BUSINESS VALUATION TRENDS

What do you see happening with business succession in the next five to ten years as baby boomers, both those working in business evaluation firms and the companies those firms provide services to, retire? When I see this question, the opportunity is what pops into my mind. I was recently looking at statistics about how many companies out there liquidate or look for an exit event within the next five to ten years. With this baby boomer generation, you have some business owners out there that are going to be looking at liquidating their nest egg. They have all their wealth tied up in their business and they're going to need some type of exit. And what an opportunity that presents to the business evaluation community from a consulting standpoint because those individuals are going to need help getting to that point, possible creating value and possibly getting ready to sell. Who are they going to sell to? Private equity firms, strategic, family members? There are so many scenarios out there and so many prospects and clients dealing with this. It's just a staggering opportunity for the evaluation field to start really taking advantage of consulting opportunities.

The executive summary of the article - Clients want practitioners to be more than just valuation services providers. They want someone who can be more of an advisor and consult with them on ways to create value. Practitioners are keeping an eye on the current proposal on fair value accounting for private companies. The proposal could impact the amount of business valuation work that is available.

Baby boomer business owners are or will soon be looking to liquidate their nest egg. That presents a great business development opportunity to the business valuation community. Even though technology is transforming the way many CPAs operate, some accountants, lawyers, and clients are sticking to the old ways of doing business. Business valuation practitioners need to be prepared to work with both types of colleagues and clients. Cooper CPA Group and its network is a collaborated group of professionals who can assist these baby boomers with the overall transaction, growth, consulting, and succession planning. Each member of the team was selected to handle their perspective business sectors to assist and this global process.