January, 2015     
MidMarket Talk:
Join Us In Welcoming Our Newest Members!

 

The Alliance of M&A Advisors invites you to check out our new Members here.

 

Visit our Member Directory to find Alliance Members near you! 

 

Keep an eye out for these 2016 Chapter Meetings
Attend one of our upcoming Chapter Meetings in a location near you! 
  
Dallas Chapter
Thursday, January 28th

Mid-Atlantic Central PA Chapter
Wed., February 3rd
 
Midwest Chapter
Thursday, February 25th

New England Chapter
Monday, February 8th

MD.DC.VA
Thursday, March 3rd

Join Today!
Why Become a Member of The Alliance?
  • Gain access to valuable Member Benefit technology platforms
  • Gain a valuable network of M&A expert Members who act as resources for other Members
  • Featured on our Member Directory, accessible to the public
  • Receive discounted rates to Alliance of M&A Advisors events
Get Featured!
Alliance Members, do you want to be featured in Midmarket Talk?
 
Submit articles and educational material for our monthly Newsletters and receive CPE Credit! Please send to: lhuntley@amaaonline.org
  • Send us your completed deal tombstones
  • Tell us about your speaking engagements
  • Send us your articles or white paper summaries

Structured as a marketplace with hospitality suites and networking events to foster business opportunities, the International Private Equity Market (IPEM) is the world's first international PE event to gather the whole value chain of the Private Equity industry, from PE professionals (GPs, LPs, Debt, Advisors...) to business owners, for 3 days of business meetings and intensive networking.
 
1,500 participants from 25 countries are expected in Cannes on the French Riviera from February 17-19, 2016. The primary objective of this innovative event is to create an environment where all the talents from the PE industry can share experiences, meet future partners and explore the industry trends together.
 
Alliance Members receive a 25% discount on accreditation to IPEM using this link.

CMAA

2016 Dates Now Available 


The CM&AA (Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor) Certification has become the "Gold Standard" for Middle Market Corporate Financial Advisors.  The 5-day program builds on your existing skills providing you with the necessary framework--and network--to further advance your professional and financial goals as well as those of the clients you serve.
 
For the second year, the AM&AA is partnering with the Thunderbird School of Global Management to offer the CM&AA Certification February 29-March 4, 2016 on the campus in Glendale, Arizona - the Valley of the Sun.   The program will focus on all the many aspects of mergers and acquisitions on both a domestic and international basis.   
  
Can't make the February Class? Check out our other 2016 Dates

  
February 29th- March  4th, 2016
Thunderbird Global School of Mgmt Phoenix, AZ
May 2nd-6th, 2016
DePaul University Loop Campus,
Chicago, IL
September 19th-23rd, 2016
DePaul University Loop Campus,
Chicago, IL
November 14th-18th, 2016
Villa Graziadio Executive Center,
Malibu, CA



For more information, visit us online, call us at 312-856-9590, or reach us by email at info@amaaonline.org

The Alliance Returns From The 2016 Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida
Another Conference, Another Success!

The Alliance concluded its 2 day conference last week. We could not have been happier with the turnout and with the quality of attendees. Highlights included our popular Deal Bash, Golf Outing, and sessions paneled by middle market experts. Read on to s ee the award highlights and articles by our members.

 

We also want to extend a special thank you to our Sponsors and Attendees.

 

Much more from the conference to come!

 

Thank you,

 

The Alliance Team

 

Carl SheelerTLOY
Thought Leader of the Year Award Winner
 

Congratulations to Carl Sheeler, a Managing Director, Global Group Leader of Family Office & Business Strategies, from Berkeley Research Group, LLC, authored "Equity Value Enhancement: A Tool to Leverage Human and Financial Capital While Managing Risk."
 
The advisory community serves a significant role in not only identifying and measuring risk associated with an operating business as part of the traditional legal and financial due diligence; but to manage the risk and leverage the human capital such that value is not only known, but is created. This work promotes strategic activities for clients who are not accustomed to a holistic approach that places as much focus on human as it does on financial capital; thereby providing the entire gamut of different types of advisors and their clients a road map to elevate intangible assets.
 

Thank you to BKD, our 2015 TLOY Sponsor!

 

  
BKD is a trusted, national CPA & advisory firm that understands your business and delivers the resources you need with a service style you'll value.
www.bkd.com

2015 Member Awards

 



Member of the Year 
Tom Schramski
Chapter Leader of the Year
Scott Pinchak

Since joining the Alliance two years ago, Tom has been a dedicated Member, greatly supporting our certification program, sharing knowledge through his publications, and engaging with the AM&AA community through conferences. He has set a new standard by establishing an M&A firm where all advisors are Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisors. Tom is committed to continuously improving and evolving the role of the M&A Advisor, and the Alliance is lucky to count him as one of our members. Congratulations Tom!
 Since the Central Pennsylvania Chapter launched in 2015, Scott has earned the respect and admiration of both his fellow committee members and chapter attendees. As Chapter Leader, he has recruited 10 new members in his market and led the establishment of a vibrant chapter committee. M&A practitioners in and around Harrisburg have benefited from the education, community, and resources that Scott and his team have brought to the area. We have enjoyed watching Scott grow as a chapter leader and as a member of the Alliance, and look forward to working with him another year. Congratulations Scott!

These Articles Are Written By Our Expert Members
 
At the Alliance of M&A Advisors, we know that our members are among the best in their field. MidMarket Talk offers Alliance Members the platform to share their research, insight, and professional experiences. The Alliance offers Networking opportunities, education, and resources geared toward those in the middle market. Interested in becoming a Member of the Alliance of M&A Advisors. Visit us online at www.amaaonline.org


Should Middle Market Investors Worry About New Rules for Crowdfunding?

When someone mentions "crowdfunding," we often think of it as a way to support a charitable cause, or help an emerging artist launch an art show or music recording. Indeed, websites like Indiegogo and GoFundMe fill this role. Crowdfunding has also developed into a way for small (especially start-up) businesses to source capital for a product launch or other need ( Kickstarter is one popular example).

Earlier this month, the SEC adopted new rules broadening the types of investors who can participate in internet-based equity crowdfunding to support companies' growth. Still, the future of crowdfunding remains unclear.

By adopting these most-recent rules, the SEC expands implementation of the 2012 JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act). Previously, participation in an equity crowdfunding program was generally limited to "accredited investors." These are individuals with income of more than $200,000 per year, or a joint income of $300,000 in each of the last two years. Among other restrictions, the prospective investor must have a net worth exceeding $1 million excluding the value of one's primary residence.
To read the full article by Brooks Crankshaw, click here.
Brooks Crankshaw is the Founder and CEO of Highland Ridge Capital, an investment banking firm experienced in capital raise and ownership transition transactions for growth companies. Securities issued through Growth Capital Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, 582 Market Street, Suite 300, San Francisco CA 94104.

January Resource
In Partnership With Divestopedia
This month, the Alliance of M&A Advisors has partnered with Divestopedia to bring you a special article/ podcast. In this podcast, Noah Rosenfarb from Freedom Business Advisors met with special guest and AM&AA Member, Dr. Basil Peters of Strategic Exits Corp.,
Dr. Basil Peters, author of "Early Exits," talks about:
  • What are the biggest mistakes when you're selling your company;
  • The importance of having an exit strategy and the need to develop better practices on exit timing
  • Tips on how to increase the probability of a successful exit.
 
Read An Excerpt From The Transcript Here:
 
Introduction: Dr. Peters said he first became involved in Exit Planning, following reflection on sale of his company to Scientific Atlanta, which was subsequently acquired by Cisco. Noah Rosenfarb noted that the deal seemed like a success story, given how much it had grown before being sold to a Fortune 500 company, but asked what Dr. Peters considered his biggest mistake.

Basil Peters: Well what everybody wants I hope, Noah, is to have a successful exit and I think to be fair, I cannot count that first experience as a successful exit. Yes, it was an exit but it wasn't what I would call successful because we didn't do some of the things that I now hope that all good boards, founders, and CEOs would do....

...Let me tell you a few of the things that I wished I had been better educated or I wish my board members had been more knowledgeable about in that first exit. The first thing was we never had an exit strategy. At no time, even though we had seven people on the board most of time and they were good, intelligent, experienced angels and VCs, at no time in the history of the company did we have a conversation about the exit strategy. I'm embarrassed to admit that today and I'm still quite mortified by how many companies when I ask the CEO or I ask directors what the exit strategy is, I get a blank stare back. Not having that exit strategy, not having any understanding of what was we were trying to do when we came to work every day, having no goal that we could align the company and its team around, led to a couple of other serious shortcomings in the eventual exit process.

One of them was that we did not time our exit well. We actually let ourselves be at the mercy of the external macroeconomic events and that's what determined when we decided to start the exit. Like I see in so many companies, when things were going wonderfully well, when every quarter we were telling more and every quarter the profits are pulling up, when my biggest challenge was how to hire more people, I never thought for a minute about selling the company. It was just too much fun, but as I've now come to appreciate that absolutely the best time to be thinking about selling the company when everything is going perfectly.

To hear the Podcast and read the full transcript, click here.



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The Alliance of M&A Advisors® 
(The Alliance) is the premiere International Organization serving the educational and resource needs of the middle market M&A profession. Formed in 1998 to bring together CPAs, attorneys and other experienced corporate financial advisors, the Alliance's 1000+ professional services firms - including some of the most highly recognized leaders in the industry-draw upon their combined transactional expertise to better serve the needs of their middle market clients worldwide.