All investors greatly desire and are motivated by a clear picture of a company's exit strategy, or the timing and method through which they can "cash in" on their investment. This picture best comes into focus when the key valuation and liquidity drivers of the company are clearly delineated. An excellent method to accomplish this is through descriptions of comparable firms that have had successful liquidity events, either through acquisition, merger, of initial public offerings (IPOs).
It is helpful to show other companies in your market, or similar companies in other markets, who have successfully exited, and how and why these companies were successful. For instance, were they successful since they acquired a large customer base? Or were they successful since they accomplished fast growth or high profit margins? It is also important to tie their success to their exit price. Was the exit price based on earnings or the number of customers the firm had at the time? The business plan should tie these metrics (e.g., exit price of $X per customer) to the business to determine its future price.
The most common exit strategies in business plans are IPOs or acquisitions. While the method of exit is not always crucial, the investor often wants to see the decision to better understand the management team's motivation and commitment to building long-term value. If acquisition is the selected exit path, then the business plan should detail potential companies that might want to acquire the firm in the future and why. Likewise, if an IPO is expected in the future, the business plan should document the financial metrics of the company that make it ripe for this type of exit.
In most cases, investors only make money when the business reaches a successful exit event. As such, it is critical that business plans explain the expected exit, detail why this exit was chosen and validate a realistic exit price.
As President of growthink business plans, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the premier growthink business plans. Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share.
one time home cleaning Highland Park ..Does the competition drive you crazy?Are they relentless about taking... Read More
I read once that something like 30 percent of all... Read More
Every business experiences slower periods. For some, they sell more... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits multiple services market niche and healthcare... Read More
Want to become more strategic? Add these traits to your... Read More
"Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas."That's... Read More
Diversify - to make diverse, give variety, to balance, to... Read More
As a franchisor it is imperative that you seek, find... Read More
GETTING STARTED WITH SUCCESSION PLANNING: PART IA survey of 4,300... Read More
Business plan financial projections seem daunting because they are so... Read More
How often does your company make a quantum leap forward?... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains does wonderful ERP job for horizontal markets... Read More
These may sound like no brainers, but you'd be surprised.... Read More
Many very successful business owners may never have had a... Read More
Regroup?is this a new management trend? Not a chance! Regroup... Read More
Strategic alliances are increasing at a rapid rate. It is... Read More
A significant advantage of some business ideas is that the... Read More
"Begin with the end in mind," says Stephen Covey in... Read More
Q: A key investor in my business has suggested that... Read More
Let us look at a few of the big distribution... Read More
A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will... Read More
Strategic planning and consulting is the strategy roadmap to manage... Read More
I. INTRODUCTIONThe term resilience, which is of frequent use in... Read More
I'm not talking about posting the HBO schedule on your... Read More
Writing a business plan can be tricky when all the... Read More
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..The first task before hiring a contractor for home remodeling... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains does wonderful ERP job for horizontal markets... Read More
"Bozo" ? A clown with a forlorn look, always finding... Read More
The Accountability/Alignment Process: Three Steps to an Accountable Organization Generating... Read More
When in doubt, cut that out! Yeah, yea, doubting Thomas... Read More
No matter what business you plan to start in your... Read More
There is so much small business information available today that... Read More
When someone mentions business planning we have been conditioned to... Read More
Business planning is widely acknowledged as one of the keys... Read More
Let us look at a few of the big distribution... Read More
One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age... Read More
Writing a business plan is not an easy endeavor, nor... Read More
Growing your own small business can be one of the... Read More
You might be thinking to yourself, "Why should I waste... Read More
A strategic alliance is when two or more businesses join... Read More
Building a dynamic small business is a constantly evolving, increasingly... Read More
No "meme" isn't a typo and Got Milk, the more... Read More
Succession planning, like any business acumen, is both an art... Read More
We all know that nothing runs without a plan, and... Read More
Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word... Read More
All investors greatly desire and are motivated by a clear... Read More
The current state of the available technology at the disposal... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains, former Great Plains Dynamics is excellent fit... Read More
Business seems to drop, slow or even stop during the... Read More
People often ask "What makes a good business plan? Or,... Read More
Strategic Planning |