Inside the Mind of an Acquirer
February 25, 2022 |
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Robert Glazer started an affiliate marketing agency called Acceleration Partners in 2007. Glazer never took outside capital and grew Acceleration to almost $28 million in sales before he sold a majority interest to Mountaingate Capital in 2020.
This is the second installment of a two-part interview with Glazer (grab part one here). In this episode, we ask him to wear his acquirer’s hat. Glazer has spoken with more than one hundred owners in the last couple of years and speaks passionately about the “unforced errors” owners make when negotiating with an acquirer.
Specifically, you’ll learn how to:
- Know the “market-clearing” values in your industry.
- Decipher between interest and value.
- Present your financials to a buyer.
- How not to answer the question, “how much do you want for your business?”.
- Avoid the “Annie Syndrome”.
- Create competition for your business.
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Show Notes & Links
Robert Glazer’s blog post: Marketing Services Agency Valuations In M&A In 2021
Jon Claydon’s episode: 3 Ways to Play an Industry Roll-Up
Ryan Moran’s episode: 6 Lessons Ryan Moran Learned From a Seven Figure Loss
Ari Ackerman’s episode: How EBITDA Adjustments Impact The Value Of Your Business
[40:49] Robert Glazer: “I’ll tell you the advice I got from everyone, which is in these 60-40 deals, or 70-30, or 50, make sure that if you never got another dollar, that the initial is enough, that you’re okay. Not that you wouldn’t have some regret, let’s be honest, but it’s enough. You’re not going to lose sleep, that it meets your threshold. That if you never got that again and in some cases you couldn’t work for a while, you’d be okay. So I took that advice to heart, and when a lot of people think about going to market, or they do the math.”
[47:08] Robert Glazer: “The two things I would recommend if you’re thinking about selling your business is one, understand the market and the deals. And like we’re talking about, have a really good understanding of what they’re going for, and what the structures are, and what market range is. And then two, whether it’s a CFO or a banker or otherwise, have someone take your books and show you what proper… It’s still going to be negotiated, but properly adjusted EBITDA.”
Curious about what your company might be worth? Start with a Built to Sell Valuation.
About Our Guest
Robert Glazer
Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a global partner marketing agency and the recipient of numerous industry and company culture awards, including Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards two years in a row. He is the author of the inspirational newsletter Friday Forward, author of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, Elevate, and the international bestselling books, How To Make Virtual Teams Work and Performance Partnerships. He is a sought-after speaker by companies and organizations around the world and is the host of The Elevate Podcast. Outside of work, Bob can likely be found skiing, cycling, reading, traveling, spending quality time with his family, or overseeing some sort of home renovation project.
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