Our Process

Process guarantees success.
A good process produces good results. 

— Nick Saban

The thought of selling your business can bring mixed emotions: From excitement about what lies ahead to uncertainty about what it will take to get there. We know. We’ve lived through this chapter of business ownership ourselves.

At Allan Taylor & Co., our process is built on our own first-hand experience combined with 15 years of helping other business owners achieve successful sales. A good process repeatedly delivers good outcomes. Our process — and our unwavering commitment to it — is the main reason our success rate is so far above the industry average.

With the right team of experts in place, a clear goal, and a proven process to follow, you and your business will be positioned for the win. Here’s how our process works:

Our Process

Every business is different. Every owner is different. Every deal is different.

We start by having an honest conversation with you about your business, your reasons for selling, and your expectations for a sale. We want to fully understand your goals and do a complete assessment of your situation before moving forward.

At Allan Taylor, our close rate consistently sits around 90 percent. Why? Because we take the time to do our own due diligence and ask the tough questions before taking you and your business to market.

NOTE: We typically begin the remaining steps in our selling process after we’ve gone through our Business Valuation & Sellability Assessment with you.

Valuation Let’s Talk

After we’ve assessed the situation and had an honest conversation with you about your goals for a sale, we’ll help you answer the big question: Is now a good time for you to sell your business?

Unlike many business brokers, we promise we will never “sell” you on selling your business. It’s either the right time or it isn’t. While we would love the opportunity to partner with you to achieve your goals for a sale, we also know that you and your business must be ready for the rigors of the selling process.

If we determine that now is not time to move forward, we’ll talk about options for building value in your business and selling at a later date. Depending on your circumstances, we may also recommend and discuss alternative exit strategies worth considering.

Further reading:

Let’s Talk

If we’ve all decided that now is a good time to sell and expectations have been set accordingly, we’ll enter into an agreement with you to sell your business. Our Engagement Letter is one of the best in the industry. Unlike a lot of folks in our line of work, we won’t lock you into a one-year commitment that comes with an expensive break-up fee. You can cancel our engagement at any time with 30 days’ written notice. It’s that simple.

Further reading:

Our Fees M&A vs Broker eBook  

The first thing we do is create a marketing package — called the Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) — to present your business to buyers. Our CIM is second to none. We’ve received countless compliments on the quality of our CIM over the years. Some of the most sophisticated buyers tell us that our CIM rivals those created by investment banking firms.

Why do we care so much about making your business look fantastic? Because you only get one chance to make a first impression with buyers. The best buyers are typically looking at several potential acquisition targets. Our CIM makes your business impossible to ignore.

We also work with you to develop a solid strategy for generating buyer interest — both regionally and nationally — while maintaining strict confidentiality. We have a number of different tools to get your business exposure in the marketplace, some or all of which we will use to quickly generate interest amongst the right buyers.

Allan Taylor also adheres to a strict vetting process to ensure that we’re only introducing your business to serious buyers with the ability to get a deal closed.

Let’s Talk

Our goal is to bring multiple buyers to the table for you to choose from. Allan Taylor controls the flow of communication with buyers, fields and responds to requests for information, and coordinates conference calls and onsite visits with you until the right buyer has been identified.

Once we’ve had preliminary conversations with qualified buyers, we’ll halt further communication until they submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) or Indication of Interest (IOI). The LOI is a non-binding agreement that states the purchase price of the business and basic terms of an agreement. This is a critical point in the process, as the LOI will set the tone and direction for all conversations and additional negotiations going forward.

We negotiate the price and terms offered in the LOI on your behalf. Our goal is to make sure both sides are comfortable with the initial framework of a deal before moving into the due diligence phase.

Let’s Talk

After initial negotiations are complete, we’ll move into the due diligence phase of the transaction.

Due diligence is typically one of the most stressful phases in the selling process. However, if we’ve done our job right then much of the legwork will already have been done in Steps 1-4. Our goal during due diligence is to respond quickly and keep the momentum moving forward so that we can all get to the closing table without any surprises.

Allan Taylor will collaborate with you, your other advisors — and the buyer and their deal team — to structure deal terms, facilitate requests for information, and keep everyone on task until the day of closing.

It may not be easy, but at this point in the process the end will be in sight.

Further reading:

Let’s Talk

We’ve done it!

All documents have been signed. Funds have been dispersed. And you’ve joined the fortunate few entrepreneurs who have not only built a great business, but topped it all off with a successful sale. Cheers! Now it’s time to get started with the next chapter of your life.

Let’s Talk

Testimonials

I had the pleasure of having Allan Taylor & Company on my team for three years. They led our efforts to define and evaluate all layers of my business. They helped me measure where we fell into each category, determining and planning what steps were …read more
Laura T.
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Testimonials

Allan Taylor & Co. was instrumental in helping us grow our business from a small start-up to one of the top competitors in our area prior to selling. Chris and Barbara helped us see our business for what it was: An asset that provided a healthy ret …read more
Brent & Mandy M.
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Testimonials

Selling my business of 23 years was emotionally difficult for me, but Barbara and Chris patiently walked me through the process beginning to end. After I decided to sell, their professionalism, experience, and knowledge landed me multiple offers in suc …read more
Terri H.
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Testimonials

We couldn’t have been more pleased with the professional manner, advice, and attention to detail that Allan Taylor offered us throughout the selling and post-sale process. We felt lucky to have found them!…read more
Blair and Leslie E.
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