Selling a business after a lifetime of invest-
ment is rarely an easy decision, but that’s
an area where Valitas specializes. It often
makes more sense to cash in the family
business — which often doubles as the
owner’s retirement fund and family inheri-
tance — than transitioning to the next gen-
eration and introducing a new element of
risk. It’s also crucial for business owners
to consider succession planning before
they’re thinking of selling, Aden explained.
A business sale is best described as a pro-
cess rather than an event, and planning
can be years in advance of the actual sale.
All too often, a lack of succession planning
in advance of sudden illness or death of a
business founder leads to significant value
destruction for their family as the business
deteriorates without its leadership.
“There are a lot of jobs at stake in these
owner-managed businesses and succes-
sion issues are a risk to our economy,”
Aden said. “If that transition isn’t properly
managed, we could see a hollowing out
of these mid-sized, privately owned busi-
nesses. It’s important to all of us that busi-
ness owners be proactive about that.”
IT TAKES A TEAM TO
SELL A BUSINESS
Business owners that turn to Valitas invari-
ably have trusted advisors to whom they
are loyal, in many cases an accountant or
lawyer who has been with them for de-
cades. Rather than shoulder the entire
process, Aden said Valitas encourages a
collaborative approach to the transaction,
working closely with the current team. If
additional capability is needed, Valitas has
its own team of advisors experienced in
everything from government relations and
branding to tax law and logistics.
Though Valitas is a new name in the cor-
porate finance advisory world, thoughts
are already turning to expansion. Building
scale and industry expertise is important,
Aden said, and they’re proactively looking
for additional experts who will add value
and insight to their offerings. Joining forc-
es with other advisory groups and building
a presence in some of Canada’s major cit-
ies such as Vancouver and Calgary are also
part of the strategy.
Learn more about Valitas Capital Partners
by visiting
.
MAY/JUNE 2015
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