PRE-TRANSACTION PLANNING SERVICES

An optimal investment banking transaction outcome requires a cross-disciplinary effort. In business sales, pre-transaction planning is essential. In contrast, the purchase of a business requires due diligence support and post-transaction assistance to integrate, manage, and grow the acquired business. Most investment banking firms advise clients on completing a transaction. Gray Strategic Partners works hand in hand with our affiliates to help clients with this and more. Through our Power of More^SM approach, we bring all our firm’s resources to bear, backed by the Gray, Gray & Gray family of companies, to do things right.

Most business owners sell a business only once in their lives, so the sale process and its associated steps are entirely new to them. It is important to get things right, as the business typically represents a lifetime of work, a family legacy, and meaningful wealth for a family, an entrepreneur, or an investor. Pre-transaction planning is critical to achieving the optimal outcome.

Many business owners:

• Have never built a business plan supported by five years of financial projections.
• Have a trusted business attorney, but not a specialized M&A or securities attorney.
• Know their financial results in detail but have never conducted a forensic quality of earnings review.
• Draw regular income from their businesses but have made no plan for post-transaction earnings replacement.
• Have developed tax strategies for their businesses but have not considered the tax implications of a transaction and may not even know their stock or asset tax bases.

The Gray, Gray & Gray family of companies actively supports the transaction planning of Gray Strategic Partners clients. From Gray, Gray & Gray’s strategic planning team assisting with business planning and the development of financial projections, to the transaction services team providing the quality of earnings review (an essential part of every sale transaction), to the tax team developing tax strategies to maximize post-tax proceeds to sellers, to Gray Private Wealth’s wealth management team formulating investment and income strategies for a seller’s proceeds – we have you covered.

Buy Side Support

Our buy-side clients also must prepare for post-acquisition business operations. The acquisition of any business may require a combination of organizational structures, management changes, new growth plans, and other considerations. Gray, Gray & Gray’s strategic planning team can help prepare and implement these plans and is also available to serve as an operating partner post-acquisition to secure a seamless transition and the implementation of a strategic plan for the first 100 days of ownership.

Overview of Transaction Support Services

Choosing the right resource to provide support and guidance is essential to ensure a smooth and successful acquisition and subsequent transition. We offer clients access to a multifarious, proficient, experienced team of M&A professionals ready to support your transaction from initial inquiry through full integration of the acquired entity. Our services aim to ensure the acquisition process runs smoothly and the business is successfully integrated into the buyer’s operations.

Through our Power of More^SM approach, clients work directly with our affiliates, Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP, and Gray Private Wealth, LLC, accessing their specialized expertise to deliver a wide range of services applicable to M&A activities, including:

• Pre-transaction planning
• Choice of entity analysis
• Due diligence support
• Review of fund organizational documents
• Quality of Earnings Review
• Business valuation
• Deal structure
• Financing and capital raising
• Tax planning
• Investment fund tax structuring
• Information technology due diligence, integration, and cybersecurity assessments
• Post-acquisition budgeting and forecasting
• Post-acquisition audit and tax services for portfolio companies
• Post-acquisition tax and financial planning for sellers
• Post-acquisition operating partner consulting services

Affiliate services are offered under separate engagements and are not included in Gray Strategic Partners’ investment banking services unless expressly agreed upon.