A seasoned M&A professional with experience selling similar businesses can help with , finding potential buyers, managing the entire sale process and representing you in negotiations with potential buyers. I recently sat down with Don Hilton, Founder and Managing Partner, of Distinct Capital Partners Inc. (www.distinctcapitalpartners.com) in Toronto, Ontario. Distinct Capital provides investment banking, corporate finance and advisory services to shareholders of owner operated businesses ...

Can your corporate lawyer assist with your ? Perhaps. Does your corporate lawyer have experience collaborating with other professional advisors and working with privately held business owners on the various issues involved in the exit planning process? I wanted to find out why business owners should have a lawyer on their exit planning advisor team, in particular to understand: a) how to select an appropriate lawyer; and b) what the lawyer’s contributions to the exit planning process will b...

Will the next generation want to carry on the business after you are gone? If so, are they capable? How many family members are dependent on or involved in the family business? Will the business survive a transition to the second generation? How about the third? Is a third party sale to a financial or strategic buyer an option? If these questions have crossed your mind, you may benefit from having a discussion with a family business advisor experienced with best practices that can make a sign...

If your business survives on the basis of being a distributor for one key supplier (i.e. selling another company’s product/service), it may be time to rethink the or, at the very least, rethink the way you view your business. When was the last time you used a travel agent, went to a CD store or rented a movie from the local blockbuster? Travel agencies have yielded to the rise of online travel booking companies. CD stores have succumbed to online music services such as iTunes. DVD rental s...

If your revenue starts to plateau after a period of rapid growth, you may have fallen into The Mile Wide Trap - not a good situation if you are looking to maximize the . To illustrate, consider a public relations (PR) firm started by an entrepreneur who originally spent ten years learning a variety of marketing disciplines (e.g. PR, advertising, direct marketing, social media, etc.) as an employee at a big advertising agency. Given her experience and connections, she quickly landed General...

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the CICBV 2013 Eastern Regional Conference on the issue of in light of the unprecedented transfer of business wealth expected over the coming decade. [1] Our panel, moderated by Bill Vienneau, Partner at WBLI, Chartered Accountants in Halifax, consisted of Doug Bruce, VP Research at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Trevor Allibon, Manager Subordinate Financing at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and myself. ...

You have now completed your review of a by considering:

• The type of valuation report;
• The author’s credentials and qualifications;
• Any scope limitations underlying the conclusions;
• The valuation approach(es) adopted;
• The reasonableness of the projected cash flows or historical normalization items;
• The reasonableness of the discount rate, capitalization rate or valuation multiplier;
• Any redund...

You have now completed your review of a by considering: 1. The type of valuation report; 2. The author’s credentials and qualifications; 3. Any scope limitations underlying the conclusions; 4. The valuation approach(es) adopted; 5. The reasonableness of the projected cash flows or historical normalization items; 6. The reasonableness of the discount rate, capitalization rate or valuation multiplier; 7. Any redundant assets owned by the business; 8. The income tax implications; and ...

I recently had the privilege of hearing Garth Stephanson speak at the May 2013 Estate Planning Council of Toronto dinner.  Garth’s story was fascinating and he provided extremely valuable advice for business owners when it comes to building a business for a successful transition.  His advice is especially critical given the implications for business owners of the unprecedented expected over the coming decade. After 32 years as CEO, Garth sold his manufacturing business in 2004 when sale...

Does the valuation report provide sufficient reasoning and rationale to support its findings?  This is a key question to ask when reviewing a given that business valuations are somewhat subjective in nature. Step 9 to reviewing a business valuation report involves assessing the reasonableness of the value conclusions, including the implied intangible value, and/or identifying what reasonableness testing the valuator used to support his/her findings.  Here are 6 reasonableness tests to cons...