Personal Advice from John C. Johnson on Selecting Your Corporate Acquisitions Advisors
Picking a corporate acquisitions advisor or business transitions advisor must not be taken lightly. Choosing a representative, intermediary, or advisor for acquisition work is not different in New York, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City or Tulsa, Oklahoma; corporate acquisition advisors are the composite of their experience and ability. A great friend and business affiliate, John Zayac, puts it well: John’s personal business philosophy is mindful: “Capitalizing on the opportunity of a lifetime requires the experience to recognize it & the skill to do what is needed.” Bluestem’s pros are Tulsa Oklahoma’s corporate acquisition advisors with the longest, broadest, and deepest proven track record of performance, experience, formal education, and success in actual deal making.
Broad & Deep Competencies as Experienced Corporate Acquisitions Advisors and Business Brokers
Why do corporate acquisitions advisors need this depth and breadth? When completing Oklahoma corporate acquisitions, advisors must be prepared to handle diverse and complex issues. In any given company acquisition, divestiture, sale, or spin-off, a host of issues and obstacles predictably occur as a part of the complex “simultaneous acquisition negotiations” occurring between various stakeholders; buyer, seller, lenders, family, partners, advisors, third parties (e.g., key employees, customers, vendors, landlords, etc.), customers, mezzanine and other corporate finance participants, tax consequences, risk components, expert advisors, and others. Typically, the M&A Business brokers must have a keen appreciation and understanding of the consequences and opportunities presented in each substantive area.
A top corporate acquisition advisor must have the wisdom to “see what is coming around the corner”. In Oklahoma, corporate acquisition advisors must understand the local markets, key advisors, corporate finance environments, and legal aspects. While rendering tax or legal advice without a proper license is never acceptable, corporate acquisition advisors must be prepared to interact with other key advisors from a standpoint of acquisitions knowledge, education, training, experience, and most importantly - reputation. The advisor’s wisdom, art, and expertise predictably result in higher quality acquisition transactions and experience for the seller and buyer.
People & Place Matter, as Do Your Corporate Acquisition Advisor’s Credentials
Wherever the business to be sold or acquired is located, there are major advantages to selecting prominent local corporate acquisitions advisors to manage the divestiture, acquisition or other business transition. Whether in Chicago, Dallas or Tulsa, Oklahoma - corporate acquisition advisors are the team leaders for a successful sale transaction. They know the national markets and beyond, plus the local and regional markets, including key parties to any successful deal; the leading specialists in corporate finance, law, accounting, banking, plus buyers and sellers. Bluestem’s corporate acquisition advisors live in Oklahoma, the business community they serve, and our people thrive or perish based on reputations they create here in Tulsa, Oklahoma over years in acquisitions markets and as company advisors.
Before selecting your Tulsa, Oklahoma corporate acquisitions advisor, demand disclosures from the firm’s principal and, if you will be relegated to a more junior associate, from that business advisor too. Insist the corporate acquisition advisors disclose their educational resumes –what schools, degrees earned, and when. Be sure the business advisors or intermediaries lay out details of their continuous professional tenure as business or corporate acquisitions advisors – specifically where they were and when.
Some may claim experience in the M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions), business broker, or corporate acquisitions advisory business since some early year, but actually worked in the acquisitions trade a while, washed out and recently reemerged anew. Yet they unabashedly tout decades in their vague interim as “in the business since . . .” Ask what licenses and intermediary or acquisitions certifications the advisor holds; ones relevant to the task. For example, a law license or CPA may be fine and quite impressive, but has little relevance to work as your corporate acquisitions advisor. What companies have the intermediaries or advisors worked for, and in what position over the whole of their career? Does their past include career experience with well-known corporate leaders (e.g., successful Fortune 500 company careers)? Be wary of glib, charming corporate acquisitions advisors or intermediaries who use the vague shuffle to mask subtle or gaping “holes” in their professional backgrounds, or superficial job qualifications.
Check Out the Corporate Acquisitions Advisor’s Affiliations, Relationships, & Performance Track Record
Ask what acquisition deals the M&A Brokers or corporate acquisition advisors have handled. Look for a broad client list and deals done; do not settle for seeing just a select few recent ones. Review what third parties say about their operation and advisory acumen; look past show clips from hand-picked friends of the firm, for testimonials from a spectrum over decades including clients, customers, affiliates, professional acquisitions peers, advisors, and community leaders.
There are outstanding acquisitions advisor professionals, but even in Tulsa, Oklahoma, corporate acquisition advisors may unscrupulously avoid divulging a weak, shallow history because it is beneath a client’s reasonable expectations for business acquisition advisor or business broker. Some cite “confidentiality concerns” to cover shallow tenure or a vague, patchwork background. Convincing evasion can never be allowed to suffice in lieu of a clearly demonstrable, long-term track record, full-time, in professional corporate acquisitions and as advisor.
Look for breadth and depth of leadership in the state and national business community and acquisitions advisor professional associations such as IBBA, The M&A Source, AM&AA, and Association for Corporate Growth. Within Oklahoma, what is the corporate acquisitions advisor’s track record of being selected by peers and business community leaders to take leadership responsibilities or of awards for accomplishments? Who holds the business advisor in high esteem for qualities and capabilities? Do they demonstrate professional commitment to excellence as corporate acquisitions advisors or M&A intermediaries by continuous training through their entire career or have they taken an occasional short course?
See the Future with a Competent, Credentialed Corporate Acquisitions Advisory Team
We all understand that history is the key predictor for future expectations. When entrusting your business to an Oklahoma corporate acquisition advisor, look to that advisor’s full history to see your future and make your choice.
For additional detailed information on Bluestem Resources’ capabilities and track record, and how we excel as Tulsa, Oklahoma corporate acquisition advisors, and as guides during business transitions, see Bluestem Performance. To learn more about selling a midsize business or small business in Oklahoma or the surrounding states, see Selling a Business.
Also see: Strategic Services an overview of business transitions and business development in Oklahoma and beyond through Outsourced Business Development, Strategic Planning and Solutions, Business Wealth Counsel, Receivership Appointments, and Business Value services. To work effectively with an Oklahoma business broker to find business acquisitions, see Buying a Business.