Transaction Advisory

Business Sales

The sale of a business is a significant and, in many cases, life-changing event.  The opportunity to realise your life’s work is not to be undertaken without having a well developed strategy.  The sale of a successful privately owned  business is complicated and will take at least six months to complete.

The complexity in a business sale comes from the multiple ‘moving parts’ – developing a strategy, valuing the business, timing the sale, identifying the right buyer, maintaining confidentiality, negotiating price and terms, responding to due diligence and concluding the sale, which in itself involves extensive legal and other negotiations.

To achieve an optimal result takes excellent planning, a lot of work, the right attitude and, most importantly, the right advice.   Black Pearl Private Clients has the knowledge, experience and track record to successfully guide you through the transaction by:

• developing a tailored sale strategy in partnership with you;
• preparing marketing documents, including a non identifying business summary, detailed Information Package and other required sale documents;
• establishing and implementing confidentiality protocols;
• identifying multiple qualified prospective purchasers in order to generate competitive price tension;
• negotiating the terms of the transaction through to completion;
• maintaining momentum throughout the transaction; and
• liaising with other professional advisers, as required.

Acquisition Advisory

You’ve identified the business you’d like to acquire or you’ve been approached to acquire a business.  What do you do next?  Acquiring a business can be a complex and time-consuming process.  Getting it wrong can be costly in terms of professional fees incurred and the opportunity cost that results from distracting management focus.

Issues you will need to deal with include:

• assessing suitability of the business against your personal and corporate goals and objectives;
• ascertaining the value of the business;
• preparing and submitting an expression of interest/offer;
• conducting negotiations;
• investigating and analysing alternative financing sources;
• undertaking due diligence;
• negotiating lease terms;
• preparing and executing contracts; and
• project managing the handover and or/integration of the acquired business.

Black Pearl Private Clients can assist with each stage of the acquisition process from conducting targeted searches and negotiations through to documenting your offer and closing the deal.

Business Transition

You’ve identified a family member or senior employee as the logical buyer for your business and are now at a loss on how to move forward.  The emotional issues that arise in handing over your life’s work are exacerbated when you’re negotiating with a family member or valued employee.  You need to balance an outcome that realizes your personal and financial goals and rewards you for all your effort with achieving an outcome that is viewed as fair by your successor.  This process, which by its nature can be adversarial, can be difficult and uncomfortable when you are negotiating directly with someone you know well.

Black Pearl Private Clients has a proven process that will enable you to initiate and progress discussions with the identified party, right through to developing and implementing a transition plan that achieves the desired outcome for all parties with minimal disruption to management time.

Business Appraisals

A key requirement in any business sale, acquisition or transition is to determine the value of the business.  Black Pearl Private Clients  can undertake an appraisal of your business to provide an indication of value.  If a formal valuation of the business is required, Black Pearl Private Clients can assist you through a referral to a qualified and experienced third party valuation professional.

Pre Sale Business Preparation & Improvement Strategies

Implementing pre-sale business improvement strategies can dramatically improve the after tax proceeds you receive on the sale of your business.  Whether you are looking to sell your business now or in the future, by developing, documenting and implementing business improvement strategies, you can actively enhance each of the key valuation metrics and reap significant increases in the ultimate value of your business.

Where necessary, Black Pearl Private Clients, in partnership with its network of professionals, can assist in transforming your business from an ‘ordinary looking duckling’ to a beautiful swan, admired by all possible suitors.