Succession Planning: Valuation and Your Exit via Internal Transfer, Merger/Acquisition

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Seminar Synopsis

Our retooled "Succession Planning" seminar is a must for principals looking to maximize the value of their creative and digital firms by building towards a succession process... whether it happens or not. We are holding an intimate 1.5-day seminar in Atlanta, GA to help you plan an exit, whether that means a sale, an ownership transfer, or simply a better work/life balance. Previously, this was a 1-day seminar, but content and agenda has been reworked based on past event feedback to include more time for workshopping, questions, and content expansion. If you are ready to pick your head up and think about your particular future, consider joining us. Lunch, dinner, and all beverages (alcoholic and otherwise) are included.

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Timing

December 4-5, 2023. We will end with lunch on Tuesday. Optional networking and socializing events will be scheduled Monday afternoon and evening.

Location

Monday Night Garage in Atlanta, GA

Price

$2,300 per attendee. Use "earlybird" for $300 off by October 31.

Agenda (subject to change)

Monday, December 4

08:30a Registration and Coffee
09:00a Introduction and Introductions: When and why succession surfaces
10:00a What Is Your Firm Worth? Valuation theory and real-time application to your firm
12:30p Networking Lunch
01:30p What Do Buyers Look For? And what do they actually care about?
02:00p How Do You Market Yourself? Crafting your own firm's story when looking for a buyer
02:30p Straight From The Horse's Mouth Learning from someone who has recently gone through this process (guest speaker TBD)
07:00p Networking Dinner Private dining at a favorite local restaurant

Tuesday, December 5

09:00a How Do You Navigate a Deal? Dealing with that first offer
10:00a When Should You Sell? Typical buyer and seller scenarios
10:30a Unique Challenges of an Internal Transfer to an Employee
11:00a Q&A Additional time for any outstanding questions
12:oop Networking Lunch
01:00p Seminar Ends

Accommodations

Not included, but suggested booking at Bellyard Hotel, within walking distance of dinner (and stumbling distance back). Note: Lunches, dinner, and all beverages (alcoholic and otherwise) are included.

A core belief that informs our advisory work with independent, expert marketing firms is this: firms fail or thrive based almost entirely on the quality of their business decisions. However creative you are, unless your business is run on sound principles you’re not going to be around long, and your actual and potential clients won’t benefit from your expertise.

A prime example of this challenge is the fact that very few firms succeed past the original owner group. While we have led 200+ equity transactions of all types, it’s still rare. Do you want to be one of the firms that maximizes your investment? Do you want to know how buying and selling works, where the buyers come from, how they evaluate a firm like yours, and what they’re willing to pay? And would you like to run your firm so that it’s far more likely that you’ll benefit from succession?

If so, this 1.5 day intensive is for you. It’s only for principals or employees who want to buy a firm, but you’ll be amazed at what you can learn in a solid day and a half.

Every firm that attends is not for sale, and few of them will be, but you’ll learn as much from fellow attendees--their struggles and triumphs--as you do from the material.

We’ll talk about when and why you are most likely to begin thinking about this. Oddly enough, it’s not tied directly to your age but one particular financial obligation and two challenges that tend to wear principals out.

We’ll then put our science hats on and walk through valuation theory and application. You’ll learn about weighting, multiples, EBITDA adjustments, normalizing principal compensation, inverse multiples, equity vs. goodwill, client concentration penalties, and standard deviation. You’ll be able to play with the formulas and get a rough idea of your firm’s value as we build a valuation from scratch together.

Then we’ll put a buyer’s hat on and look at your firm like they will. What’s important and what isn’t. You’ll be surprised by a few things, like how unimportant (to them) your employee base is and how important other things are.

Then you’ll craft your own plan for dealing with that inevitable offer that will come your way. What do you tell them and when, and what’s should you do on your own before bringing a professional into the picture? We’ll describe the story (only in part financial) that you’ll craft to maximize the value of your firm.

A significant amount of time will reveal the major buyer/seller scenarios, like holding companies, equal mergers, acqui-hires, non-traditional buyers, strategic purchases, buying capacity, selling only the accounts, and of course the intricacies of transitioning the firm to one or more key employees.

We hope you can join us in Atlanta. Feel free to bring a significant other with you to join for dinner.