Forbes Article: Which Is Better, A Financial Buyer Or A Strategic Buyer?

I thought would share this brief Forbes article that came across my transom early this morning. I generally agree with author John Warrillow’s comments on Strategic versus Financial buyers. If your goal is to maximize value and liquidity today, and you’re not looking for an equity partner to help you build longer term enterprise value, a strategic buyer generally produces the best outcome. Having multiple strategic buyers at the negotiating table as a result of a structured M&A sale process produces even better results!

The article …

If you decide to sell your business to an outside acquirer, you’re going to have to decide between a financial and a strategic buyer. Understanding the different motivations of these two buyers can be the key to getting a good price for your business.

A financial buyer is acquiring your future profit stream, so they will evaluate your business based on how much profit it is likely to make in the future and how reliable that profit stream is likely to be. The more profit you can convince them your company will produce, the more they will pay for your business.

But there is a limit to how much they will pay, … READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON FORBES.COM