Case Study: Sale of Foreign CompanyBusiness Development
A Paris based digital content company was struggling due to economic downturn and a changing competitive landscape. The owners decided it was time to sell and needed help.
Note: Afdonex is a relatively new business. This case is from earlier work completed by Afdonex’s Don Wieshlow.
My involvement in this case was because the sellers were based in Paris and didn’t speak adequate English to navigate all the required tasks. As well they had no experience with negotiating a transaction like this before, and the potential buying agents were anglophone, based in North American time zones.
The challenges that needed to be met through our support were:
- Prepare the business data & story for sales communication.
- Find a buyer.
- Manage the negotiation & due diligence process between the parties.
The solutions I provided included:
- Project management of the full process.
- Data analysis & preparation of performance metrics, as well as P&L and operational data.
- Preparation of a pitch deck; and delivery of the pitch to multiple targeted prospects.
- I worked as go-between the seller & buyer on preparation of due diligence data & responses.
- Supported the seller with negotiation strategy – leading up to a signed Letter of Intent to Purchase. At this time the project was handed over to the legal councils of the seller & buyer.
- Bridged the language gap between seller & buyer
Benefit:
In this case this client benefitted from my project management, strategic planning and negotiation skills to patiently work between continents, time zones, languages and the seller and buyer – on a complex international acquisition negotiation.
Result:
The client would achieve its goal of obtaining a signed Letter of Intent to Purchase from its primary target at a multi-million dollar valuation they were willing to accept.
