The Power of Subtlety in Acquiring a Practice
It may sound contrarian, but if you are interested in buying a business, do yourself a favor and never ask the question, “Can I buy your practice?” Experienced advisors that have bought a business before know this to be true, and the reason is simple. The question ignores the fundamental realities of practice acquisition in the financial services industry. In the financial services business, the person who says “yes” to the question, “do you want to sell?” is not necessarily the type of person from whom you want to buy a practice.
Show Me The Money – Acquisition Financing Trends
If you asked us five years ago about financing the acquisition of an advisory practice in the financial services industry, there would not have been much to talk about. Until recently, almost all deals were done using a combination of buyer’s funds and seller financing. Bank financing was not a viable option for most deals because lenders generally struggled with the collateral on the loan – an advisor’s most valuable asset in their business is the client relationship and cash flow those relationships produce. Before the market drop in September 2008, some advisor buyers were able to leverage home-equity lines of credit or large business lines of credit, but most had to use personal funds to finance their deal, which priced many otherwise qualified successors out of the market. Until recently, the typical deal for advisors with less than $5,000,000 in annual revenue involved 20-40% cash down from a buyer, with the balance seller-financed over 4 to 5 years at 5-7% interest. That is changing, and the results seem to be good for everyone involved in the deals.
Secrets to a Successful Succession
Great article from Matthew Halloran on succession planning. He makes 10 good suggestions for buyers/sellers to be thinking about, here is a quick summary:
Create a Simple Succession Plan
Every business and client base is unique. But, there are some common core elements for advisors to consider if they want to begin developing a succession plan or internal ownership track for the next generation. We have seen and developed a wide variety of plans for our clients and know it’s easy to get bogged down in the details or let these types of plans become overly complex and “die on the vine.” Our recommendation? Start planning sooner rather than later, and keep it simple.
Plan for the worst…Hope for the best
At some point in your career as a small business owner, you will find yourself either needing or wanting a partner (I use the term “partner” in the loosest sense of the term). Whether it is for the purposes of adding/retaining talent, expanding your business and talent pool, sharing expenses, or building a succession/exit plan, finding someone to partner with in serving your clients is essential for businesses to survive for multiple generations.
Intrapreneur or Competitor?
What should you do when one of your key staff comes into your office and tells you they are resigning to go start their own competing business? The simple thing most of would do is to take their resignation and call them a Judas. But, consider an alternative. When your key executive has that entrepreneurial spark and an idea, try harnessing it to your advantage!
