedom means different things to different people. It may mean alieviating liquidity concerns by monetizing your investment in the company, retiring to the seacoast or the mountains, obtaining the capital you need to build the company to $100 million of sales, or changing your career into the humanities.
To a few qualified entrepreneurs, a merger or acquisition can be the key to renewed personal freedom. You can obtain cash for the wealth that you have created. This liquidity permits you to diversify your investments and plan your estate. Financial security offers peace of mind. The continuity of your business is established. You finally have time for your personal interests and family.
The Problem…The Opportunity
Your success has created more problems than you ever imagined when you started your business. Such problems rarely get solved; they merely fester and provoke unhappiness.
The problem is that the goals and circumstances of the company and its shareholders have changed, but the ownership structure has not.
For example, longstanding shareholders may need liquidity. Eager young managers seek long-term incentives such as direct ownership. Or, the company may require additional financial resources to continue its growth and prosperity.
Solutions to such problems are readily achievable when understood and approached professionally.
One of our clients was able to build his retail store concept five times faster after selling to a major public company. Another client was able to achieve great personal wealth and maintain the family culture while passing down a significant ownership interest to his son. A third client found a helpful overseas affiliation when the company was acquired by the world’s largest manufacturer in that field.
In short, our clients have found completing a carefully planned transaction to be a positive way to achieve personal and financial freedom and provide for the planned continuity of their business.
How We Can Help
A good transaction doesn’t just happen. By nature, the sale of a company clearly stands apart from most other business dealings. It is unique and complex. You usually have but one chance. It must be right the first time.
Bollinger/Wells offers an array of solutions that pursue the goals and requirements of owners of distinctive companies.
Our unique expertise is the ability to achieve strategic solutions for our clients.
Our first priority is to understand your goals and aspirations. We know how to listen. We will help you identify and interpret your goals as they translate into merger, acquisition or recapitalization possibilities.
Freedom of choice requires first-hand knowledge of qualified buyers and transaction structures. However, for most owners, outside opportunities are limited to those random mail and telephone solicitations every president receives.
Bollinger/Wells’ unique program gives you choices. It introduces alternatives that are tailored to your specific needs and circumstances. In short, the program:
- Evaluates the value of your company and suggests the financial and tax structures that will secure your objectives.
- Implements a clearly defined program to select potential acquirers/partners and a plan to negotiate with each.
- Provides technical expertise and experience to make sure that a transaction is in the best interests of the selling shareholders.
You can have real freedom to control your future. With our program, you can be confident that you have considered, and now understand, all of your real-life alternatives.
In short, if you want to change directions in your life, Bollinger/Wells can make a valuable contribution.
What Makes Us Different
The only business of Bollinger/Wells is to provide specialized merger/acquisition services to owners of fine companies. We offer to sellers the same professional counsel on mergers that is usually available only to major companies.
Bollinger/Wells’ national reputation brings many advantages to a transaction, including speed, confidentiality, and the ability to present virtually every appropriate buyer to you. Our experience and organizational strength provides answers and action in all types of transactions.
Our clients are typically among the leaders in the markets they serve and have above-average returns on investment. They show a history of profitability and excellent prospects for the future.
Our partners are seasoned acquisition professionals, with many years of direct experience in all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and financings. Each is responsible for his own accounts.
At both a corporate and a personal level, we place the highest value on the following principles:
- Simplicity and candor in relationships with clients.
- Privacy and control of confidential information.
- Excellence in our services.
Make a Move Toward Freedom
If you feel ready to investigate the opportunities for freedom that a transaction could present to you, it is easy to get started. Simply call Alan Wells at (212) 697-7174 or write us to arrange a convenient date for a candid discussion.
Unlike many firms that require substantial “appraisal” or “set-up” fees, Bollinger/Wells offers its estimates of valuation and opportunity at no cost to you.
Timing is critical to freedom of choice. Remember, the most attractive opportunities occur when there is no obvious need to sell. Creating and communicating those opportunities is the business of Bollinger/Wells.