Thursday, December 31, 2015

6 Things the Market Gave Deal Professionals This Year | Axial (Dec 31, 2015)

Sepia photograph of the "Atlas" stat...
Sepia photograph of the "Atlas" statue in New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By , Axial | 
This New Year's Eve, here are some of the gifts — and lumps of coal — bequeathed upon deal professionals and business owners in 2015.
1. A U.S. recovery (albeit slow)
The Conference Board predicts “a very modest improvement in the growth rate for the global economy to 2.8 percent in 2016, up from 2.5 percent in 2015.” But the U.S. is a “bright spot in a weak global economy.” The economy expanded at a 2.1 percent rate in Q3 (compared to 3.9 percent in the spring).
It may be a “tortoise recovery,” as Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius puts it, but “growth in fact has been good enough to achieve a great deal of cumulative progress in the labor market. We now expect that the U.S. economy will reach full employment within the next 12 months.”
2. Nearly $5 trillion in deals
It was a record-breaking year in M&A, with $4.86 trillion of deal volume overtaking 2007’s previous high. Reports Fortune, “dealmakers used consolidation to uncover cost cuts, bolster their scale, and take advantage of historically low borrowing costs.” Even with increased interest rates, “money is still cheap,” and many predict that M&A will continue to accelerate in 2016.
3. … but still plenty of dry powder
According to Firmex, the North American market currently has about $400bn of dry powder. Sky-high valuations mean that some buyers, particularly PE sponsors, are reticent to close deals. Reports Firmex, “A few years ago, 80% of the market was PE-backed. Now our stats show that M&A activity for PE sponsors is closer to 45%.” A smaller supply of target companies doesn’t help: Despite predictions that 2013-2015 would be the peak of the baby boomer selling boom, middle market business brokerage firm listings are actually down in many areas.
4. An interest rate hike
Up to now, “the market has been driven by factors such as the low cost of financing — primarily as a result of low interest rates,” says Jerry Black, partner at Akerman, in a recent report from Firmex. But now that the Fed has decided to raise interest rates for the first time since June 2006, will economic expansion end? The New York Times notes that “higher interest rates do not bite in predictable ways” and “there is a difficult-to-foresee threshold at which the impact can suddenly shift from mild to severe.”
According to Western Reserve Partners LLC, “while this change will take time to affect middle-market M&A transactions, it will impact buyers’ cost of capital and ability to utilize leverage to maximize enterprise values and equity returns.”

5. New rules for crowdfunding
The SEC recently expanded implementation of the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act. As Brooks Crankshaw wrote in a recent Axial Forum article, the expanded legislation allows “investors with annual income or net worth of less than $100,000 to invest in small company equity offerings up to a maximum of 5% of their yearly income or net worth (or $2,000 if that is greater.” While some assume that this will take business from private equity and other market participants, Crankshaw argues that “it’s likely [these new rules] will increase the total market amount of funding rather than replacing or reducing more established ways to raise capital.”
6. Mega-mergers galore
There were more mega-mergers this year than ever before, reports Bloomberg, with 56 transactions totalling over $10 billion. Last year, there were 34 mega-mergers, and in the five years before that, the number never totalled over 16.
The jury’s still out when it comes to the effectiveness of mergers. “The idea management teams have been pushing is that merger synergies will lead to stronger companies,” Bloomberg notes. But the failure rate for mergers hovers somewhere between 70% and 90%, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Article LINK

For additional information regarding Florida business sales, acquisitions and valuations, please contact Eric J. Gall at Eric@EdisonAvenue.com or 239.738.6227. Also, visit our Edison Avenue website at www.EdisonAvenue.com or my personal website at www.BuySellFLbiz.com.

This Week's New Florida Manufacturing and Distribution Businesses for Sale (Dec 31, 2015)

For additional information regarding Florida business sales, acquisitions and valuations, please contact Eric J. Gall at Eric@EdisonAvenue.com or 239.738.6227. Also, visit our Edison Avenue website at www.EdisonAvenue.com or my personal website at www.BuySellFLbiz.com.

 
Established Furniture & Accessories Store
Asking Price:
 
$99,000
Cash Flow:
$84,000.00
City, State:
Pompano Beach, FL
 
Marble, Granite, Closets
Asking Price:
 
$725,000
Cash Flow:
$326,895.00
City, State:
Pompano Beach, FL
 
Glass Tempering/Lamination/Manufacturing Business
Asking Price:
 
$600,000
Cash Flow:
$350,185.00
City, State:
Ldhl, FL
 
Personal Beauty Care Manufacturing Company
Asking Price:
 
$3,000,000
Cash Flow:
$584,811.00
City, State:
Tamarac, FL
 
Golf products wholesale & online retailer
Asking Price:
 
$399,000
Cash Flow:
$120,000.00
City, State:
FL
 
Flowers Bread Route, Jacksonville
Asking Price:
 
$195,500
Cash Flow:
$84,964.00
City, State:
Jacksonville, FL

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

A Plan to Pass a Business to the Next Generation | Wall Street Journal

A 68-year-old man owned an auto-repair franchise with his wife. They planned to retire within five years and needed a succession plan that would transfer the business to their son and provide for their two adult daughters.
The man sought the help of Jim McCarthy, a certified financial planner with Directional Wealth Management LLC in Rockaway, N.J., who recommended a multistep approach that would help meet their objectives over time. “Transferring a business within the family is a process, not an event,” says Mr. McCarthy, who manages about $35 million for 50 families.
Jim McCarthy of Directional Wealth ManagementENLARGE
Jim McCarthy of Directional Wealth Management PHOTO: DIRECTIONAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT
To begin with, Mr. McCarthy suggested the couple create a family limited partnership to enable the business to have both general and limited partners. The strategy, which is often used to move wealth from one generation to the next, set the stage for the eventual transfer of the business to the children. The husband and wife were named the general partners of the new entity and retained operational control of the business.
Then, for the next five years, the husband and wife each gave their three children an equity interest in the business up to the annual gift-tax exclusion amount. This gave each of the children a limited-partnership interest in the business, providing them with an equity stake but not operational control. This helped lessen the value of the parents’ stake in the business, reducing the size of their future estate.
Mr. McCarthy also recommended the couple sign a buy/sell agreement with their son. According to the agreement, the son would purchase the parents’ general-partnership interest when his father decided to retire. The daughters were to remain limited partners.
However, the adviser anticipated that the son, who was in his 40s, wouldn’t be able to afford the roughly $4.5 million it would take to immediately buy out the parents, so he recommended the family use a self-canceling installment note instead. This would allow the son to use the cash flow from the business to pay the purchase amount over a period of years, providing income to the parents.
If both parents were to die before he finished paying off the note, any remaining payments would be canceled.
Fast forward several years: The father retired at age 73 and occasionally still volunteers in the business. The son’s monthly payments are $21,000, based on the $4.5 million stake in the business, the life expectancy of his parents and a 4.25% interest rate, which was determined when his father retired.
The sisters remain nonvoting limited partners in the business and each owns 10%. To put the sisters’ inheritance on par with the brother’s, the parents purchased a $2 million second-to-die, life-insurance policy, which will pay off when both parents have died and made them equal beneficiaries.
Thanks to these arrangements, the couple has enough income to live comfortably in retirement, and the children have been provided for financially.
When dealing with family-business situations, advisers need to make sure their clients understand that it’s often a long process, Mr. McCarthy says. Advisers also have to understand the family dynamics because sometimes egos get in the way, which makes reaching a resolution more complicated.
In this situation, there was no bickering and fighting, he says. “The kids were all collectively more concerned that the parents were going to be OK and the parents were more concerned that the kids were going to be OK,” says Mr. McCarthy.
Article LINK

For additional information regarding Florida business sales, acquisitions and valuations, please contact Eric J. Gall at Eric@EdisonAvenue.com or 239.738.6227. Also, visit our Edison Avenue website at www.EdisonAvenue.com or my personal website at www.BuySellFLbiz.com.

This Week's New Florida Restaurants and Bars for Sale (Dec 30, 2015)

For additional information regarding Florida business sales, acquisitions and valuations, please contact Eric J. Gall at Eric@EdisonAvenue.com or 239.738.6227. Also, visit our Edison Avenue website at www.EdisonAvenue.com or my personal website at www.BuySellFLbiz.com.

 
30 yr Established Pizzeria/ restaurant in Broward County
Asking Price:
 
$425,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
FL
 
Ocean Drive Italian Restaurant for Sale
Asking Price:
 
$650,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Miami Beach, FL
 
Well Established Liquor & Burger Bar
Asking Price:
 
$300,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Oviedo, FL
 
Kendall Frozen Yogurt Store for Sale
Asking Price:
 
$125,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Kendall, FL
 
Second Generation Restaurant-Club
Asking Price:
 
$750,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Miami, FL
 
Turn-Key Cafe Pizzeria Wine Bar in Busy Atlantic Ave. Delray Beach
Asking Price:
 
$159,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Delray Beach, FL
 
Busy Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
Asking Price:
 
$395,000
Cash Flow:
$130,000.00
City, State:
Bradenton, FL
 
Seminole County Full Liquor License - Clean and Ready to Transfer
Asking Price:
 
$120,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Altamonte Springs, FL
 
Putnam County Liquor License "4-Sale" - Clean - Read to Transfer
Asking Price:
 
$55,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Palatka, FL
 
High End Italian Food & Top of the Line Equipment
Asking Price:
 
$1,300,000
Cash Flow:
$250,000.00
City, State:
Sarasota, FL
 
Food Court Best Mall in Central Florida
Asking Price:
 
$895,000
Cash Flow:
$255,183.00
City, State:
Orlando, FL
 
Tallahassee College Campus Fast Food Restaurant
Asking Price:
 
$45,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Tallahassee, FL
 
Profitable and growing Pizzeria
Asking Price:
 
$399,000
Cash Flow:
$130,000.00
City, State:
FL
 
Former C-store/Local Restaurant Space, READY FOR BUSINESS!
Asking Price:
 
$65,000
Cash Flow:
$100.00
City, State:
Tampa, FL
 
Thai Restaurant in Excellent Location For Sale in Tampa Bay
Asking Price:
 
$89,000
Cash Flow:
$50,000.00
City, State:
Clearwater, FL
 
$110,000 Down – Italian Rest-Pizzeria Oviedo (Metro Orlando)
Asking Price:
 
$140,000
Cash Flow:
$86,312.00
City, State:
Oviedo, FL
 
Florida Orlando Davenport Liquor Store Business for Sale
Asking Price:
 
$175,000
Cash Flow:
$39,180.00
City, State:
Davenport, FL
 
Mall Food Court - Fresh Healthy Menu Items
Asking Price:
 
$180,000
Cash Flow:
$1.00
City, State:
Orlando, FL
 
Florida Pensacola Liquor Agency Business for Sale
Asking Price:
 
$475,000
Cash Flow:
$199,208.00
City, State:
Pensacola, FL
 
Remodeled Cuban Restaurant
Asking Price:
 
$150,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Miami, FL
 
Finest Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of Orlando tourist area
Asking Price:
 
$530,000
Cash Flow:
$120,000.00
City, State:
Orlando, FL
 
Business For Sale: Pool Hall Bar & Grill
Asking Price:
 
$600,000
Cash Flow:
$170,218.00
City, State:
FL
 
Profitable, Established Paint-N-Sip Franchise Resale
Asking Price:
 
$82,500
Cash Flow:
$51,850.00
City, State:
FL
 
New York Style Deli
Asking Price:
 
$99,000
Cash Flow:
$80,000.00
City, State:
South East
 
Gastropub for Sale in Wilton Manors has 4COP Liquor License
Asking Price:
 
$649,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Wilton Manors, FL
 
Popular American Restaurant
Asking Price:
 
$425,000
Cash Flow:
$288,132.00
City, State:
FL
 
16 Year Old Italian Restaurant/Pizzeria in E. Broward County
Asking Price:
 
$225,000
Cash Flow:
$108,797.00
City, State:
Fort Lauderdale, FL
 
Colombian Restaurant & Cafeteria for Sale
Asking Price:
 
$125,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Miami, FL
 
One of A Kind
Asking Price:
 
$1,300,000
Cash Flow:
$390,000.00
City, State:
FL
 
Romantic, free standing, Cuban restaurant in Miami
Asking Price:
 
$425,000
Cash Flow:
$245,000.00
City, State:
FL
 
Middle Eastern Restaurant, Orlando
Asking Price:
 
$65,000
Cash Flow:
$26,298.00
City, State:
Orlando, FL
 
5 Days Office Building Deli 4sale Cash Rich
Asking Price:
 
$449,900
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Tampa, FL
 
Successful Cafe
Asking Price:
 
$350,000
Cash Flow:
$187,564.00
City, State:
FL
 
Family Style Diner - Great Customer Base
Asking Price:
 
$69,000
Cash Flow:
$31,118.00
City, State:
Englewood, FL
 
Jacksonville Restaurant/Bar
Asking Price:
 
$400,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Jacksonville, FL
 
Closed Fully Equipped Meat Mkt In Broward County Florida
Asking Price:
 
$99,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Davie, FL
 
Beer/Wine/Patio
Asking Price:
 
$49,000
Cash Flow:
Not disclosed
City, State:
Tampa, FL