The $20 Million Expiry Date
March 23, 2016 |
Want to increase the value of your business by up to 71%?
Take the 13-minute survey and get your Value Builder Score
About this episode
Subscribe:
In eight years Ryan Born built Audio Micro into an Inc. 500 company. Born went on to sell it for more than $20 million in 2014 – a deal that only happened because he put an expiry date on the “no shop” clause on his Letter of Intent.
One of the reasons Born was paid handsomely for his start up was the positive cash flow model he had created. Instead of buying media rights and reselling them, he sold the rights first and then paid the content owner 30 to 120 days later. This “float” allowed him to keep more equity for his eventual exit. Cash flow is our focus in Module 10 of The Value Builder Engagement. Get started by getting your Value Builder Score™ now.
Our guest
Ryan Born is a media entrepreneur best known as the founder of AdRev/AudioMicro Inc., a digital rights management and content licensing network, the majority of which was acquired by Zealot Networks in 2014-2015 for $20 million. AudioMicro Inc. ranked as the LA’s fifth fastest growing media company in the 2015 Inc. 500 list (#162 overall). Previously, Born was an investor in and VP of Finance for WireImage (acquired by Getty Images in 2007 for $208 million), and he was an angel investor in NewCondosOnline and Internet Marketing SEO, Inc. He has been a guest lecturer at Emory University, UCLA, UCSB, Loyola Marymount and numerous industry conferences and events.Related to this topic
David Hauser’s Grasshopper is a masterclass in building a business to sell. With no venture funding and fewer than 40 staff, Grasshopper was acquired 12 years after its founding for $165 million in cash and $8.6 in Citrix stock.
How to Handle an Acquisition Offer from a Customer
In 2015, Nathan Hirsch and his partner started FreeUp.com, an online marketplace of virtual assistants. Four years later, Hirsch and his partner were billing more than $12 million when they received an acquisition offer from a customer they couldn’t refuse.
Wisdom From The Sale Of Six Businesses
Laura Gisborne has sold six companies, including The Art of Wine, a tasting room with a subscription-based wine club division. With $1MM in annual revenue, it was still a small business, when Gisborne reasoned it was the perfect time to sell.
When to Tell Employees You’re Thinking of Selling
Lois Melbourne and her husband started Acquire Solutions, a software business that helped large companies manage their employees. After 18 years, they had grown to 85 people and received an offer from a private equity firm.
The Backstory Behind E&J Gallo’s Acquisition of Barefoot Cellars
Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey built Barefoot Cellars to sales of more than 600,000 cases of wine per year when they got the attention of E&J Gallo, America’s largest winemaker.
The (Awfully) Thin Line Between Success and Failure
Shelley Rogers started Admincomm Warehousing to help companies recycle their old technology. Rogers purchased old phone systems and computer monitors for pennies on the dollar and sold the gear to recyclers who dismantled the technology down to its raw materials and sold off the base metals.
From Paper Sketches To $441M Sale
Oribe sold in early 2018 for $441M, but in 2008 they were just a few sketches of shampoo bottles on a piece of paper. Tev Finger shares the surprising tactics they used to drive revenue.
Walking Away From an 8 Figure Exit
Josh Davis started Spirit of Women, a marketing agency selling content about women's health to hospitals. Davis built the company up to almost $10 million in annual revenue when he kicked off a process to sell it, which he hoped would garner an offer of around 7x Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA).
How To Double An Acquisition Offer For Your Business
Bobby Albert took over the family moving business. Determined to succeed, he transformed his father’s five-person business into a fast growth company, eventually employing 150 people before being approached by a strategic acquirer.
How to Double Your Take From a Sale Without Being a Jerk
David Jondreau built American Sign Language, a company that supplied interpreters on contract, to $2 million in annual revenue when he decided it was time to sell.