Transaction Advisory Services

Mergers and acquisitions

Acquiring a business is a great way to expand your geographical reach, eliminate competition or even diversify your product or service offerings.  However, the process of buying another business comes with significant risk.

Copeland Buhl is here to help alleviate some of risk and questions that come with acquiring a new business.  Our professionals can conduct buy-side diligence procedures to help ensure all financial information is up to date and reliable.  Proper preparation and buy-side diligence will help identify opportunities, potential threats, and can also provide leverage in price negotiations.  Our consulting services include:

• Revenue and EBITDA analysis
• Deal structuring
• Entity selection
• Tax consequences

We understand that each transaction is unique, which is why a personalized and custom approach to our clients’ needs is necessary.

Quality of Earnings

Copeland Buhl partners with several local and national firms to provide Quality of Earnings (QofE) reports. QofE reports are distinctly different than a financial statement audit. A financial statement audit looks at historical figures, while a QofE looks at operations and how the company is going to perform going forward.  The financial statements as historically presented are not a good indication of what will likely be included in the buyer’s financial statements, a QofE will identify these items and present them a fashion that buyer can utilize.

Succession planning and exit strategies

There comes a point in time when every business owner is ready to take a step back.  Most business owners start their business with dreams of financial independence and a sense of freedom.  Eventually those owners are ready to reap the benefits of all those years of hard work.

Planning for this transition is instrumental for a smooth & successful transition of your business.  Proper succession planning can provide owners with the optimal sales price and also save thousands in taxes.  The planning process can take many years, so the sooner you start planning for transition, the better.

Exit strategy or succession planning can take many different forms, including: 

• transitioning the business internally to family or employees
• sale to an outside party
• stepping back and becoming a silent business owner.

Each of these options has its own set of complexities and steps to prepare for both operationally and from a tax standpoint.

Every transition is unique, identifying the goals of the business owner is the first step in solving the puzzle and putting together a roadmap for a successful succession plan.  As experienced business advisors, we pride ourselves in asking the right questions and actively listening the business owners needs and desires.

It’s never to early to start the conversation about succession planning, this plan can change and develop over the years, but having an end goal in mind and a roadmap to get there is imperative to a successful transition.  At Copeland Buhl we have the expertise to help put together a roadmap and guide you through this transition.  Contact us to start the conversation about succession planning and we can provide you with a list of resources and next steps that you should take to start the planning process.