9 minutes read The following is a practical guide to the opportunities, trade-offs and questions every founder should ask before selling to private equity. For many founders, private equity (“PE”) still carries a mixed reputation: sophisticated money, demanding due diligence, leverage, targets and a boardroom full of spreadsheets. That reputation is not entirely wrong, but it…
7 minutes read Private equity firms (“PE”) have evolved from the caricature of the 1980s “corporate raiders” to become dynamic, growth-oriented investors. With a staggering £190 billion in capital that is seeking opportunities, today’s PE firms are often just as competitive if not more so, than traditional trade buyers. For business owners considering a sale, engaging…
3 minutes read Capital Gains Tax (CGT) We had cautiously hoped that Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for sellers of businesses would remain untouched following the recent adjustments that significantly reduced Capital Gain Tax annual personal allowances. However, Labour is now advocating an increase in Capital Gains Tax to 45%, specifically targeting private equity executives with the…
7 minutes read Succession has been a huge TV franchise hit for HBO. It has ageing patriarch Logan Roy contemplating what the future holds for him and his media empire. You may not have an empire, but your business is valuable, and you should consider succession. Will it be to the family, a trade sale, a…
10 minutes read In the title, we draw inspiration from the name of the renowned 1989 book “Barbarians at the Gate” on leveraged buyouts written by Byran Burrough and John Helyar. This narrative characterises financial buyers as modern-day raiders who are not armed with “real money.” However, contrary to the position in 1989, today the coffers…
5 minutes read With nearly a third of M&A deals going to Private Equity buyers in 2022, you may be asking “should I sell to them?” The answer will be driven by several factors including the deal structure and of course price, but in a world of abundant capital, a Private Equity (“PE”) sale may be…
10.5 minutes read For many business owners, selling their company to exit is the ultimate reward for years of hard work. Most of the wealth in the world is capital wealth, not income, and realising this wealth can be an important part of a business owner’s journey and the peak of their ambitions. In a world…
An exit strategy is a plan to create succession or liquidate the value of shares. A successful exit will focus on profitable value and ideally realise the goodwill inherent in a business; that being the customer loyalty that results in both current and future profitable revenue. Some corporates will also divest non-core assets to realise…
Download file here. When successfully completed, an acquisition can have a dramatic effect on the business; delivering a significant increase in profit that would have taken many years of organic growth to perhaps achieve, with all the added uncertainties that are all too natural in the business world. Additional potential benefits of an acquisition are…
How the Russian-Ukraine war affects Mergers and Acquisitions After the shock to the system that was the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy seemed to be healing. This has especially been the case since late 2020 into early 2021, with last year being the best year for M&A, with a new deal value of nearly £4…