The approval of the Pfizer COVID vaccine offers us all a ray of hope and allows us to start planning for business life to return to some form of normality in 2021. The pandemic has had an impact on all businesses and for many, it is been detrimental, particularly for those in hospitality, leisure, travel and retail. Sadly some businesses have ceased trading and others have had to significantly reduce their operations. It is now time to take stock and plan for the future and for some owners that may involve selling their company.
We are regularly in contact with prospective buyers who have funds in place to make acquisitions now. In the current economic climate, they are looking for proven turnover and cashflow with sufficient profitability to cover their investment. If your business has those elements in place then you are well placed. In many cases, owners will be unsure if their business is ready to go market. At Weybrook we have worked with a number of owners to find solutions that suit all the shareholders and facilitate future growth.
One client, a digital marketing agency contacted us when they had an unsolicited offer from a competitor; we valued the business and evaluated the offer which turned out to be less attractive than it first appeared. Our work allowed the owners to find a solution whereby one director exited, an existing senior member of staff is acquiring that director’s shareholding and will become a director and an external investor is taking a stake in the company which will provide providing ongoing security.
In another case a family-owned garage business faced a crossroads when one shareholder passed away, we worked with the owners to find a solution where one of the two remaining shareholders exited and the other one acquired his stake.
We had two interested parties who had approached an IT services company, but their offers fell short of the shareholder’s expectations. Working with him we put together a three-year plan which is designed to increase the value and saleability of the company to a level that will meet his expectations.
Contact Rupert Trevelyan at rupert@weybrookbusinessbrokers.com or 07826 050690.