Articles

Five Ways Tariffs are Impacting M&A Deals

By Anthony Bahr, on Jan 24, 2019

In 2018, we conducted dozens of customer due diligence engagements on behalf of private equity and strategic buyers. While all of these engagements were designed to mitigate customer concentration risk and provide insights to accelerate post-close value creation, roughly half included additional objectives to determine the impact that tariffs may have on a deal. Based on thousands of in-depth interviews with B2B decision makers, we have observed five ways that tariffs are impacting M&A deals and portfolio management strategies.

Dealmakers Planning for a Successful Merger or Acquisition: Success Measures for Alignment, Cultural Integration and Future Considerations

By Gary W. Craig, on Dec 18, 2018

In the October MidMarket Talk article, we dealt with Dealmakers Planning for a Successful Merger or Acquisition: Aligning the Rest of the Total Organization) and discussed letting all of staff know of the directions and focus of the new organization. Everyone needs to be clear on the reasons for the merger or acquisition. Additionally, as Carleton and Lineberry point out, staff needs to know “the direction of the new organization and the changes that are required for its success.

Combine Customer and Commercial Diligence to Maximize M&A Success

By Anthony Bahr, on Nov 29, 2018

Going into a deal — especially when starting to build a new platform — it is imperative for acquirers to gain a deep understanding of a category. Commercial due diligence is effective at helping acquirers familiarize themselves with a category at a high level. However, a broad understanding of a category may not always be enough to validate investment theses and develop value creation playbooks for a specific target company.

Dealmakers Planning for a Successful Merger or Acquisition: Aligning the Rest of the Total Organization

By Gary W. Craig, on Oct 25, 2018

Last month In MidMarket Talk, we dealt with Dealmakers Planning for a Successful Merger or Acquisition: Aligning the Management Group (Part 2) and discussed the criticality of aligning the Management Group.  We focused on how to facilitate the All Managers Session and what to do with what comes out of the sessions for management to act upon for the accomplishment of the strategic intent of the merger or acquisition.  

Getting Started with Social Media for Your Business

By Kelly Betzold, on Sep 21, 2018

Social media can be a great way to build awareness of your company and its services as well as allow you to connect with potential clients. It gives you a presence in the newsfeeds of the people you are trying to reach. Best of all, it is free to have a presence on the social media so you may as well take advantage of it.

Why Prospective Business Buyers Should Love Flat Revenue

By Ken Whitley, on Sep 20, 2018

Perhaps “love” is a strong word. Perhaps “not be put off by” is more appropriate. Flat revenue refers to a chart’s depiction of the historical trend of a business’s revenue – flat revenue means that the trendline is nearly horizontal, stagnant, … flat. Some prospective buyers immediately move on to the next business to be considered when they see a flat revenue trend.

Dealmakers Planning for a Successful Merger or Acquisition: Aligning the Management Group (Part 2)

By Gary W. Craig, on Sep 20, 2018

Last month In MidMarket Talk, we dealt with Dealmakers Planning for a Successful Merger or Acquisition: Aligning the Management Group (Part 1).  We also proposed the idea that if Dealmakers are true advisors, they need to advise their client on the criticality of aligning the Management Group.  We focused on how to facilitate the All Managers Session and now will show what to do with what comes out of the sessions for management to act upon for the accomplishment of the strategic intent of the merger or acquisition.  As promised, we will discuss what happens after the All Managers Sessions regarding the values and practices, accountabilities, communicating the results of the sessions, developing feedback surveys to gauge perceptions of the manager’s behavior in the new way and creating development plans for staff and action plans for the managers. 

Business Transition in the Middle Market [Infographic]

By Kelly Betzold, on Sep 20, 2018

The National Center for the Middle Market ("The Center") has recently released a fact sheet on “Business Transition in the Middle Market.” The results of their analysis of business transactions, whether it was buying, selling, or changing leadership, found that transition is common in the middle market. While change is always constant in business, middle market companies experience major organizational transitions differently from other companies.

A 60 Second Seller's Guide to the Purchase Agreement: Stock vs. Asset Sale

By Todd Taylor, on Sep 07, 2018

In selling your business, you can structure the deal as a stock sale or an asset sale. Most sellers prefer stock sales and most buyers prefer to buy assets.

Market Trends 2017/18: The Jobs Act

By Rebecca DiStefano, on Aug 23, 2018

OVERVIEW

The U.S. economy was spotlighted during an unprecedented national Presidential election in 2016 with campaign debate focused on the preservation and initiation of new jobs. This topic, of course, is not a new one. In response to the economic malaise following the 2009 financial crisis, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (112 P.L. 106, 126 Stat. 306) (JOBS Act), signed into law by President Obama, on April 5, 2012, implemented striking changes to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act). The JOBS Act mandated that the U.S.