What red flags do you look out for in a deal?
February 27, 2019
by an intermediary from Dartmouth College - Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in Solebury, PA 18938, USA
What red flags do you watch out for when evaluating a company, both before and after an LOI is signed?
In full transparency, Tuck Advisors represents entrepreneurs who want to sell their company. We want to make sure that before we take on a client we're looking out for the same things you are. We also do a pre-M&A program for folks who want to sell in a few years, so to the extent possible we want to address those red flags during that program.
Thank you!
from Harvard University in New York, NY, USA
- I once looked at a company being sold by, not the owners, but by some guy who had an "option" on the business, whatever that meant
- Owners who were, either very difficult to get in contact with directly, or who were very particular about the times/days when I could visit
- For me, the reason for selling a business is very important. If the owner can't adequately stipulate why they are selling, it makes me suspicious
- Sale prices that are TOO cheap; why are you selling a company that supposedly does $1mm of ebitda for $1.5mm?
- Owners who have business interests in similar fields. I once asked a guy why he was selling and it's because he wanted to start an identical business the next town over
From the financial perspective, lack of proper bookkeeping isn't a big issue for me. Unlike other searchers, I often look at cash only businesses where the W2/official accounting numbers are dramatically different from actual cash flow. To me, as long as the owner offers ample access to his expenses, bank accounts, and financial records, that's fine with me since I will be doing my own exhaustive due diligence. However, the big red flag in that regard is always, if an owner is unwilling or trying too hard to convince you otherwise of financial records, that is a MAJOR red flag.
from Stanford University in Delaware, USA