A company acquisition is rarely the result of chance or luck. Before an exit is reached, countless efforts are undertaken to arrive at that point. Laura Borgstede, CEO at Calysto Communications, has some advice for entrepreneurs looking to increase their exposure and put a bulls-eye on their company for an acquisition. Here are a few ideas Borgstede shared in order to help you boost your company’s presence: Ensure that your executives are delivering a consistent and understandable message every time they speak publicly. Find a third party to be a mouthpiece for your company and its products. Large companies often rely on analysts’ opinions to make acquisition decisions. Prepping your…

Planning is what separates the exit-ready businesses from those that are unprepared.

Carol Roth of the Up and Running blog says that in order for a business to be positioned for an exit, it needs to have a preparatory best practices process. Here are some bullet point items she suggests: Make sure that your numbers are in order. This means aggregating financial records, double-checking your records and perhaps even conducting an internal audit (if your revenue exceeds $5 million annually, says Roth). Create a business plan and business growth strategies for the future that will still…

For startup and expansion stage CEOs, it’s never too early to start thinking about your exit strategy.

Shrewd entrepreneurs understand the importance of having an anticipated payday to steer toward. With this in mind, there are a number of exit options to choose from, but which is right for your company? In a recent post, ExitJunkie.com author George Georgallides lists a few popular options to consider. For example: You can hope for an acquisition. This can be the most fiscally rewarding of any exit option. An acquisition is capable of netting more than the…

As the founder of a startup or expansion stage company, you’ll have a lot on your plate when the time comes to prepare your company for its exit from the market. In almost every situation, you’ll tidy up your business plan, financial statements, and cash flow projections, among many other things. But what about considering how antitrust regulation might affect your business? Is that something that you need to consider when you’re identifying market exit opportunities? Here’s the simple answer: Absolutely. The Obama Administration has already initiated more antitrust investigations during its first two years in office than the George…

Entrepreneurs have been conditioned over the years to recognize a fully developed, large-scale exit to be the definition of a successful startup.

company exit strategy. But an early exit is another option that can make a lot of sense in the right situation. But are entrepreneurs thinking about early exits as much as they should? Angel investor Dr. Basil Peters postulates that many are not doing it enough. With a booming tech investment industry, it’s difficult to understand why more startups aren’t actually striving for an early exit. There is certainly enough untapped…

When an ownership change is sought at a company, two factors must be considered before a move is made.

Whether or not the company should be auctioned off or negotiated for comes down to how the process itself needs to be conducted. For mergers and acquisitions that need to be conducted in secrecy, a private negotiation is the best option. This will prevent unwanted information from possibly leaking and hurting the value of the asset, as was the case for the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL franchise in 2007. When transparency is not an issue — or…

What’s the best way to get the highest price in a sale transaction? Make it competitive. So writes Fred Wilson at A VC before giving a rundown of how to get the big M&A numbers your company deserves. Here are two ways: Multiple Bidders Multiple serious bidders force buyers to bid more aggressively. However, Fred warns, some of the best buyers don’t want to be in an auction. So get one bid, then quietly get another, and there you have it: a competitive process. Just don’t make a show of it.…

When a company is involved in a merger or an acquisition, there is certain information that needs to relayed before the transaction can move forward.

What this information amounts to is a contract. Within this contract, you’ll have a number of criterion that you’ll need to meet. Each part is integral to the process. Every component of the transaction is intended to act as reassurance to the buyer. There are a lot of intricacies involved in technology and law. Thus, you have the origin of a lot of these safeguards. As a buyer,…