Exitwise Weekly M&A Newsletter

In this week’s edition of the Exitwise M&A Newsletter:

CASHING OUT: Check out Episode 48 of the Cashing Out podcast. We are so fortunate to speak to Elise Mitch, a powerhouse in the PR Agency world, building a company that was eventually sold to Dentsu.

Along the way, Elise learned a lot about herself, her natural leadership style, and found her home supporting fellow founders and entrepreneurs grow and give back through her authentic stewardship

M&A EDUCATION: “The Definitive Playbook For Supercharging Your M&A Process”

This week, we kick off our five-part M&A series detailing our definitive Exitwise founder’s exit playbook.

Six Months To Exit Success:

1. In the M&A world building the right team of superstars means finding investment bankers, wealth advisors, lawyers and tax accountants who are the leading experts in their specific industry. Having the right rolodex of potential buyers can open doors quickly, and specific industry knowledge and unique exit strategies can help identify synergies between the seller and a potential buyer in a way that brings both parties maximum value. Identifying the right team of experts for our client is a crucial first step in our M&A process and one of the most important strategic advantages Exitwise brings to the table.

2. Strategy & Preparation

   Once the M&A Dream Team is in place, they begin helping the seller with the initial phase of information collection to build out a data room, an online repository where key documents will be securely housed and shared in the next phase of the exit process.

3. Marketing

   In this phase, the team begins reaching out to potential buyers. Because the Exitwise M&A Dream Team has such deep industry insights, they can tailor marketing messages and materials that will resonate with target buyers. Too often, generalist investment bankers will cut and paste boilerplate materials and send as a mass mailing to their list of 100 prospects. This is a recipe for compromising confidentiality and process failure.

4. Buyer Selection & Negotiation

   At this stage, the M&A team provides the first peek behind the curtain by opening a limited data room to give the potential buyer an overview of the company’s products and services, financials and management team. In addition, the seller's team finishes the full data room, which will eventually provide all the data needed to help close the sale with the final selected buyer.

5. Due Diligence & Documentation

   In the final phase, a buyer is selected, final terms for the sale are negotiated and formal due diligence is conducted by the buyer. At this point in the process the business owner and the Dream Team will have walked the buyer through most of the seller’s details so there should be no surprises that can torpedo a deal. In addition, the final data room should be an open book, providing answers to every conceivable question.

CASHING OUT PODCAST | E48 | ELISE MITCHELL

Check out this week’s conversation with Tiger 21 chair and three-time entrepreneur Elise Mitchell, who founded Mitchell Communications Group, which was named a top ten fastest growing PR firm globally.

Elise was named PR Week's Public Relations Professional of the Year and a top 50 power player in PR. She's also the author of Leading Through the Turn. Under Elise's Leadership, her agency grew initially using an outsourced talent model while landing global brands, including Walmart, Procter and Gamble, Hilton Hotels and Tyson Foods. Her company was a two time Inc 500/5000 fastest growing company.

And in 2013, Elise successfully completed a strategic sale of her company to global ad agency powerhouse Dentsu. In this episode, Elise and I discuss how she learned to turn adversity into opportunity to launch her business. Why you should take calls from prospective acquirers even if you don't want to sell your business, and how setting your business and team up for success after you're gone is the true measure of a great exit.

I hope you enjoyed the conversation with Elise Mitchell!

JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO ENSURE M&A SUCCESS FOR OUR FELLOW FOUNDERS

Exitwise Referral Program

Building a successful business from the ground up is an extraordinary feat, and at Exitwise, we understand the immense dedication and effort it takes.

And when it comes to selling a business, the complexities can multiply, making it an even more daunting task. That's where Exitwise steps in – to offer our expertise and guidance to you or someone in your professional network.

We are excited to announce our Founder Referral Program as we continue to build out our mission for supporting the entrepreneurial community… and we’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help.

If you missed last week’s M&A Roundtable event, would like more information on referring a potential client, or would like to know when we’re meeting next please reach out to Matt Damman ([email protected]) to receive meeting invitation details and further information about the event.