When we talk about recapitalization, we’re talking about a partial sale of a company that allows the owner to liquidate some of the value they have in their business. Typically, this involves selling a part of your equity (usually 70-80%) to a third-party, however some business owners do sell just a minority stake.
Talk to anyone trying to buy a house right now and they’ll tell you competition is tight. In certain price ranges, buyers need to put an offer in fast (like the day it’s listed fast) and should expect stiff competition. According to data from Zillow, new for-sale listings are down about 25% over a year ago but house values are up 4.3% year-over-year.
SBA relief efforts are incentivizing buyers to move ahead with business acquisitions. Per the SBA website, “the SBA will pay six months of principal, interest, and any associated fees that borrowers owe for all current … as well as new 7(a), 504, and microloans disbursed prior to September 27, 2020.”
Many business owners have preconceived notions about who will buy their business or whether it’s even salable at all. A lot of owners think their most likely buyer option is the competitor down the street. Maybe that was true, once upon a time. But the M&A world has changed dramatically—and continues to evolve.
According to the Q1 2020 Market Pulse Report published by the International Business Brokers Association, M&A Source, and the Pepperdine Private Capital Market Project, advisors reported that of the small and medium businesses currently for sale, about 35% had closed, 40% were operating at partial capacity, 4% had benefited, and 21% remained unaffected by COVID-19.
Recently we have been getting a lot of questions asking if now is a good time to sell or buy a business and how would the business value be affected due to the coronavirus. Click the Link to Find out more:
The market doesn’t like uncertainty. Certain buyers are retreating into wait and see mode, waiting to see how long the lockdowns will stay in place, how supply-demand issues will shake out, and whether we’ll hit a full-blown recession. But opportunities happen when others retreat. That’s why the coronavirus pandemic could be the best opportunity we’ve seen to buy a business in the last five years.
As business owners are working to process the impact of COVID-19, we’re looking at how it will affect M&A. In the short term, some companies will slow the pace of acquisitions. That’s natural in uncertain times.
Ideally, you’ll start preparing for sale early in your business lifecycle. The more you know about what buyers want, and what you can expect from the market, the more options you’ll have to exit your business.
Business owners looking to sell their business, or attract an investment partner, may want to add family offices to their outreach strategy. These private family firms, established by high net worth families to manage their wealth, can offer unique advantages.