See You on the Other Side

Is a smooth transition possible when acquiring a business? I was was recently interviewed on this subject for the May 2011 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine …

Q:    I’ve started talks with a company’s owner to acquire her business. How do I make sure my first days as the new owner go … well, is smoothly asking too much?

A:    Ah, the first-time buyer. After talks get going, there’s always that day when you wake up and say, “Oh yeah, I’ll need to run this place.” A smooth transition isn’t too much to ask for–as long as you start working toward it early in the acquisition process. Your most important tools for a better Day One? A strong transition plan and the wisdom of the company’s original owner.

“In successful transactions, the principals have time, after the negotiating is done, to sit on the same side of the table and focus on the transition plan,” says Al Statz, president of Exit Strategies Group, a business brokerage, merger and acquisitions and valuation firm in Petaluma, Calif.

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 Click here to see the full Entrepreneur Magazine article.