Sell Your Business With No Regrets

How is Matt Gilbert different? He doesn't have an MBA in business administration or finance. He doesn't come from one of the large local private equity firms. He has been a business operator, with his own 'skin' in the game, in several businesses that had improved earnings and sold. In my mind, he has a better chance of understanding me than anyone else I have met. In the process of deciding whether or not it was time to sell several years ago, I took about a month and went around to visit every Houston-based private equity firm and M&A lawyer I could get to meet with me. I had some quality visit time with almost all of them. Many of them stayed in touch. However, I have chosen Matt Gilbert to 'TRUST' finding me one last partner, so that my life's work doesn't just disappear.

Our firm has had the pleasure of working with Gilbert & Pardue Business Advisors (GaP). GaP exhibits vast practical experience and a very good understanding of the market, regardless of industry. Their ability to walk the client through the process, both from a timing and pricing standpoint is invaluable.  Their firm is our go-to firm for middle market companies that want to be brokered to potential strategic and financial buyers.

Many business brokers will get a seller’s hopes up with unrealistic valuations or sales prices…and then they may charge a slew of fees for marketing, financial review, legal, etc. before getting any interest from buyers. In those cases, it is possible the business brokers make their money up front without regard to the seller’s prospects of selling the business. Because the price is not realistic, they may never get serious traction. This doesn’t happen with GaP. Another thing GaP does that I find unique is their cultivation of relationships with buyers (even if inactive) so that they may be able to privately sell a business without openly advertising it for sale. This can be incredibly valuable to a seller requiring utmost discretion. Most business brokers balk at the amount of work it takes to develop relationships with inactive buyers. GaP welcomes the opportunity.

I cannot emphasize enough how impressed I have been with Matt Gilbert and the team associated with Gilbert & Pardue. I have been in banking for over 30 years and have had many opportunities to assess the trustworthiness and professionalism of clients and their businesses. Without doubt, after visiting with Matt Gilbert, I felt I could recommend and refer him to any of my clients who might have need of an advisory expert as relates to their business. He has proven that my impression was not only correct, but he has continued to prove that his years of experience have enabled him to create a network of people and businesses who rely on his ability to guide them in the right direction and to pull together the components they need to achieve their goals. Anyone who seeks counsel from Matt and his team are in good hands!

My clients are often nearing retirement age, with no suitable heir to their business and a desire to sell. What many don't understand is that business owners’ businesses are like their babies. They created and nurtured the entity from its infancy and simply want to ensure the business goes to someone that will take care of it like they did. Matt understands this well from his own personal experience of creating, owning, and selling businesses. As a financial advisor looking to provide my clients with a seamless and enjoyable retirement, Matt and his team have been instrumental in assisting my clients with their business transaction needs at a level of service that exceeds our expectations.

As a new business owner, I was not familiar with what an M&A firm does. When I first learned of GaP and the M&A services they provide, I thought that they just assisted in selling and buying companies. However, after speaking with them, I quickly learned that they help companies with a variety of services to become more successful, whether they are ready to sell or not. A prime example of this is the fractional CFO services they provide. We really needed that financial leadership when it came to financial modeling and cash flow forecasting. This has enabled us to grow. GaP will guide you towards thinking about aspects of your business that you are unable to think about simply because you are too busy in the business itself.