Five Myths in Succession Planning that Lead to Mistakes
As most business owners will attest to, starting and running a business involves a combination of conviction/passion, perseverance, stress and personal sacrifice. Owners invest a significant amount of themselves and capital into running these businesses, and as a result, most have a substantial portion of their net worth tied up in their business. The vast majority of owners/founders we’ve worked with here at Succession Resource Group have communicated that their business is not just a valuable asset, but their most valuable asset. So, why do so few owners have an answer for their key stakeholders about when they will retire from their business and who will succeed them? Many Financial Advisors make preventable mistakes in succession planning because of common myths giving them a sense that they can deal with this topic tomorrow. Here are the most commonly believed succession planning myths that hold business owners back from effectively tackling this important topic:
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
The market for advisor practices was set to be a record year in 2020 based on closing 2019 out on a high note, with valuations and deal terms as good as they have ever been. Fast forward three months and COVID-19 has eroded all these gains and left many advisors reeling and re-evaluating. As an advisor thinking of phasing out over the next few months or years, you are probably thinking, “Great, now what?”
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Getting the Most Value Out of Your Business
Developing a succession plan is a great tool to ensure your business continues to grow while you eventually work less and begin to realize the value of your business. But, a key piece of developing a plan for you and your business is having the right successor. For some, this person may be an existing employee or junior partner, but for the majority, the solution is to find a peer to sell the business to. The sale often involves a long-term gradual work-out period providing you with an exit strategy that lets you leave your business on your terms. So, where do you find a succession partner? And how can you do it with paying a hefty commission to a broker? Read on.
Best Practices: Creating a Business Death/Disability Plan
What would happen to your business, your clients and the value of the company, if something where to happen to you suddenly? Do you have a plan and systems in place to ensure your business will carry on until you return? Or, a plan to ensure the business continues under someone else’s leadership if you cannot return?
The Power of Subtlety in Acquiring a Practice
It may sound contrarian, but if you are interested in buying a business, do yourself a favor and never ask the question, “Can I buy your practice?” Experienced advisors that have bought a business before know this to be true, and the reason is simple. The question ignores the fundamental realities of practice acquisition in the financial services industry. In the financial services business, the person who says “yes” to the question, “do you want to sell?” is not necessarily the type of person from whom you want to buy a practice.
Show Me The Money – Acquisition Financing Trends
If you asked us five years ago about financing the acquisition of an advisory practice in the financial services industry, there would not have been much to talk about. Until recently, almost all deals were done using a combination of buyer’s funds and seller financing. Bank financing was not a viable option for most deals because lenders generally struggled with the collateral on the loan – an advisor’s most valuable asset in their business is the client relationship and cash flow those relationships produce. Before the market drop in September 2008, some advisor buyers were able to leverage home-equity lines of credit or large business lines of credit, but most had to use personal funds to finance their deal, which priced many otherwise qualified successors out of the market. Until recently, the typical deal for advisors with less than $5,000,000 in annual revenue involved 20-40% cash down from a buyer, with the balance seller-financed over 4 to 5 years at 5-7% interest. That is changing, and the results seem to be good for everyone involved in the deals.
Secrets to a Successful Succession
Great article from Matthew Halloran on succession planning. He makes 10 good suggestions for buyers/sellers to be thinking about, here is a quick summary:
Create a Simple Succession Plan
Every business and client base is unique. But, there are some common core elements for advisors to consider if they want to begin developing a succession plan or internal ownership track for the next generation. We have seen and developed a wide variety of plans for our clients and know it’s easy to get bogged down in the details or let these types of plans become overly complex and “die on the vine.” Our recommendation? Start planning sooner rather than later, and keep it simple.
Plan for the worst…Hope for the best
At some point in your career as a small business owner, you will find yourself either needing or wanting a partner (I use the term “partner” in the loosest sense of the term). Whether it is for the purposes of adding/retaining talent, expanding your business and talent pool, sharing expenses, or building a succession/exit plan, finding someone to partner with in serving your clients is essential for businesses to survive for multiple generations.