Transaction advisory services

Selling a business in a way that will maximise the financial proceeds for the owners, who can be legal or private individuals, is a very specialised skill.

The level of complexity is relatively high and small variations in the sale process can have a significant impact on the consideration received.
Just some of the key factors to consider include:

01

What are the key strategic considerations in the sale process – is it all about the price, or do other factors come into play?

02

At what point in the business cycle is the best time to sell?

03

What valuation should you be looking for?

04

How do you prepare the business for sale to maximize the sale objectives?

05

Who are the potential investors and how do we involve them in the process?

06

What are the advantages of running a tender process against a negotiated sale?

07

Unless you have been through the process before, selling a business is much more complicated and stressful than you might think.

Unless you have been through the process before, selling a business is much more complicated and arduous than you would think. 

The sale of most businesses with revenues of more than €2 million is a complex task, generally taking several months.

The complexity comes from the large number of variables involved. To achieve the right result and to achieve your strategic goals from the sale process, it takes strategic planning, a lot of work and, most importantly, the right advice. We specialise in providing this advice.

Business acquisitions

There can come a time in a company’s development when organic growth is no longer sufficient to satisfy the shareholders. 

This can be because of the need to accelerate growth or, more defensively, because of poor growth prospects in the company’s current sector. Either way, badly executed acquisitions can be highly damaging to shareholder value. The use of experienced external advisors in the acquisition process helps deliver the optimal results through:

01

Setting the strategic objectives of the acquisition process and the acquisition criteria

02

Identification of acquisition targets

03

Making the initial approach on a “no-name” basis

04

Valuation of the target company

05

Structuring negotiations and the acquisition process

06

Assistance with the conduct of due diligence so as to identify all key issues prior to any transaction

07

Negotiation of documentation and closing of the transaction

08

Post –merger integration support

Although the potential rewards are high, for any company the acquisition of another company usually involves a step into the unknown, and carrying out activities that are not in the core skill set of the company. Through the provision of expert advice and assistance, Albacore assists companies in tilting the risk / reward balance in their favour.

MBOs and MBIs

In certain situations, management buy-outs and buy-ins are forms of transaction which can represent the best available solutions for both the selling shareholders and the acquirers.

In most circumstances appropriate safeguards need to be enforced in order to ensure that fiduciary duties are obeyed, but provided the safeguards are adhered to MBOs and MBIs can prove to be the optimal solution for all parties. In many situations MBO or MBI teams do not have sufficient capital to make the acquisition outright and we work to advise teams on raising capital and implementing structures to ensure that the transaction is affordable. Please contact us directly to confidentially discuss any opportunities and the fiduciary duties of buy-in or buy-out teams in such a situation.

Joint venture formation

When we advise clients on the establishment and operation of JVs, we typically tell them that the most critical factors are to have mutually compatible shareholders with a shared vision for the future strategy for the JV. 

If a shared vision is in place and the two corporate cultures are compatible then most other factors can be agreed, but if this is not in place then the JV is unlikely to succeed. Other key areas that will typically need to be regulated by agreement between the JV partners include:

01

Management control

02

Levels of shareholder approval required for decision making

03

Supply of goods and services to the JV by one or other of the parties

04

Future financing needs

05

Dividend policy

06

Exit mechanisms

07

Deadlock provisions

The process of negotiation of the key elements of the agreement are usually invaluable in assessing the level of compatibility of the parties. Albacore provides experienced assistance to companies in navigating their way through this process.

We will help you every step of the way

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend
the first four sharpening the axe.”

Abraham Lincoln