New AI phenomenon ChatGPT has the potential to be a big disruptor. For business owners, it highlights just how the best laid plans can come undone, and there is no perfect time to sell.
Following on from “How to go about Finding the Right Buyer for my Business” we turn to the subject of size! Does it matter?
Size is one part of a buyer’s criteria; the short answer is that it depends on what they are looking for.
Having established that the odds are not great; that the potential buyer that knocks on a seller’s door is the most strategic acquirer for the business (Lesson #1). And that in any event, getting in the ring with a large corporate, without a clear strategy and some input is not optimal (Lesson #2). The question then becomes, if there are many more sellers than buyers in the Australian market in the next decade (Lesson #3), how do you find genuine strategic interest?
The market is fluid and is moving constantly, never more so than now. The big end of town appears busy with deals galore, to quote James Thomson in the AFR on August 26th “M&A is back in a big way.”
We established in lesson #2 that if a business is approached by a potential buyer (Gorilla) that the interest must be qualified and handled efficiently leading to an early indicative offer in writing, based upon the provision of adequate but limited information. We also determined that such a buyer, having knocked on your door is likely to have knocked on quite a few other doors, and is probably running a broader process.
We established in my last blog that selling your business is likely to involve a major mismatch in terms of the scale and size of the likely buyer and that getting in the ring with them by yourself and without a clear strategy might not work out so well.
The shareholders of established private companies in Australia, many of whom will be seeking an exit in the next ten years, ought to be aware of certain realities around deal doing and the market, I am going to unpack some of these over the next series of posts, which I hope people might find helpful.
According to the recent Dealmakers report the global trend in M&A is down, by number of deals -15% and by value -18%. This is driven by the “fears of recession, rising interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties.”
There’s always something!
I’m sure everyone has felt it – that gentle squeeze on our purses and wallets. Whether it is at the supermarket or the petrol pump, the café or the corner store, inflation seems to be hitting our hip-pocket nerve once more.
Valuations for tech start-ups have fallen. Why? What does it mean?
Five months ago, the market sell-off smashed valuations in the tech. sector. Angel funds felt the brunt of the lower valuations and lower multiples. Many start-ups have lost out.
There's a “burgeoning body of evidence” that social media harms young people’s mental health and continuing to use it unjustifiable.
This issue affects us all – what is reasonable usage and how much is too much?
Companies are concerned about the implication of a hybrid working policy on productivity levels, loyalty, team-cohesion, and longevity.
The burning questions are:
Should work-from-home continue post-pandemic?
If so, on what basis?
Is hybrid work good or bad for business?
There's a “burgeoning body of evidence” that social media harms young people’s mental health and continuing to use it unjustifiable.
This issue affects us all – what is reasonable usage and how much is too much?
The Mining Support Services sector is a major part of Australia’s business landscape - worth $14.4 billion in 2025 and employing 38,000 people. The sector as a whole is flat with IBIS predicting modest growth of 1.5% over the next five years, following a recent decline. Volatility remains high, driven by commodity price fluctuations.
Warren Buffett has been influencing the world of investing and business for decades. The annual Berkshire Hathaway letters have become an institution, solidifying Buffett’s status not just as a great investor but as a leading finance and investment writer. Nevertheless, even Buffett has to step aside eventually — and that moment comes at the end of this year, at the age of 95.