Recent Articles from Jon Wiley
Do you have an exit strategy?
You might think that your existing management team will buy your company when you are ready to leave. You may have even had this discussion with them and all sides think it is the likely path. But what if, when the time comes, the team can’t get the financing to go through with the purchase? Do...
Preparing for the unexpected
Plan all you want, but sometimes unlikely events occur that come as a complete surprise to upend your business. Many business owners have operational strategies to help manage uncertainty but too many don’t have similar strategies in place when it comes to an eventual exit plan.
What’s the right amount of debt?
There are several things to consider when deciding how much debt is right for your company. Debt affects ability to grow, operational risk and the amount of money available to the owners upon the sale of a business. A bank (or other lending institution) will determine the high end of the borrowing range. How much […]
Who’s going to buy your company?
As the owner of a company, you might have an idea of when you would like to sell it (and possibly retire). You might have an idea of how much you need to get in order to sell. But do you know who the likely buyers are and what might make them a fit for your situation? Many business owners, espec...
When to start planning to sell your business:
Most business owners have a general idea of when they would like to sell their company and who they think will be a buyer. The planned timing of the sale might be based on a desired retirement age and the buyer list will likely include a larger company in the industry and maybe key management […]
Build it, and they will buy it
Summer is just around the corner, and that means previews for all of the summer blockbuster movies are starting to appear. My experience is that movie previews often don’t do a good job of giving a feel for what the movie is really about. I have avoided movies based on previews only to see them […]
Cutting down the net
You can see where all the hard work of starting and running your company will lead. You can imagine yourself post-retirement, whether that means playing golf, volunteering or acting as an advisor to other companies. You know what it will take to get there and how the process works. You have dr...
When bank financing’s a no-go
Some 61 percent of business respondents believe the current business financing environment is restricting their growth opportunities and 72 percent find it difficult to raise new business financing, according to the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project’s Quarterly Survey Report for the third quarter 2012. Only 42 percent of those who applied for bank loans were […]
Why you might want what the other guy’s got
Companies grow in one of two ways: organically and through acquisition. Organic growth is achieved through the normal course of operations. New customers are added from sales and marketing and expansion to new territories. New products and/or services are added through R&D, product extension and updates. Most companies are continually pursuing organic growth. The alternative […]
Public or private?
There have been a couple of recent announcements by Colorado companies regarding the choice to operate as a public or private entity. Natural Grocers just completed its IPO after operating as a private company since 1955. The proceeds provided some liquidity for current shareholders and will provide capital to pay down debt and support the […]
Taking some chips off the table
For business owners with significant wealth tied up in their business, a recapitalization can be a way to realize some of that value today and potentially increase the value of the company for a second round in the future. There is an option available to many business owners that could allow them to realize some […]
Can you afford to grow?
The down economy over the past several years has forced many business owners to focus on their cost structure and run a more lean enterprise. This effort has resulted in many companies making better margins and becoming more profitable even with a flattened revenue stream. But there comes a point when there are no more […]