Why Deals Fail - Practical Lessons From Private Company M&A

Virtually every private business must deal with the matter of ownership transition at some point. For many owners their business represents a lifetime's worth of hard work and a significant proportion of their personal net worth. Effectively realizing upon the value contained within the business is often critical to fulfilling the future lifestyle objectives which an owner has set for themselves. Many private middle market business owners considering the sale of their company are concerned that they will spend substantial time, energy, and money on the process, only to reach an unsatisfactory conclusion.

While the outcome of any sale process is ultimately impossible to foresee, we believe that the likelihood of closing a deal on acceptable terms can be significantly increased through an awareness of some of the most common procedural mistakes. This article identifies ten habits which can significantly jeopardize the success of private M&A deals and provides advice on