Selling a Family Business: Preparing for a Transformational Event

Jun 07

It’s generally thought that there are several cycles that reflect where a business is in preparedness for a sale. These capture the economy, the market, and the mindset and planning of the business owners.

From an economic standpoint, the liquidity cycle is the one that matters. This cycle gauges the amount of available liquidity and the current appetite of investors to invest in companies.¹ With record amounts of cash sloshing around looking for investments and interest rates continuing to be low, the liquidity cycle is currently at an advantageous point, and looks poised to remain so.² While getting the right price is clearly a big consideration, there are a lot of other things to think through that are just as important.

From setting a realistic timeline to thinking about the implications of the sale on other family members, to planning for a life after the sale, each stage brings its own challenges.... ...