M&A Blog

Harvard Place Investments has completed the purchase of an automotive products distributor.  Seller was a Midwestern U. S. Private Equity firm. Acquisition Advisors represented the buyer. Acquisition Advisors developed and executed a sound strategy, consulted on the valuation of the enterprise, and led the negotiations.  The result was a completed transaction.

Business profits are down. Ditto for multiples. The result is a double whammy on pricing. For this reason it’s a great time to buy. Not so much for selling. So after years of a seller’s market we now have a buyer’s market. It’s time to make acquisitions.

Where to look? To be sure, many would-be sellers are going to wait it out. But there are still deals to be made.

Are you considering hiring an M&A firm? Does the firm you’re considering disclose the actual names of past clients or nebulous descriptions?

Check out the tombstones and testimonials on the firm’s website and printed materials. Do they contain the real names of companies, buyers and sellers?

The March Group claims to be “the leading M&A firm for offshore investments in the United States.” What they appear to be trying to convey is the impression that they have contacts with overseas buyers.  Interestingly, however, the only buyer I found featured on the March Group’s website — with actual identity revealed — is [...]

Sashay Corporate Services, owned by Michael and Carla Covey, announced today that it has acquired Automated Mail Service from Cheshire Holding Corporation, owned by Doug and Janelle Brooks. Automated Mail Service (“AMS”) is a full service direct mail and commercial mail presort company that was founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1979.  AMS is located at [...]

You can buy a business in one of two ways: asset purchase or stock purchase. In asset purchase, the buyer purchases “the business” by purchasing every single asset used by, necessary for or “making up” the business. By doing so, the buyer ends up in effect owning the entire going concern. A business, after all, [...]

The business world is tough.  Life is tough. Success is not gained by wimps.  Happiness is not bestowed on wimps.  Success and happiness is found when one has the courage to face reality, embrace truth, admit fault and accept blame (publicly and privately), defend and protect oneself, take risk, accept failure, and get up and [...]

Are you under extreme financial pressure? Desperately need to restructure your debt – personal or business? First, try not to settle for simple short term survival. Go for improving your situation for the long term. Yes, it is possible. Figure out how. You don’t want to find yourself back in this same situation in a [...]

They key to getting a great price for your business is this – multiple, high quality buyers that are all bidding at the same time. Think I’m just arguing for my own benefit? Consider these things. First, there are a LOT of buyers out there. Not sure you agree? Think about it. If you’re a [...]

It is impossible to negotiate effectively when you have few, or no, options. If you are not willing to walk away.  Dean Acheson, the acclaimed Secretary of State in the Truman Administration, said: “The single most powerful tool for winning a negotiation is the ability to get up and walk away from the table without [...]