Investment Bankers Versus Business Brokers
When selling a small business, owners sometimes consider using the services of a business broker instead of an investment banker. Accordingly, it is important to distinguish between business brokers and PLG Advisory Group, both in terms of the type of clients each serves as well as the services offered.
Business brokers are real estate agents who sell businesses typically priced between $25,000 and $750,000, with average deals being between $200,000 and $400,000. Business broker clients normally include owners of retail operations, such as flower shops, nail salons, and small wholesale operations, among others. PLG Advisory Group is an investment bank that serves clients whose businesses are valued between $1 million and $50 million. Our clients include companies that offer a broad range of products and services, including complex financial services, insurance, outsourced services, professional services, importers, distributors, medical devices, software, technology and adult education.
Most business brokers typically apply the same process to selling a business as they do to selling a house:
- Obtain a listing agreement from the seller,
- List the business on an internet-based listing service, and
- Sit back and wait for offers.
Our advisory business is differentiated from that of business brokers in that PLG Advisory Group applies a broad range of project management services to each transaction, including,
- Repositioning of the company, when applicable, into a sector that will give the company the highest valuation,
- Assisting in recasting financials in order to obtain the highest valuation,
- Researching, identifying, and soliciting strategic buyers,
- Qualifying financial buyers,
- Employing risk-reduction strategies, and
- Managing the sales process through the closing in order to facilitate the closing and optimize the price paid for the business.
Furthermore, we have the knowledge and experience to confront the array of complex business, legal, accounting, tax and securities issues associated with the selling and buying of businesses.