TRANSITION TALK

FP Transitions

Recent Posts

Tips for Increasing Firm Value

Posted by FP Transitions on Apr 11, 2023 10:00:00 AM

 

You invest a substantial amount of energy into running, growing, and evolving your business. Knowing when, where, and how to best direct your efforts could mean the difference in thousands, or even millions, of dollars long-term. Having spent two decades accruing and organizing essential datapoints on more than 15,000 businesses, we’ve got a tight grasp on what matters most at each step of the way.

Depending upon your goals, certain areas will move the needle faster than others. Rather than guess at the best use of your limited resources, our team has compiled a list of places where your ownership and C-Suite team can start assessing opportunities for increased firm value.

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Topics: Selling Your Practice, Business Growth, M&A, Revenue Strength, Business Value, Revenue Sharing, Multiples, Benchmarking, Valuation & Appraisal, KPI

2023 Financing Update - An Interview with Live Oak Bank

Posted by FP Transitions on Feb 27, 2023 9:26:00 AM

2023 Financing Update Live Oak

We’re coming off an incredible year from mergers and acquisitions yet again. In fact, we closed out 2022 as one of our greatest ever for FP Transitions, and the same goes for Live Oak Bank. We took a moment to reconnect with James Hughes, SVP of Advisory Lending for Live Oak Bank, to break down the key areas advisors should consider before they enter the 2023 mergers and acquisitions environment. 

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Topics: Acquisition, M&A, Business Value, Deal Structure, Financing, Bank Financing, Buying & Selling, State of the Market, Next Generation, Valuation & Appraisal, "Buying, Selling, and Valuing Financial Practices", Sell and Stay™, Trends

(Tech) Stacked for Growth

Posted by FP Transitions on Jan 12, 2023 10:12:00 AM

Blog - Tech Stacked (1)

Growth can be enabled – or hindered – by your technology. And not only that, but it can also seriously erode your profit margin if it costs you clients, requires constant fixing, or slows down cross-department collaboration. But here’s the thing: NOT using tech is the bigger mistake you can make. With so many best-in-class solutions on the market (and more appearing everyday), certainly having something is almost guaranteed to be better than nothing…right? Let’s explore your best tech investments that enable revenue growth in 2023.

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Topics: Business Growth, Industry News, Next Generation, Compliance, Client Retention, Wealth Management, Trends, Branding, Tech, marketing, Client Experience

Understanding Sell and Stay®, the Gradual Exit Plan

Posted by FP Transitions on Jan 5, 2023 10:00:00 AM

Understanding Sell & Stay

The Sell and Stay® path is an often overlooked, gradual exit option hidden amongst the folds of internal succession, mergers, and external sales. For owners who need or want to work towards an exit but are not yet ready to leave the business entirely, Sell and Stay® is a perfect solution. Sell and Stay® allows an owner to continue working and earning an income without having to worry about matters such as management, day-to-day operations, or compliance.

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Topics: Buying & Selling, Exit Planning, Sell and Stay™

The Perfect Fit

Posted by FP Transitions on Dec 7, 2022 1:43:00 PM

Blog - The Perfect Fit

In our post-covid M&A world, finding “the perfect fit” is paramount. While price plays a role in deals, it has much more to do with the merging or acquiring entity’s vision and proposed deal terms. Our team has an unmatched vantage point in this industry when it comes to buying or selling an advisory firm. After reading through tens of thousands of inbound inquiries and supporting over 2,000 M&A transactions, we’ve picked up on a few resounding themes. Here are our #FPInsights on which aspects are of vital importance to firms seeking an acquisition or merger.

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Topics: Selling Your Practice, Acquisition

Mark, Measure, Monitor and Master KPIs to Maximize Growth, Profit, and Value

Posted by FP Transitions on Oct 6, 2022 11:46:21 AM

 

Mark, Monitor, Measure & Master KPIs to Maximize Growth, Profit, and Value

 

Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are data points which help businesses assess progress towards an intended result. Ensuring you take the time to Mark, Measure, Monitor, and Master those KPIs which will help you manage, protect, and grow the equity value of your business.

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Topics: Benchmarking, KPI, EMS

Maximizing Key Drivers For Business Revenue and Growth

Posted by FP Transitions on Jul 12, 2022 9:15:00 AM

Maximizing Revenue Drivers

For many years, our data has shown that firms with over $2M in annual revenue tend to grow twice as fast as those with $250K in annual revenue. Contrary to how it might seem, this is actually a function of their structure, not necessarily their size. These firms have cultivated efficiencies in cash flow, capacity, expenses, and operational systems to support scalability and growth. These sophisticated structures are accessible to most businesses–in a wide range of revenue levels–if they’re willing to explore and dedicate time and resources to improve.  

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Topics: Business Growth, Business Value, Client Retention, Benchmarking

Surviving Deal Fatigue

Posted by FP Transitions on Jun 28, 2022 9:30:00 AM

Despite the continued surge of wealth management M&A activity, one surprising fact remains: most of these market participants are engaging in a transaction for the very first time.  While there are aggregators and larger RIAs that will continue to build up their business through strategic acquisitions, the majority of today’s deals spark from a mutual attraction either from aligned competencies, or complementary competencies, that allow both firms to amplify their growth and sustainability.   

According to James Fisher, Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions at FP Transitions, “Many practices are looking to be acquired or merge with a larger business to spur growth, to benefit from economies of scale, to offload compliance and day-to-day operations, to increase bandwidth and offerings to clients, or to assist with the retirement of one or more senior owners/partners, among other reasons.”   

Regardless of experience, it takes a lot of patience, communication, time, and expertise to navigate the entire deal process. For firms going through this, on any side of the table, negotiating and documenting the transaction can often be more time consuming than anyone anticipated, creating the perfect environment for an all-to-common problem: deal fatigue.  

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Topics: Selling Your Practice, Acquisition, M&A, Business Value, Deal Structure, Buying & Selling, Mergers

M&A Mid-Year Update

Posted by FP Transitions on Jun 8, 2022 12:00:00 AM

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We just got back from Fort Lauderdale where we spoke at the WealthStack RIAEdge conference for WealthManagement.com. James Fisher, FP Transitions’ Vice President of M&A spoke with several advisors onsite. We wanted to take some of the questions that we received and see if we could answer them for our broader client base.

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Topics: Selling Your Practice, Commentary, M&A, Business Value, Buying & Selling

Applying Our Own Advice to Ourselves, Not Just Our Clients

Posted by FP Transitions on Jun 3, 2022 5:00:00 AM

Blog - Applying Our Own Advice

"Think about those future goals."

"Hold steady and don't react to the market."

"Remember, we have a plan and it's still well on track."

Throughout the market roller coaster of the Pandemic and now with 2022 rearing its head, advisors are getting used to coaching clients through market volatility. What matters most in these scenarios are two things: first, a trusted relationship between advisor and client, and second, preparation and education to navigate these emerging challenges.

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Topics: Succession Planning, Selling Your Practice, Business Value, Sustainability, Trends