For Sellers, the Curtain Rises Once

The novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, "There are no second acts in American lives." Second lives, in the sense of a second chance to sell a printing company at a price attractive to the seller, can be just as rare in the M&A marketplace. Here’s why.

The right moment to sell occurs when the condition of the seller’s business, the intentions of the buyer, and the state of the print market segment in which the seller operates all line up in favor of making a deal. A qualified M&A advisor can counsel the seller as to when that special moment has arrived. But, this good advice will also include a reminder that circumstances probably won’t align this way again and that the cost of missing the moment could be high.

Think of what would happen if you received a desirable offer for your company today but then decided to put off selling for three to five years. In that time, in order to remain competitive as a printing business, you probably will have to install new equipment and take on a corresponding amount of debt. You could just let your existing machinery continue to age, but the buyer you eventually negotiate with will consider the cost of replacing it before making an offer for your business. Either way, your final proceeds from the sale take a hit.

Why do sellers hesitate to seize opportunities that probably won’t come around again? We’ve seen too many worthwhile deals undermined by "the 20 percent syndrome:" the owner’s stubborn belief that the business is worth 20 percent to 30 percent more than the marketplace dictates. Sellers in the grip of this mindset insist on holding out for more, rejecting reasonable offers that don’t square with their inflated notions of what the payout should be.