Working with our clients to buy and sell businesses is a cornerstone of our firm’s legacy. MB Law’s approach with all of our business clients from starting and growing a business until the ultimate liquidation event, is to remain focused on both the business and personal goals attainable through the ownership and expansion of a business. As business lawyers, we understand the emotional and financial significance to a business owner of selling or acquiring a business.
Our attorneys have decades of experience counseling clients in this complex and highly negotiated area of law, having closed thousands of transactions. Our fully customized high volume, seen-it-all perspective in almost every industry is the ultimate advantage for our clients. We have the experience and experience to ensure that transactions do not get “stuck” and even the most complex issues and liabilities can be addressed and negotiated by the parties to a mutually beneficial ending; the closing of the transaction.
Getting the transaction to the finish line; the successful closing, involves so much more than negotiating the terms of the contract. We assist our clients in every personal and professional aspect of a successful transaction, including:
- Advising business owners on growth and exit strategies for the business to attain the necessary financial and personal goals
- Preparing both the business and the owners for the transaction, legally, financially and emotionally
- Conducting the necessary due diligence
- Negotiating the terms of the transaction and the specifics of the contract
- Counseling the owner for life during and after the transaction
- Planning for the additional liquidity and the numerous alternatives to protect their new wealth
With over 40 years of experience, thousands of closed transactions and almost $4 Billion in purchase price realized by our clients (generally $5M-$50M at a time), our attorneys are recognized as “deal makers” focused on problem solving, while always driving for the client’s ultimate personal and professional goals.
Picking the Right Team
In Question 14 in Ned Minor’s book, Deciding to Sell Your Business, The Key to Wealth and Freedom, he answers the question, “Can I sell the business myself?” Based on his decades of experience, Ned Minor writes, “Simple answer: No.”
“I have rarely seen one of these solo flights reach its intended destination,” Ned continues. “Think about it. You have successfully built your company due to your keen understanding of your business, your customers, and your market. You may not, however, have the expertise necessary to orchestrate a successful sale.”
“Keep in mind that nothing less than your financial security is at stake.”
Successfully negotiating and closing the sale, acquisition or merger of a business involves a team experienced of professional advisors. The team usually involves acquisition legal counsel, an accountant, an investment banker and other processional advisors of the business owner – a team with members who will challenge clients to set aside preconceived ideas and to take a hard look at the options and their consequences.