What Qualifications Does Your Intermediary Need to Possess?
The intermediary you choose needs to have the qualifications to represent you properly. Those qualifications range from experience, longevity, education, certifications, deal tools, professional ethics and a substantial buyer database.
The George Ryan Group has 37 years of combined experience between their two principals, Chris Wozniak (President) & Les Wozniak (Partner). They have represented many different sized companies, in varying industries across the United States, having sold literally hundreds of companies. This type of transactional experience simply cannot be taught, substituted for, or short cut, and the intricacies involved in selling a company are discovered and learned through experience and repetition only. Professionally, one of our partners has a background in C-Level senior management with Fortune 1,000 companies and as an entrepreneur having started and owned four businesses.
Our other partner has started and owned multiple business from manufacturing to ecommerce to our current company, The George Ryan Group, as well as working in the early part of his career with a prominent real estate developer. So many investment banking and brokerage firms in the small cap to middle market space have dissolved over the last 4 years, with some sources estimating a 70% reduction in the number of intermediaries in the marketplace. We have weathered that storm and continue to thrive in the marketplace. We are poised and prepared for the retirement of the baby boomer business owners.
We hold undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Finance from SMU Cox School of Business and the University of North Texas. Our two partners are Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediaries (awarded by the M&A Source out of Chicago, Illinois – 2 of only approximately 100 M&AMIs in the United States).
This is the most prestigious and difficult to earn designation in our industry. It requires hundreds of hours or pre-education and continuing education, required attendance at various seminars and conferences, many hours of travel, proof of large deals completed prior, during and after earning the designation, and thousands of dollars each year to maintain. Very few M&A Intermediaries or business brokers hold this designation, as it is very difficult and extremely costly to obtain and maintain. Further, the partners are also Certified Business Intermediaries (awarded by the International Business Brokers Association). The CBI designation is a highly sought after designation, and a requirement and precursor to earning the M&AMI designation. We are also a licensed real estate broker by the Texas Real Estate Commission. This is critical for The George Ryan Group to maintain given the fact that many of the business owners we represent happen to own the real estate they operate the business out of. We are able to represent the sale of that real estate for that business owner. And in cases where only a lease is involved, it is a little known fact that any business broker or M&A intermediary in Texas who is involved in any aspect of that lease has to hold a real estate license in the state of Texas. If they do not, they are jeopardizing themselves, the deal itself, and you as the owner.
Once we have a company engaged, we have an array of “tools” that we utilize to maximize the selling price of your company. Our formulas and methods for valuation and determining adjusted EBITDA are completely unique to the industry. Our Confidential Business Review is unique in its makeup, and considered to be one of the best in the industry. We create all of our marketing and presentation material in-house, all at our cost. This ensures quality control and speed to market. As mentioned above, part of our “tools” are the databases of buyers we’ve created over the years from scratch. We consider every type of buyer for your business, whether it be a private equity group, a synergistic buyer, high net worth individual, etc. We examine and evaluate each potential acquirer until we’ve determined the most viable fit.
Lastly, we take pride in using a professional and moral code of ethics. We’ve turned down as many engagements as we’ve taken over the years. If we do not believe we can sell your company, we do not take the engagement, period. We sell approximately 80% of all of our engagements, as opposed to an industry average of 33%, so we want to feel sure we can sell the company when we engage it. We also have a minimal upfront fee to help cover several costs (including an Indication of Market Value). However, we do not charge those huge upfront fees you’ve heard about for selling a company, one more reason why we will only take listings we truly feel we can sell. In the event an owner does want a corporate diagnostic, we can offer the best diagnostic in all of the consulting and big 5 accounting world for a fraction of the price.
We treat our sellers as partners. We use confidentiality in every step of our process. We are small business owners ourselves, so we understand the critical nature of confidentiality and discretion. We abide by the code of ethics required by our designations. More than anything, most of our sellers are referrals from our clients or repeat customers (those individuals who purchased a company from us and are now ready to reap the rewards of selling that company). Our reputation proceeds us, and that’s due in large part to our code of ethics.
The George Ryan Group has 37 years of combined experience between their two principals, Chris Wozniak (President) & Les Wozniak (Partner). They have represented many different sized companies, in varying industries across the United States, having sold literally hundreds of companies. This type of transactional experience simply cannot be taught, substituted for, or short cut, and the intricacies involved in selling a company are discovered and learned through experience and repetition only. Professionally, one of our partners has a background in C-Level senior management with Fortune 1,000 companies and as an entrepreneur having started and owned four businesses.
Our other partner has started and owned multiple business from manufacturing to ecommerce to our current company, The George Ryan Group, as well as working in the early part of his career with a prominent real estate developer. So many investment banking and brokerage firms in the small cap to middle market space have dissolved over the last 4 years, with some sources estimating a 70% reduction in the number of intermediaries in the marketplace. We have weathered that storm and continue to thrive in the marketplace. We are poised and prepared for the retirement of the baby boomer business owners.
We hold undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Finance from SMU Cox School of Business and the University of North Texas. Our two partners are Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediaries (awarded by the M&A Source out of Chicago, Illinois – 2 of only approximately 100 M&AMIs in the United States).
This is the most prestigious and difficult to earn designation in our industry. It requires hundreds of hours or pre-education and continuing education, required attendance at various seminars and conferences, many hours of travel, proof of large deals completed prior, during and after earning the designation, and thousands of dollars each year to maintain. Very few M&A Intermediaries or business brokers hold this designation, as it is very difficult and extremely costly to obtain and maintain. Further, the partners are also Certified Business Intermediaries (awarded by the International Business Brokers Association). The CBI designation is a highly sought after designation, and a requirement and precursor to earning the M&AMI designation. We are also a licensed real estate broker by the Texas Real Estate Commission. This is critical for The George Ryan Group to maintain given the fact that many of the business owners we represent happen to own the real estate they operate the business out of. We are able to represent the sale of that real estate for that business owner. And in cases where only a lease is involved, it is a little known fact that any business broker or M&A intermediary in Texas who is involved in any aspect of that lease has to hold a real estate license in the state of Texas. If they do not, they are jeopardizing themselves, the deal itself, and you as the owner.
Once we have a company engaged, we have an array of “tools” that we utilize to maximize the selling price of your company. Our formulas and methods for valuation and determining adjusted EBITDA are completely unique to the industry. Our Confidential Business Review is unique in its makeup, and considered to be one of the best in the industry. We create all of our marketing and presentation material in-house, all at our cost. This ensures quality control and speed to market. As mentioned above, part of our “tools” are the databases of buyers we’ve created over the years from scratch. We consider every type of buyer for your business, whether it be a private equity group, a synergistic buyer, high net worth individual, etc. We examine and evaluate each potential acquirer until we’ve determined the most viable fit.
Lastly, we take pride in using a professional and moral code of ethics. We’ve turned down as many engagements as we’ve taken over the years. If we do not believe we can sell your company, we do not take the engagement, period. We sell approximately 80% of all of our engagements, as opposed to an industry average of 33%, so we want to feel sure we can sell the company when we engage it. We also have a minimal upfront fee to help cover several costs (including an Indication of Market Value). However, we do not charge those huge upfront fees you’ve heard about for selling a company, one more reason why we will only take listings we truly feel we can sell. In the event an owner does want a corporate diagnostic, we can offer the best diagnostic in all of the consulting and big 5 accounting world for a fraction of the price.
We treat our sellers as partners. We use confidentiality in every step of our process. We are small business owners ourselves, so we understand the critical nature of confidentiality and discretion. We abide by the code of ethics required by our designations. More than anything, most of our sellers are referrals from our clients or repeat customers (those individuals who purchased a company from us and are now ready to reap the rewards of selling that company). Our reputation proceeds us, and that’s due in large part to our code of ethics.