When it's Time to Transition

20 years ago we began advising our clients on the sale of their business. At that time, our core competencies evolved around completing a transaction on behalf of the owner. Yet we saw first-hand why 80% of businesses didn’t sell and, while there were a handful of reasons, the explanation was ultimately due to improper planning by the business owner.

Due to this lack of planning by business owners, we began to understand that in order for a successful transition to take place, a number of foundational issues needed to be addressed with the business owner prior to completing a sale of the business and in 2008 we earned the designation of Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).

Our combined experience in mergers & acquisitions, business valuation, and Exit Planning provides our clients a unique skill set that focuses on the goal of a successful transition from the business.

Today we continue to advise our clients on the sale of their businesses and in some cases the owner is adequately prepared to engage our services to represent them in the sale of their business without a lot of exit planning required.

Sell Side Advisory

Deciding to sell your business may be the most important decision you will ever face. The implications of this decision may have a lasting impact for the rest of your life and the lives of those closest to you. The process of selling your business is a complex process that is brought with difficult decisions and is an unknown territory for most business owners. With 80 percent of businesses failing to be sold, having a seasoned advisor to guide you through the process is essential.

For over 20 years, we’ve been assisting business owners with navigating the transition process to achieve their legacy goals by maximizing value and terms.

With a sale to a third party there are many variables and options.

Do you sell to a customer?
A competitor?
What is the value of selling to a strategic buyer verses a Private Equity Group?
How can I sell my son or daughter the business and still have a liquidity event in order to retire?
How do I insure that my key employees will be taken care of?
How do I minimize taxes?
How do I keep the sale confidential until it is complete?

The questions are endless! No matter which strategy you employ, divestiture, recap, liquidity, ESOP, MBO, IPO or others you need a seasoned investment banker with years of experience to advise you through the process.

Protelum Advisors represents over $100 billion in capital from some of the world’s largest corporations and investment funds. Our experience in sourcing acquisition targets throughout the world gives us the unique ability to understand what buyers look for in a business and how to position your business to get to the top of the list. With the largest Private Equity Funds and strategic buyers looking at more than 4000 businesses a year, and only completing 10-20 deals, knowing how to get on the short list is great insider knowledge that we put to work for you.

Buy-Side Advisory

Regardless of industry, Protelum Advisors are experts and providing qualified deal flow to strategic and private equity acquirers.

The successful purchase of a business begins with the right match between a buyer and seller and growing your business through acquisitions requires focus, persistence and dedication. Whether your search is local, national, or global, Protelum Advisors can help qualify and present the best acquisition candidates for your review. Our expertise in evaluating suitability and negotiating on your behalf will result in minimizing valuable search time, which in turn produces quality acquisitions.

Protelum Advisors offers a variety of services to its buyer clients ranging from non-specific searches to retained project management engagements.

Because developing a successful Exit Strategy is complex and multi-disciplined practice, it requires someone who can coordinate the multi-faceted process successfully. We provide a range of services to help you meet your goals and we champion the process by coordinating the plan with the best attorneys, CPA’s, wealth managers and estate planners to effectuate a superior result for you, the business owner.

If you’ve reached that point where the time to exit your business is now, Protelum Advisors is better prepared to execute this strategy for two important reasons. First, because we are experts at developing strategies to enhance the business transfer process, we can ensure an orderly and timely progression avoiding many of the pitfalls that sidetrack deals. Secondly, our proven method of running a sales process to a targeted list of strategic and financial buyers provides a means to maximize the value you receive from the sale of your business.

Our commitment is to offer leading edge solutions for middle market businesses. Our primary goal is to achieve a lasting relationship based on mutual confidence by providing you with the best possible professional services.

Our team supports California businesses owners with the following services:

Buyer Representation

The successful purchase of a business begins with the right match between a buyer and seller. Growing your business through acquisitions requires focus, persistence and dedication. Whether your search is local, national, or global, Protelum Advisors can help qualify and present the best acquisition candidates for your review. Our expertise in evaluating suitability and negotiating on your behalf will result in minimizing valuable search time, which in turn produces quality acquisitions.

Protelum Advisors offers a variety of services to its buyer clients ranging from non-specific searches to retained project management engagements. Where required, our international offices will be enlisted to assist in the search.

There are many advantages for the buyer clients of Protelum Advisors. Due to our international offices and over 50 intermediaries, the quantity and quality of deal flow we experience is first-rate. As a result, our buyer clients often see high quality companies prior to their going to market.

Seller Representation

In working with business owners who are contemplating a sale, private equity groups who are interested in sell-side transactions, or corporations who are divesting a subsidiary or division, Protelum Advisors assists its clients in defining the appropriate selling strategy. Our services include preparing the business for sale, identifying key buyer prospects, and negotiating the transaction to a successful conclusion.

Maximizing Business Value

Protelum Advisors has developed a proprietary process, which is designed to maximize the value of the business and achieve the personal and financial objectives of the business owner. In part, our ability to accomplish these objectives lies in combining the right elements:

Marketing: Successfully maximizing business value requires a methodology that can be tailored to each individual business. Protelum Advisors system of marketing through each of its locations gives the business greater exposure to the strategic and professional buyers in virtually every country. This methodology achieves a greater likelihood of enhanced value for the business as the process broadens the search for the right buyer. This grass level effort can only be successful with local representation and is the cornerstone to our success in maximizing value.

Experience: In a typical year, the Mergers Alliance Companies will complete nearly a billion dollars in transactions throughout the world. Our knowledge in the M&A process is extensive and our experience in completing national and global dealings is unparalleled for mid-market businesses. With over 50 M&A professionals all working towards a common goal, our level of professional service is substantial and far-reaching.

Multinational: Our multinational presence gives us a distinct advantage in presenting the business to the largest cross section of private equity markets, strategic/synergistic candidates and other qualified buyers. As cross-border companies require a presence in the U.S. market, a void exists in identifying quality businesses within the United States. This represents a significant opportunity for U.S. businesses. Having local access to multinational buyers then is a prerequisite.

Documentation: Maximizing business value requires that professional documentation be developed to explain the value and details of the business. The Offering Memorandum is a platform to present the company consistently and professionally to the buyer community.

Confidentiality: Through a meticulous and detailed procedure, Protelum Advisors maintains strict confidentiality throughout the entire process. Marketing materials and other announcements are approved prior to their release.