Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory

A Neumann & Associates, LLC

April 11, 2016

Close The Company – Not The Best Retirement Solution

By Joseph Eneldas

Maryland_State_House_from_College_Ave

“Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a small business owner who was worried if his business was worth selling”, says Glen Michalske, Managing Director, North Carolina, A Neumann & Associates LLC, a New Jersey based Mergers & Acquisitions and Business Brokerage firm. “He was thinking of just letting the years of hard work building his business fade quietly away.”

Interestingly, our firm frequently comes across this scenario.  A business owner’s concern is always that no one would want to buy their business as it’s in a niche market, revenue has been shrinking over the years, the cost of selling the business would exceed its worth or required effort, etc.

The owner’s reason for shedding a business, even to the point of shuttering it, is often that he could focus entirely on a new business venture.  Often, the owner admits his neglect was the cause of the business’ decline and there is an easy fix, even while thinking about putting most of his energy into a new business venture.

As Michalske states, “this business here was unique, profitable since inception and has a long history of serving the marketplace.  It had a dedicated customer base and supported a few employees.  A quick analysis indicated that costs were in line, inventory was down and a little TLC would change the direction of the business without much effort on the owner’s part.”

Our business brokerage firm experiences this scenario quite often. The owner did not know what his business was worth and was unsure if it was worth the effort to try and sell it. Working with a qualified M&A advisor or business broker will provide an appropriate business valuation, and more importantly, will project future income in the business’ market place and a macro economic environment analysis.

“We recently experienced a long-term business owner in the book publishing field, who would rather liquidate the declining business by selling off inventory and then closing the business, instead of accepting a perfectly good offer providing $500,000 in Good Will payments above the asset value”, says Achim Neumann, President of the firm. “Needless to say, such a scenario completely destroys any legacy, omits a $500,000 gain, and will lead to a lot of headaches for the business owner, in terms of collections, inventory management and employee handling.”

The great majority of businesses does indeed represent a value, and for the nominal expense of obtaining an independent, accredited business valuation, the owner can easily ascertain this value.  Furthermore, upon receipt of the valuation report, the owner can consult with his CPA to determine the net receipts for a sale transaction.

After a completed business valuation, reputable business brokers can quote a success fee for an engagement to sell the company, whereas such fee is commonly paid upon closing. As Michalske states, “the bottom line is, the owner’s costs of selling the business are far offset by the current and future value of the business, only paid upon a successful closing and the only initial investment is a nominal 3rd party valuation fee – not to mention, that the business valuations can often be used to obtain debt financing if the business owner decides to re-build his business.”

About A Neumann & Associates, LLC

A Neumann & Associates, LLC is a professional mergers & acquisitions and business brokerage firm having assisted business owners and buyers in the business valuation and business transfer process through its affiliations for the past 30 years. With an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, the company has senior trusted professionals with a deep knowledge based in multiple field offices along the East Coast and has performed hundreds of business valuations in its history. The firm’s competitive transaction fees are based on successfully completing transactions. For more information, please contact A Neumann & Associates at 732-872-6777 or info@neumannassociates.com

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Client Testimonials

“I've always had great respect for those who are excellent in their fields of endeavor. Gary certainly lived up to that standard. He was knowledgeable, persuasive, determined and ultimately the main driving force that culminated in the very successful sale of my business. Well done Gary!”

Stuart Zeiff, Seller

“ I appreciate your diligent approach to screening buyers and sellers as well as the high quality CIM that you produce.”

Andrey O, Investor

“Finally enjoying retirement after recently selling my business using the services of A Neumann & Associates. Joe Oddo provided the conduit to a successful transaction. Joe knew when to inject input and when to simply listen and allow the buyers to vent, step back and regroup. The outcome met our expectations and got us to the finish line, which included my staying with the company six months in order for the buyers to get their footing and keep our workforce in the loop. He helped at every step by providing his expert guidance & resources. Thank you!”

Emily Parker Myers, Co-Owner - Myers McRae

“I had been in touch with Karin and Gary from A Neumann & Associates regarding some opportunities and was looking forward to meeting with them. Hence, when they organized a seminar in Princeton, NJ, I was quick to sign up. The seminar was very informative as the team walked the attendees through various scenarios and referenced real life buying/selling situations they had been through. The sessions by Gary, Karin and Achim were crisp and focused and brought clarity to potential seller and buyers. I strongly recommend the team and look forward to continue working with them.”

Gaurav Tyagi

“Thank you for your Event on "How to value, Sell, and Buy A Business for Maximum Profit" and the insight into ANA’s approach on what is involved in the Business Exit for sellers. Garys Hervieiou's "Business Valuation", Achim's "Deal structure" presentation and Karin’s "Preparing the Package" are real street knowledge shared. They answered attendees questions which makes it more interesting for learning from others. Great for small businesses like us. The presentations were totally worth our time and travel for the event to Princeton, NJ from Rockville MD. Ravi Bhutani, President, CIPS”

Ravi Bhutani

“Gary, this is to thank you for an excellent job done in selling our business. We could never have done it without your professional expertise, dedication and time put in without reservation to make it happen. We will gladly and highly recommend you to anybody in our position.  It was a pleasure to work with you.”

Pat Iammatteo, Owner

“Your vetting is simply outstanding, among the best I've seen from a broker.”

Eric H., Investor

“I recently contacted A. Neumann and Associates about getting a valuation of my business done. I spoke with Marc, who explained the process in detail. After meeting with Marc in order to get a clear understanding of my business, and what I was hoping to accomplish. His patience in answering all my questions and his knowledge of the proper way to market my business gave me great confidence that this is the firm I will be using to sell my business for max value. Working with Marc at A Neumann & Associates was very easy and professional. I did not know all that was going to be involved in selling my business but they helped me through the process. What I thought was going to be a just another one of those pushy sales companies was just the opposite. Polite, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to and deal with. I highly recommend this firm to anybody who wants to sell now or down the road. Marc not only knows his stuff, but actually is a real nice guy.”

Double Diamond

“Used A Neumann & Associates to sale my business. could not imagine having done it with out the patience and experience Gary provided. Thanks Gary,”

Dennis Frazier

“Working with Marc and his company was a pleasure. What I thought was going to be a just another one of those pushy sales companies was just the opposite. Polite, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to and deal with. Marc handled most of the interaction and he has one of the greatest demeanors. Again, it was a pleasure working with him and his firm.”

Douglas DiCeglio
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Contact A Neumann & Associates, LLC

If you are considering selling your business, please contact us to learn more about our comprehensive service spectrum. Our experienced professionals will answer all your questions about selling a privately held business in complete confidentiality. Please fill out our contact form, or call us at 732-872-6777. We will contact you directly and will never identify ourselves to your employees.

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