June, 2016     
MidMarket Talk:

 
For up-to-the-minute news and easy access to conference information on-the-go and onsite. This app makes it easy to navigate agenda items, speaker and sponsor information and more, all from the convenience of your phone or tablet.



Bring Your Deal to the Deal Bash at the Summer Conference!

The Alliance's famous Deal Bash event features 2+ hours of networking tabled by screened middle market intermediaries/ investment bankers, all bearing transaction opportunities. Come to meet the investment community to discuss current and potential opportunities and lay the pipeline for the future! 

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! 

 

Apply For Our Next Class

Sept 19-23 in Chicago, IL

 
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.
 
Other dates and locations available on our  website , call us at 312-856-9590, or reach us by email at info@amaaonline.org

Upcoming Chapter Meetings
Keep an eye out for these
Upcoming Meetings

Attend a Chapter Meeting near you! 

New York Chapter Meeting
Thursday, June 30th

Cleveland  Chapter Meeting
Tuesday, Sept 20th 

Midwest Chapter Meeting
Thursday, Sept 22th

Europe Chapter Meeting in Amsterdam
Saturday, October 8th, 

Central PA Chapter Meeting
Wednesday, October 12th
Get Involved
The below chapters are in the development stages.  Want to be more involved with a new chapter in your area? 

Please email  Corinne Samuelson for more information or to schedule a call with our Director of Member Services, David Belew.
  • Gulf Area (Houston)
  • Florida
  • Northern California
  • Central Valley California
  • Brazil
  • Minneapolis
  • Nevada 
  • China
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


Buyouts Insider is proud to announce the
9th annual PartnerConnect West Conference which features Buyouts West, Venture Alpha West and the Private Real Estate Summit. Our "event of events" is guaranteed to supercharge your deals strategy and expand your network through our ExecConnect program connecting LPs and GPs in private 1:1 meetings. AM&AA subscribers will receive  $100 off any ticket now through August 1st with the code  AMAA100. See here for more: 


Registration is now open for The 2016 TMA Annual Meeting  being held November 2-4, 2016 , at Disney's Yacht Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Register by October 7 to receive the early bird discount. 

Attend The 2016 TMA Annual to connect with senior leaders in the turnaround and restructuring industry as well as peers from outside your local business community. The 2016 TMA Annual presents top-tier professional development and relevant programming, along with several facilitated networking events with fellow attendees. 

For the following discounts, use promo code: AMAA when registering at: https://turnaround.org/ 

Early Bird - $1345 ($150 off)
Advanced - $1480 ($165 off)
On-Site - $1615 ($180) 



FEST is the cornerstone of the Techweek experience with a week-long calendar of events that embraces technology and innovation.

From hackathons to meet-ups, networking sessions, technology company HQ discovery walkthroughs, cool product demos, and intimate talks with innovation heroes - with the occasional party thrown in - we aspire to bring together the local technology and innovation community to showcase the best and brightest in your city!

For a list of events and dates visit:

Register now for the 2016 Summer Conference: Accelerating MidMarket Growth  
 July 27th - 29th in Chicago, IL
Receive a FREE ticket to the Sage Summit when you register for the Summer Conference!
  As a leading M&A organization we're all about connecting companies and capital, that's why we're thrilled to be partnering with Sage to offer our attendees this special offer! 

Join the world's largest gathering of small and medium businesses in Chicago where business gets personal with celebrated speakers, business experts, tech innovations, mentor and peer networking, and off-the-chart experiences.

With enlightening keynotes from 
A-list entrepreneurs and visionaries like Sir Richard Branson, Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoey Deschanel, and the stars of ABC's Shark Tank, this is an event you don't want to miss! 

For more details contact: 
Announcing:
David Johnson as the Alliance's Summer Opening Keynote Speaker
  The Alliance is excited to announce the Summer Conference's opening keynote speaker, David Johnson!

David is a career change agent who has served as interim manager or financial advisor to over $5 billion of distressed middle market transactions.  

The Siren Song of M&A
By: David Johnson

"Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art." - Peter Drucker
The past few months have not been kind to M&A driven growth strategies.  Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, citing changes in U.S. Treasury Department guidance on tax inversions, has  backed away  from a proposed $160 billion deal for Allergan. Cleantech company SunEdison  stumbled   into bankruptcy after the financial innovations that the company had been lauded for were revealed to be overly problematic.  Yahoo has been forced to acknowledge that the signature acquisition during CEO Marissa Mayer's tenure, that of  Tumblr for $1.1 billion , has not lived up to expectations. And Pharmaceutical company Valeant has seen its  M&A dependent , low R&D strategy unravel in a wave of accounting issues.
M&A is hard, and companies with considerable resources in terms of management, advisory talent, and capital still struggle to realize the promise of deals.  Why do they pursue them anyway?
Read the full article  here 

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

By: Keith J. Apton 
Read Keith's Bio Here
Read ESOP Buyout Overview Here

Congress and the Obama administration recently enacted legislation that creates new taxes and increases existing tax rates. Business owners who have spent their lives accumulating wealth within their businesses must carefully consider how recent legislation changes will affect the wealth diversification and business strategies formulated in recent years. Tax efficiency should be at the forefront of a business owner's mind.

The recent rise in capital gains tax rates has caused business owners to express increased interest in Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("ESOP") transactions. When structured properly there may be an opportunity to defer the capital gains tax on the sale of stock to an ESOP. A thoughtful business succession plan should consider the potential tax advantages offered to business owners and their businesses by leveraged ESOP transaction.

An ESOP may be one solution for business owners to provide liquidity as well as potential tax deferral. There are currently over 12, 000 ESOPs1 in existence today that span nearly every industry of the American economy. This article, intended for shareholders, directors, executives, and professionals, discusses the potential benefits afforded to business owners and their companies for a sale to an ESOP. 

Read full article here

BDCs - The Way to Increased M&A Deal Flow?

By: Michael Sauvante

Business development companies (BDCs)* have been around since 1980. But few people know about them -- especially how they might provide a solution for the increasing number of small businesses being put up for sale by retiring owners, particularly those with EBITDA below $2 million.

Companies above that level are finding a decent supply of buyers, especially with family funds jumping into the arena. And individual buyers typically can afford only the lower-priced companies. That leaves a gap, one in which BDCs can play an important role.

BDCs were invented by the venture capital community to allow them to raise money from the general public rather than just from deep pocket investors. BDCs were designed to be public companies that can issue public offerings (IPO and follow on offerings). The money raised is to be used by the BDC managers to make investments in, acquisition of, and loans to, small businesses -- an enhanced version of what VCs do.  

Read full article here

  Articles Are Written By Our Expert Members

Alliance Members, want to get noticed?
With over 32,000 subscribers, MidMarket Talk is a great place to be featured. Members can submit their articles and media trades to Tracy Flack.
  • Send us your completed deal tombstones
  • Tell us about your speaking engagements
  • Send us your articles or white paper summaries
3 Common Financial Mistakes That Can Decrease the Value of a Business in the Eyes of a Buyer

By: Jane Johnson
Most owners planning for retirement are dependent on the sale of their companies to provide the cash needed to finance the next phase of their lives. A substantial amount of wealth is trapped inside the illiquid asset that is their business. And the fact is that a majority of owners will have to boost the value of their businesses before they transition them to new owners or they will not net enough money from the transition, after taxes and fees, to fund the rest of their lives.

After successfully growing their business for years, most owners think they will be able to sell for top dollar when the time comes. But, in reality, while growing their businesses, owners are making financial mistakes that can actually decrease the value of a business from the perspective of a buyer.

However, with proper time, planning, and guidance, there are ways these mistakes can be corrected to increase the value of the business. It's especially important to take these factors into consideration if your plan is to sell your business to a third party - as historically, only one in five businesses that attempt to sell externally does so successfully. While many owners think that increasing the value of their business businesses may take too much time - or worse, be impossible - it is key to a successful business transition. 

Read full article here

2 Proven Ways to Transform Your Business for Good

By: Peter Sokoloff

Business loves its buzzwords. A popular term today is "transformation." CEO X plans on a "transformative acquisition" that will propel his company to a higher share price. CEO Y seeks to transform his business by permeating social networks and elevating his brand in the mind of the consumer. CEO Z avidly launches a new product which she anticipates will transform her business into a market leader. 

Today, many companies large and small struggle with the challenges of today's volatile, evolving economy. 

How can CEOs develop a game-changing transformation strategy that's proven to work? Here are two ways.

Transformation Strategy # 1 - Create a Blue Ocean
Transforming a company's organic growth path while retaining the fundamentals of the business can be effective and relatively inexpensive means to shift into higher gear. 

First published in the Harvard Business Review, Blue Ocean Strategy, written by professors W.Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, portrays an extraordinary outside-of-the-box business development mindset. This is a powerful approach which explains how many companies have successfully reinvented their businesses and gone on to glory. 

Read the full article here

Interested in Becoming A Member?

Members of the Alliance of M&A Advisors (The Alliance) represent businesses ranging from $5 to $500 million in transaction value. Membership with The Alliance provides access to a worldwide network of 1,000 M&A Professionals, exclusive pricing on conferences, certification and training opportunities, special discounts on cutting edge software, as well as speaking and publishing opportunities. 


 
Thank You to Our Partners

For Sponsorship Opportunities Call 312-856-9590 or Email us at info@amaaonline.org
  


Contact us
222 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 300
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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.