Build and Exit – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Imagine selling your business for 9 figures.

Would you start imagining what you could do with it all before the deal is done?

My guest in this episode not only imagined he started spending it. Only to find that half of it fell through between the letter of intent to the final deal.

Alexis Sikorsky shares his journey of building and exiting a software company for a nine-figures. He discusses the challenges he faced during the financial crisis, and the role of private equity in his business growth.

We also highlight the differences between lifestyle and growth companies and offer insights into how entrepreneurs can maximize their business value.

"From the letter of intent to an actual sale half of the deal fell through" - Alexis Sikorsky

Timestamps

01:45 - An introduction to Alexis

07:48 - From hard times to 9 figure exit

12:27 - How bringing in expert knowledge helped

14:08 - Did Alexis have to get creative with cashflow?

14:36 - The timescale to sell after bringing in the PE firm

17:39 - Alexis on his experience with the PE firm

24:32 - The big issue with pre-negotiations

31:05 - Moving away from a lifestyle business sooner

Connect with Alexis Sikorsky:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-sikorsky-consulting/

Website - https://www.asikorsky.com/

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

There are simple things you can do to get your acquisitions completed faster.

So many people aren’t prepared in the way they should be, which dramatically slows down the process of buying or selling a business.

In this episode I am joined by Jamil Anakkar, the CEO of Tandy Ventures, who shares where he sees the massive opportunities in M&A right now.

Jamil outlines the challenges he faced during his first acquisition, and the importance of effective communication and financial health in the acquisition process. To be best prepared you need to deal in person with the seller as much as possible before handing over to solicitors.

Leave too much to them and it will slow you down.

If you want to find out how you should be prepared for your business acquisition, listen up!

"Bigger deals are generally easier. " - Jamil Anakkar

Timestamps

01:46 - An introduction to Jamil

06:57 - How many owners are hands off in their business?

09:07 - Jamil on closing his deal in 6 months

13:05 - Agree as much as possible with sellers before solicitors

16:02 - Identifying big risks at heads of terms

26:54 - The biggest trend in businesses below audit level

30:26 - Not investing in the right people

36:48 - Jamil's future aspirations

Connect with Jamil Anakkar:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamil-anakkar/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC21gxYXKncu-ir8zbiqRgqA

Tandy Ventures - https://www.tandygroup.net/

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Selling a business comes with risks, but the buyer tyring to swindle you right at the end would challenge anyone’s nerve.

My guest in this episode, Sam Oliver, shares his experience of successfully selling his business and going through an earn-out clause. He discusses the challenges he faced when the buyer suddenly changed the processes at the last moment.

He shares what happened with disputes over the deferred consideration and the lengthy and costly process of resolving them. He also provides insights into what he would have done differently to protect himself and offers advice for other entrepreneurs going through similar situations.

“I thought they wouldn’t want to fire me, piss me off, and give me a shit offer” – Sam Oliver

Timestamps

02:08 - An introduction to Sam

02:53 - Did Sam plan to have an exit?

06:34 - Growing a company to 37% market share

11:57 - Why did the earn out go wrong?

14:25 - How did Sam challenge low payments?

21:14 - Could Sam have done anything differently?

24:49 - Why did the buyer have this strategy?

27:09 - Sam's new venture Openfi

Connect with Sam Oliver:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam0liver/

OpenFi - https://www.openfi.tech/

Lead Pro - https://www.lead.pro/

Advance To Go - https://www.advancetogo.com/

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Gender bias exists when applying for funding in the venture capital industry.

It’s a fact, women are less likely than men to not only succeed in getting funding but for applying for it in the first place.

This disadvantage is something that has driven my guest in this episode, David B Horne, to help rectify. David is the Founder of Funding Focus, a social enterprise whose mission is to level the uneven playing field that female and underrepresented entrepreneurs face when raising capital.

He shares the shocking statistics behind this disadvantage and why women get less funding and don’t want to go for it in the first place. He also gives his advice on how to level the playing field when pitching to investors.

This is not to be missed if you are a woman looking to apply for funding.

“The level of funding to female founders is currently 1.9%” – David B Horne

Timestamps

02:07 - Why do women get less funding?

04:50 - An introduction to David

07:52 - Why don't women go for funding?

14:20 - Advice to women starting the process

18:21 - David's advice for pitching to investors

21:01 - David's thoughts on pitching competitions

22:34 - Funding for the M&A journey

25:33 - How David helps female founders

Connect with David B Horne:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-b-horne/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/davidbhorne/

Linktree - https://linktr.ee/DavidBHorne

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

What’s the worst thing that could happen during an acquisition?

Up there at the top must be finding fraud from the seller.

Kemi Egan is my guest in this episode, and she found just this during one of her acquisitions. A seller was using a fraudulent pension scheme discovered by HMRC. Even then during the legal process the seller, and their defence have denied any wrongdoing despite evidence to the contrary.

Kemi shares the stress this caused her and what has been happening since. She also shares her wealth of experience, having completed 30 acquisitions in the last 5 years with 10 exits. As well as what she learned from this experience.

“Every step it was just so irrational” – Kemi Egan

Timestamps

01:39 - An introduction to Kemi

03:26 - How Kemi got into M&A

11:04 - Kemi on discovering fraudulent activities

19:51 - Was the business owner aware of fraud?

21:19 - What Kemi learnt from the experience

23:52 - Is there anything that could have been done differently?

25:16 - Julie on how to track changes

28:29 - Kemi's current acquisitions                                       

Connect with Kemi Egan:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kemiegan/

Linktree - https://linktr.ee/kemiegan

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Many sellers have no idea how resilient their business is going into the sale.

This can massively impact the final valuation of the business, but you can avoid this if you have things set up the right way to sell.

In this episode I am joined by Al Zucker a Lawyer that helps entrepreneurs and firms raise, acquire and exit successfully. He has seen a lot of bad deals, and he gives insights into why this happens. From experiences with deteriorated assets to why no money down deals aren’t what they are cracked up to be.

Al gives you the reasons why balance sheets, due diligence and heads of terms are so important for a deal going through and he shares his doomsday scenarios.

“Your balance sheet tells you how resilient you are” – Al Zucker

Timestamps

01:45 - An introduction to Al

03:26 - The difference between equity and debt

06:20 - Levels of equity

12:06 - Al's view on no money down deals

17:52 - The doomsday scenario

22:11 - Al experience with deteriorated assets

26:51 - Diligence and terms sheets

31:52 - Julie on linked companies

Connect with Al Zucker:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajzucker/

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

You can cash out of your business tax free, so you get the amount you need to retire and support your family’s future.

The problem is many don’t know how to get there.

In this episode I am joined by Marc Adams, a visionary entrepreneur, acclaimed author, who explains how to do just that. Marc is an expert in business transformation, and as the CEO of Acquisitions 4 U, Marc specializes in helping businesses unlock their full potential, multiply their value, and achieve tax-free exits.

Listen as Marc emphasizes the importance of saving money by outsourcing tasks and optimizing marketing efforts. He highlights the potential of acquisitions to quickly grow a business and increase its value. He also advises business owners to consider structuring their business sales to minimize tax liabilities and protect their assets.

And as a special bonus Marc offers his book for FREE to our podcast listeners, check out the offer at the end of the episode.

“You don't need to write big checks on day one to do an acquisition” – Marc Adams

Timestamps

01:20 - An introduction to Marc

08:56 - Saving Money and Increasing Profitability

15:32 - Effective Marketing Strategies for Business Growth

27:46 - Maximizing Value through Personal Tax Planning

32:05 - Protecting Assets for Future Generations

35:49 - Offer: Free Copy of Marc's Book

Connect with Marc

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/1marcadams/

Acquisitions4you - https://acquisitions4you.com/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@1marcadams

Read Marc’s book - Secrets To 10Xing Your Business: And Cashing Out Tax-Free

https://rb.gy/4vzcee

Get your FREE copy by emailing Marc at marc@acquisitions4you.com

*This offer is only available within 2 weeks of the episode going live*

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Acquisitions can be an opportunity to change your career.

But what if you quit your job and the deal falls through?

You’re left with no job and no deal.

This is exactly what happened to my guest in this episode, Steve Lawrence. The seller decided not to go ahead at the last-minute leaving Steve in the lurch.

Steve shares the ups and downs of his acquisition experience from his first failed acquisition to then finding the company he went on to buy through a Google search. He talks about the struggles and the positives after the acquisition went through, as well as his huge learning curve of why heads of terms are so important.

“The deal just completely fell out” – Steve Lawrence

Timestamps

01:49 - Steve's failed acquisition

03:39 - An introduction to Steve

07:32 - Did Steve get any reimbursements?

08:30 - Steve's successful acquisition

13:48 - The importance of heads of terms

17:41 - Post acquisition struggles

24:14 - Advice on small term loans

27:03 - Post acquisition positives      

Connect with Steve

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/uncomplicatedsteve/

Uncomplicated Group - https://www.uncomplicatedgroup.co.uk/

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Imagine not even knowing you are about to go bankrupt.

Many business owners don’t know what is going with their accounts. With £5 million pounds of debt and another £1 million in stocks that anyone could have taken, this was the reality for one business.

In this episode I am joined by Judith Hamilton and Christine Nicholson, 2 brilliant women working in the exit planning and financial world. We share our experiences working with businesses and what needs to be in place for a well-structured exit.

We also discuss what corporate governance is and why it matters for businesses and exit plans, what you should be looking for in people and why you need to keep your processes simple.

“By the time I opened all the envelopes, have discovered that this business was £5 million in debt” – Christine Nicholson

Timestamps

00:58 - An introduction to Judith and Christine

04:50 - What does processing systems mean?

08:39 - Start with simple processes

12:13 - The key things around controls

20:09 - Governance information needed at exit

26:45 - What you should be looking for with people

31:06 - The 2 biggest things Julie's sees in exits

Connect with Judith

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-hamilton/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/judith_evimero/

Connect with Christine

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-nicholson/

Christine’s website - https://christinenicholson.co.uk/

Get Exit Ready - https://getexitready.co.uk/

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!

Most businesses are built from people’s dreams. The challenge is taking it from that dream to reality.

In this episode I am joined by Nigel Carley who has achieved this through creating The Pinelli Group, as he approached retirement. A company that sells properties in Italy through fractional ownership.

Nigel fell in love with Italy over his career with Alfa Romeo and through hard work and investing his time he found the right properties that would allow him to create the business he dreamed of.

He shares his story on how he created the business, found the properties and transitioned from retirement to business owner.

“Everyone I spoke to literally said, you're absolutely bonkers” – Nigel Carley

Timestamps

02:16 – A personal story of how The Pinelli Group started

11:07 – Successful businesses are built off of dreams

17:30 – Transitioning from retirement plan to business

23:00 – Making it affordable for investors

30:20 – How Nigel’s mindset changed

34:44 – You have to put in the hard work to create change

37:47 – Did Nigel face any negativity?

40:34 – What properties does Nigel currently have

Connect with Nigel

The Pinelli Group - https://thepinelligroup.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thepinelligroup

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thepinelligroup/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-carley-94a024298/

Connect With Julie Wilkinson

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/

Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wasolutions

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvq6gfNoP_4dfIJulL6C6A

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wilkinsonaccountingsolutions

Website - https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment and review if you got something out of this episode!