Situation: A company has been approached by an international firm with an existing West Coast presence that is interested in expanding its US operations. A Letter of Intent is in place but will expire in weeks. The LOI is of interest because the company has cash flow challenges. The CEO seeks advice on whether and how to proceed with a sale or merger, or whether to continue as an independent entity. Do you merge, sell or keep the company?
Advice from the CEOs:
- This is a personal decision. Do you want to be your own boss or to become an employee? It really is a question of what you want.
- If you are burned out, there are advantages to having a boss, at least in the short term. However, 2 to 3 years out you may tire of this.
- While cash may be tight, you can address this with other measures.
- Can you save money by reducing office staff (hours or people) short-term until your cash flow improves?
- Talk to private investors – offer up to 9% interest on a note. The company is a going concern and therefore likely to be able to pay off the note. You may be able to negotiate a note at a favorable rate.
- Negotiate a 5 year note, with interest only payments for the first 3 years; sweeten the deal with an offer that if you get new business worth $X during the period of the note, you pay them Y% of upside.
- You have revenue-producing business and receivables. Factor your receivables to raise the cash that you need. Adjust your prices to cover the cost of the factoring discount.
- If you have the margins, or can increase prices to produce the margin, offer discounts for early payment of accounts receivable.
- If you decide to sell, avoid a contract that takes away your flexibility to maximize your future payouts.
- Can you be confident that the buying firm will survive until your payouts are completed?
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