Ep 220 Preparing to Sell Your Business

The Silicon Valley Podcast

Tyler Marin, CPA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thinktyler/

Have you ever felt like your business is capable of more but just can't seem to break through to the next level?
I'm Tyler, and I turn those "almost there" businesses into flourishing success stories. With more than two decades in finance and entrepreneurship, I specialize in propelling businesses with revenues between $1 million and $15 million to new heights.
My Approach: One Clear Path
Imagine a system so clear and effective that your business's financial uncertainties turn into milestones of success. That's One Clear Path for you. It's a six-step journey tailored to stabilize and amplify your cash flow. Our monthly color-coded scorecard (green for thriving, yellow for caution, and red for critical areas) simplifies complex financial data, ensuring we're always moving forward.
How I Propel Your Business:
* Transforming inconsistent cash flow into a consistent positive cash flow
* Cultivating financial strategies for both short-term and long-term goals.
* Elevating your profit margins beyond just 'good enough'.
* Aligning your business's financial trajectory with your personal vision.
* Streamlining financial processes for efficiency and innovation.
* Strategic financial forecasting to prepare you for what's next.
* Personalized, experience-backed advice to tackle your unique business challenges.
My Credentials:
* Founded a CPA firm to grew to 200 clients that led to a successful exit.
* Grew a staffing firm from $5 million to a $25 million in revenue that led to a successful exit.
* Served as a financial leader in a major non-profit organization.
* Active associate board member at a Northern California Credit Union.
* Advisory roles in multiple multi-million dollar companies.

Jane Beule

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janebeule/

Founder and CEO, Griffin Black, Inc. | NAPFA Registered Financial Advisor |
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional
Over the years I have worked on Wall Street and I have worked in tech, but it is my current job that I find most fulfilling. Griffin Black, the company I founded in 2001, is a Registered Investment Advisor. We bring together a love of finance and passion for leveraging technology to help individuals and families make the most of their money and live the kind of lives that they envision.
Delivering great financial advice and service, however, requires more than good tools and technical expertise. It takes a real understanding of each individual client’s values, personality, and long-term goals. This human element is what distinguishes a great advisor from the pack, and what enables the creation of a personal financial strategy that has the potential to be implementable and fulfilling, as well as financially sound.
Are you hesitant to talk to a human advisor because you think it will be too expensive? (Hint: it needn’t be.) Are you looking for financial support and advice that is truly you-centric? Are you overwhelmed and confused by all of the automated financial tools and investment choices that are being pitched to you these days? If so, we’d be happy to hear from you.

Sheri Pan, CFP®

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheripan/

As the founder and CEO, Sheri brings her breadth of knowledge as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner to clients, so they can make informed decisions when planning their financial future. Also, her Master’s Degree in Taxation gives her a unique advantage to advice on tax planning. Her many years of experience and education offer her clients many benefits, as Sheri is able to tackle multifaceted tax situations and minimize liabilities. This enhanced expertise makes her an asset to those seeking in-depth tax advice during their careers, before and after retirement, and while they form estate plans. Prior to founding Pantheon Wealth Planning, Sheri Pan took a position at Morgan Stanley. Before long, she realized that while she enjoyed asset management, something was missing in her work. Instead of serving clients through a one-dimensional approach, she came to appreciate the value of building a comprehensive and personalized financial plan to address all of her client’s needs. Sheri’s primary focus is to work with high net worth individuals and families, business owners, executives, and pre-retirees. She’s also a specialist in small business succession planning and employee benefit plans. Her primary role is to be your personal CFO, affording you a stress-free and simplified financial portfolio.
Sheri H. Pan is an LPL Registered Representative with and securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC.For hyperlinks to FINRA and SIPC, please refer to website section above. Third-party posts found on this profile do not reflect the view of LPL Financial and have not been reviewed by LPL Financial as to accuracy or completeness. She may only discuss and/or transact business wih residents of the following states: AZ, CA, MD, OH, TX, UT, VA, and WI. Financial planning offered through Pantheon Wealth Planning, a Registered Investment Advisor and a separate entity.

Anna Vorontsova

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-vorontsova-65a4213b/

CFA Candidate (level I, June 2016)
Business Evaluation, Investment Analysis, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning
Master in Economics (2012, Moscow, Russia)

We talk about

Let's start with each person on the panel giving a 30-second intro on who they are and their focus.

If someone is looking to sell their company, how long in advance should they start to prepare? Is one year enough time, or how long?

What needs to be done before one decides to put one’s company up for sale? In each of your professions, how would you help a seller prepare? How long beforehand would this take place?

How does waiting to talk to a financial planner or anyone else on the panel impact the sellers’ options?

What key questions should a wealth advisor ask a seller about their transaction when they talk?

Why is the pre-deal valuation important, and what does it involve?

What are the steps business owners can take pre-deal to reduce taxes during transactions?

How can valuation help with that?

How does one “clean up” their financials?

What are some accounting “tricks” the business owners might try to play to make their financial numbers look better?

From working with clients or personal stories. With an exit, do you ever hear people saying that they wish they had prepared more, that they wished they had done things differently?

We talked about preparing for a sale in many areas, but what about the mental and emotional areas that one needs to prepare? How does this come into play when preparing a business?

Considering the unique dynamics involved, how do you approach preparing a family-owned business for sale?

What story can you share that has a lesson that our audience can take away with them?