M&A Advisor Tip: Intangibles Matter

Intangible assets can play a significant role in your business value. While these may not take physical form, they can be legally identified and transferred.

It can be a hard exercise, especially when you’re so close to the business. But here’s a list of some possibilities to consider formally documenting.

  • Contracts, licenses, distribution agreements, permits
  • Customer lists and loyalty metrics
  • Intellectual property, e.g., patents, trademarks, copyrights
  • Location-rights (e.g., land, water, mineral)
  • Marketing assets, including testimonials and portfolios
  • Supplier base
  • Trade secrets and proprietary processes
  • Web presence, internet domains
  • Workforce in place, management team

Think about the value of intangible assets as you grow your business. Conduct an inventory and document how each one contributes to your company’s success.

We will look at these things when we perform an estimate of value, an intermediary opinion of value or formal valuation. We also can help you identify the intangible assets buyers care about most.

What our clients are saying...

“I retained Business Transition Strategies to handle the sale of my company, which manufactures machined parts for a diversity of sectors. The entire process went smoothly and professionally. The BTS team kept me fully informed at every step. They worked hard and were effective in bringing the deal home. Their data room system, with a lot of information loaded in advance, saved time during due diligence. I would recommend John Howe, director, and Ken Schaefer, deputy director and the entire BTS team to any private company considering selling.”

- Scott MacDiarmid

MacDiarmid Machine Corporation