Succession and Choosing 3rd Party Advisors

Most contractors have gone through the succession process zero times.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

Even those that have gone through the succession process before are typically facing far different scenarios the second time around. 

Succession: Effectively Selecting Your Team of 3rd Party Advisors. Primarily Accountants and Attorneys.

Choosing the right team of advisors will help you effectively explore options and refine the details of your specific succession. Few basic rules:  

  • DO NOT hand over the process to a 3rd party. You own the process. These people are there to advise you, but ultimately, the decisions are yours to own. 
  • Not all advisors will agree and that is okay and even desired so that you can use your analytical skills to make the best decision.  
  • Not all advisors will be good at all stages of the process.
  • Your existing attorney, CPA, and consulting relationships may or may not be the best choice for helping you through the succession process. Run them through the same rigorous selection process as other candidates for your advisory team.  
  • Develop a rigorous selection process for picking your team based around the outcomes you want to achieve. Treat this the same as you would for hiring a high-level executive for your team.
  • If you think the fees for some good 3rd party advisors is expensive, check out the cost of a failed succession deal.  

Succession and Choosing 3rd Party Advisors
Continue building value in your business, yourself and your key team members with a good succession strategy....

Succession and Choosing 3rd Party Advisors
Continue building value in your business, yourself and your key team members with a good succession strategy....

Succession Fact #1: Capital and Cash Flow
Succession Fact #1: No deal structure will substantially create capital or cash flow. It is only the business performance that ensures all major stakeholder groups are compensated properly for their time and capital put at risk.
Capital Constraints to Growth (The Basic Formula)
Capital is one of the three primary growth constraints for construction contractors. Use this simple formula to determine how much of your pre-tax net profits need to be retained in the company to support growth and to establish your safe growth limits.
Governance Structures Enabling Ownership Transitions
Governance structures including the board of directors, policies, information flow, operating rhythm, and decision rights must continually evolve through each stage of growth and ownership transition. The first board is typically driven by a transition.