Buying and/or Selling a Business

There are two (2) basic ways Business Intermediaries and M&A Managers in our business manage the business of Buying and/or Selling a Business. One way is called the “Inventory Method” and the other is called the “M&A Method.”

For Business Owners who want to sell their business, many of our Clients have owned and invested their lives in their business for 10, 20, 30+ years. Selling their business is, in many cases, the most important business decision they make. Often the business owner is the business and the business is the business owner. And, on a personal note, the Price, Terms, and Conditions associated with the sale of their business will impact the quality of their life as they plan to retire or purchase another business. We have the utmost respect for the trust a business owner puts in us when you retain us to sell your business. We suggest that the way we represent you and the plan we put together with your input, is an important consideration. Please note the “Inventory Method” compared to the “M&A Method” comments below.

For people or companies that would like The CDI Group to assist them in buying one or more businesses, your understanding and consideration of the “Inventory Method” compared to the “M&A Method” is also important. For many CDI “Buy-Side” Clients, we are helping them purchase their 1st business. In other cases, the CDI “Buy-Side” Client in on the way, or has already built a successful business. Now they want to continue growing their business by having The CDI Group assist them in buying another business for the 1st time. We have a well thought-out, deliberate plan designed to Create Success for both our “Buy-Side” Clients and our “Sell-Side” Clients. Please note the “Inventory Method” compared to the “M&A Method” comments below.

We would like to take a minute of your time to explain the difference between the two Methods so you can decide if your would like to consider the possibility of working with us, and we with you.

The “Inventory Method” is where the Business Intermediary or the M&A Manager believes the best way to do business is to get as many Listings as possible (like your business or company), post those Listings to a few Websites and wait for Buyers to find their Website Listings and call the Business Intermediary or the M&A Manager. We will not comment further on the “Inventory Method” (unless asked to in a personal meeting) but we do want to share that while the “Inventory Method” may be fine for some people, it is not the way we choose to do business.

At The CDI Group, we subscribe to the “M&A Method.” We do so because by nature, we are pro-active people and we believe the “M&A Method” helps Create Success for our Clients, rather than hope for it. The “M&A Method” is used by the M&A Firms that deal only with businesses and companies that generate Revenue of $100 million or more. Many CDI Professionals come from the “M&A Method” world, and believe it is the best way to Create Success for CDI Clients, regardless of the Revenue you generate. The “M&A Method” is a fully integrated program designed to have the greatest chance of Creating Success for CDI Clients. It is a very deliberate process that requires that we and our Clients work closely together at different stages of the Marketing and Selling a business/company, or Buying a business or company.

We bring the “M&A Method” benefits to our CDI Clients regardless of your Revenue size, # of employees, etc. once we decide to do business with each other.

We suggest you do two (2) things at this stage of your learning about CDI:

  1. Click on Mergers, Acquisitions, Divestitures to learn a little more about the “M&A Process.”
  2. If what you read makes sense to you, Click here if you would like to arrange for a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation, or call 703-754-8829.