Topic: The Art of Business Transfer
When the time comes to explore selling their business, there are a multitude of questions that an owner will ask him or herself: Is my company sellable? What is my company worth? What is the process? How do I find the right buyers? Where do I start? Depending on the target market and size of business, planned business transfers are typically handled by a business broker or Mergers & acquisition (M&A) specialist who help the owner answer their questions and play a crucial role in facilitating the sale or acquisition of business. They act as intermediaries between buyers and seller, assisting both parties throughout the process confidentially. Critical activities involved in the process include business valuation, marketing, matching sellers and buyers, negotiations and due diligence. To be effective, business intermediaries must possess knowledge of the market, industry trend and valuation methods and realize that business transfer is more of an art than science.
Key Takeaways:
- Overview of the Mergers & Acquisition and business brokerage world
- Who’s selling and who is buying?
- How to prepare to sell a business
- What does the current business environment look like for M&A/business brokerage?
AJ Ramsey is a Transworld Senior Business Advisor with over 35 years of involvement in both the corporate and small business worlds with experience in building, running and selling domestic and international organizations.
Prior to Transworld, Mr. Ramsey held leadership positions for several major corporations, where he launched a number of successful global business operations as well as starting and running several private ventures himself. AJ has experience in defining business, marketing and sales strategy; building and leading effective teams; as well as structuring deals and selling businesses.
He is the recipient of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA’s) Chairman Circle Award, Carolinas-Virginia Business Brokers Association (CVBBA) Multi-Million Dollar Award and a member of the Transworld Business Advisors (TBA) President’s Club.
He has also been certified by the Business Brokerage Press as an industry expert in the areas of manufacturing and construction and is included in their annual Business Reference Guide of Industry Experts and is recognized as a Certified Business Intermediary and a Mergers & Acquisitions Specialist.
In addition to serving his clients with the confidential acquisition and divestiture of their businesses, AJ has a strong passion for helping the local communities of Eastern North Carolina with attracting investment and improving the lives of its residents and supporting the business brokerage industry. He serves on the board of directors of Coastal Federal Credit Union as well as the Carolina-Virginia Business Broker Association (CVBBA) and on the Board of Advisors for KnowledgeWell, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
AJ holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a real estate and finance focus from Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri.