Jeff Hutsell sold his company, Levels of Discovery, in 2013. Four years later, in 2017, we interviewed Jeff to find out what he recalls about the process and what advice he has for others. We’re reposting the interview because we believe stories stand the test of time and are one of the best ways to learn.
Yogi Berra would probably tell you that you can’t sell your business if nobody will buy it.
But, many people walk into the dealmaking process without considering business buyers at all. Read more
Thanks to Robert Drumm for writing this article for us. Robert is an attorney and entrepreneur with 16 years experience in special-purpose real estate finance and development, business transactions, workouts, and day-to-day business operations. He returned to full-time legal and consulting practice after successfully rejuvenating a specialty packaging business serving the craft beverage industry.
Starting in the 1920s, “1031 Exchanges” give real estate investors a way to recycle and preserve capital by deferring tax on gains from the sale of one property by promptly reinvesting it in another. Unfortunately, investors in operating companies have not had a similar vehicle to forestall the tax man. Read more
It’s a great time to be a seller. But, don’t buy all the hype. There’s a difference between what the newspaper says and what you or your clients will experience. It’s not much ado about nothing, it’s much ado about little.
In this update on 2018 M&A activity, we’ll dig into valuations and multiples, interest rates, tax reform, and the fight for talent. The conclusion will look at a few of our first-hand observations.
Remember, as always, everything we cover is in the context of our dealmaking scope. That means we’re talking about companies that are mature (not start-up’s), privately-held, and small- to lower middle market-size (revenue ranging from $1M – $50M). Read more
Chances are you’ve answered “What do you do?” with “I am…”
“I am a doctor.”
“I am a lawyer.”
“I am a chef.”
Especially here in the USA, we get a lot of our identity from our profession. Read more
If you’re selling your business and the deal’s “Close” is just two weeks away, you’ve gotten through the bulk of it.
But, there are still two weeks left of the dealmaking process and you’re not sure what “closing the deal” actually means. Keep reading to get some practical guidance for items not necessarily addressed in the legal documents, such as “Where should I be, physically, on the day of closing?” Read more
Just like that thing you can’t quite put your finger on – private equity is somehow all over the place and nowhere at the same time.
It’s elusive but you still hear about it over and over again.
You wonder:
What exactly is private equity?
How does it work?
And, does it have anything to do with me and my business?
We’ll cover all that and more in The Ultimate Guide to Private Equity.
Let’s get to it. Read more
Thanks to Robert Drumm for writing this guest post. Robert is currently an attorney at Van Osdol and has a long history of completing private company transactions. We’re grateful he was willing to share his expertise here.
Sometimes clients who are involved in their first business transaction are surprised and even frustrated that the lawyers on both sides of the deal devote so much time and attention to “Representations and Warranties” when they negotiate a definitive purchase and sale agreement (the “PSA”). This part of the PSA might initially seem like wasted words that make the document thicker and the legal bill higher, but they are important. Read more
Thanks to Robert Drumm for writing this guest post. Robert is currently an attorney at Van Osdol and has a long history of completing private company transactions. We’re grateful he was willing to share his expertise here.
Technical jargon and acronyms are natural to every subject. Jargon usually makes “insider” communication easier but at the cost of clarity to outsiders. Investment bankers, lawyers and other business transaction professionals have our own alphabet soup of jargon, and sometimes, without meaning to be rude, we inflict that jargon on our clients: Read more
A few years ago, my friends were chatting excitedly about a new shop that had opened called, “Insomnia Cookie.” My friend, Evan, felt a bit out of the loop but nobody was clueing him in. Read more
Mental models are frameworks used to guide perspective and decision making. Read more
What is social impact investment banking?
It sounds a little trendy—maybe even a bit made up.
But, it happens every day.
2018 is almost here and, boy, are we excited for it.
But we don’t want to fly into the new year without celebrating the great things that happened in 2017. Cheers to closed deals, insightful deal content, helpful dealmakers, and all the lovely things beyond the deal. Read more
Due diligence is a term most of us have heard somewhere at some point. But what does it actually mean and how does it play out in specific contexts? At The DVS Group due diligence is an essential part of our dealmaking.
That’s one of the most important things to remember about the process of business valuation.
Business valuation is a topic that goes deep and wide. There are a lot of questions and a lot to learn.
We did the digging for you and created the second in our series of “Ultimate Guides”.
(The first in the series: The Ultimate Guide to EBITDA)
After engaging with the information below, we hope you come out on the other side with a good understanding of why valuation is calculated and price is negotiated.
Let’s go!