New Study Spotlights Five Proven Strategies There is an easy way to identify the most effective strategies for rapid growth. For the fifth year in a row, the Hinge Research Institute conducted a comprehensive study of more than 1,000 professional services firms. Specifically, Hinge looked at what “high-growth” firms (those with at least three years of 20% compound annual growth) do differently than firms that are not growing at all. This article highlights five proven growth strategies. Professional services firms face many new challenges, from talent shortages and changes in buyer behavior to the impact of technology and automation—and…
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Observations of Needs of Boomer Owners as the Exit Tsunami Begins Readers serving as advisors to privately held business owners stand in the position of being the authority when it comes to topics such as growth and exit planning. This QuickRead article is written to share the research on the privately held business owner market and mindset, which points to important considerations for business owners who are considering and/or executing upon a plan to grow and/or exit their privately held business. The article covers five important issues that will enable advisors to understand the opportunity in this market, an opportunity…
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The Art and Science Most businesses have special characteristics that affect its value. Some are endemic to the industry and some relate to the personal nature of those managing the business. Wealth management businesses have both characteristics. Here are some considerations that go into determining the valuation. Most businesses have special characteristics that affect its value. Some are endemic to the industry and some relate to the personal nature of those managing the business. Wealth management businesses have both characteristics. Here are some considerations that go into determining the valuation. Defining a Wealth Management Business Wealth management businesses manage investible…
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To Attract or Retain Key Employees To both attract and retain key employees, many private companies have added stock-based compensation grants to their portfolio of employee compensation arrangements. An important component of any private company stock-based compensation arrangement is the value of the private company stock. Therefore, private company clients expect valuation analysts to be at least generally familiar with the management considerations related to such stock-based compensation programs. This discussion summarizes some of the basic—but important—income tax considerations about the compensatory transfer of employer corporation stock. This discussion summarizes both the employer’s and the employee’s federal income tax considerations…
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Asset Values (Part III of III) This is the third of a three-part article that focuses on valuing nonprofit corporation assets. Valuation analysts are commonly engaged to provide fair market value guidance related to nonprofit business transactions. Nonprofit businesses are often involved in arms-length transactions. Common transactions include royalty payments for the use of intellectual property, royalty revenue earned by licensing intellectual property, sales of assets, and purchases of assets. If the subject transaction is between a nonprofit and a related party, the transaction is required to be a fair market value transaction. This series provides an example of certain…
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Get New Work at Fees I Can Live With When it comes to getting new work, one of the required steps is writing what amounts to a combined proposal/engagement letter. It’s more of a proposal if you’re assuming what the prospect wants; it’s more of an engagement letter if you spend time finding out what the prospect needs. But semantics aside, preparing these letters is a lot of work. Given that, what is your proposal win percentage? Are you content with your fees on the proposals you win? If your answer is “no” or “not always,” this article may help.…
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Asset Values (Part II of III) This is the second of a three-part article that focuses on valuing nonprofit corporation assets. Valuation analysts are commonly engaged to provide fair market value guidance related to nonprofit business transactions. Nonprofit businesses are often involved in arms-length transactions. Common transactions include royalty payments for the use of intellectual property, royalty revenue earned by licensing intellectual property, sales of assets, and purchases of assets. If the subject transaction is between a nonprofit and a related party, the transaction is required to be a fair market value transaction. This series provides an example of certain…
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Nine Steps to Engage Your Audience Hinge’s latest research on high-growth accounting and financial services firms makes the case that your firm should consider adding educational webinars into your marketing mix. Hinge’s latest research on high-growth accounting and financial services firms makes the case that your firm should consider adding educational webinars into your marketing mix. Why? Well only 34.9% of these firms reported that they conducted webinars last year—and it seems that for those who did, they were worth the effort. In terms of perceived impact, conducting educational webinars was the third most impactful marketing technique used in this…
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Asset Values (Part I of III) This is a three-part article that focuses on valuing nonprofit corporation assets. Valuation analysts are commonly engaged to provide fair market value guidance related to nonprofit business transactions. Nonprofit businesses are often involved in arms-length transactions. Common transactions include royalty payments for the use of intellectual property, royalty revenue earned by licensing intellectual property, sales of assets, and purchases of assets. If the subject transaction is between a nonprofit and a related party, the transaction is required to be a fair market value transaction. This series provides an example of certain steps and procedures…
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For 2020 and Beyond Merriam-Webster dictionary defines blockchain as a digital database containing information (such as records of financial transactions) that can be simultaneously used and shared within a large decentralized, publicly accessible network. In this article, the author predicts blockchain trends and its impacts of the accounting profession. With a new year comes changes across multiple facets of the accounting vertical, and there has arguably been no trend and tool that has dominated the accounting conversation more than blockchain technology and its applications. Since its launch from obscurity to the mainstream business and accounting conversation, blockchain and its applications—including…
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Without An Elephant One question: Would you like to learn a technique that might make the problem-solving process work more efficiently and perhaps, just perhaps, produce better results? In this article, Nancy Yeend presents the W-I-N method. Of course, you know how to solve problems—that is what you do for a living. One question: Would you like to learn a technique that might make the problem-solving process work more efficiently and perhaps, just perhaps, produce better results? Define the ProblemThe John Godfrey Saxe’s poem, The Blind Men and the Elephant, is an example of how people can view the same…
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In the Formation of an ESOP Mr. Robert Reilly, in a two-part January 2020 QuickRead article, as published by NACVA, provides a detailed and learned discussion regarding the role a valuation analyst might play in the early stages of the formation of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This paper is not intended to be, in any way, a critique of Mr. Reilly’s presentation, but rather an appendix highlighting some of the many risks a valuation analyst will face when accepting an ESOP related engagement. Mr. Robert Reilly, in a two-part January 2020 QuickRead article, as published by NACVA, provides…
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Robert Reilly Shares His Thoughts on Impressions Should a valuation analyst accept an ESOP valuation engagement? That is the question raised by Michael McKean in his article written in response to the recent QuickRead article series by Robert Reilly. In this article, Mr. Reilly shares his thoughts on the subject matter. I am old enough to remember the early television show, The Original Amateur Hour. I started watching the show in the 1950s, although it debuted on television in 1948 (before my time). I remember the spinning wheel and the phrase, “Round and round she goes, and where she stops…
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In an ESOP Formation Financial Feasibility Analysis (Part II of II) This is the second of two-part article that discusses ESOPs. In this part, the author focuses on quality of earnings, liquidity, and plan design analyses. Owners of a private company who are looking for an exit strategy may consider the sale of all (or part) of the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Such a strategy may be particularly attractive to baby boomer private company owners who are seeking retirement and liquidity and who would prefer to see their loyal employees retain a stake in the company…
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About Your BVFLS Practice? There are three ways to deliver professional services. The benefits and detriments of each are discussed in this article. The author also shares his opinion regarding what model(s) BVFLS practitioners should adopt. We’re supposed to be smart, sophisticated, experienced business appraisers who deliver insights that assess value. Why, then, do most of us operate with a one-dimensional business model? You know, the thing that generates our cash flow and having a high “practice specific risk premium.” What would an experienced appraiser say about our BVFLS practices? There are three ways to deliver professional services like ours.…
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In an ESOP Formation Financial Feasibility Analysis (Part I of II) This two-part article discusses ESOPs. Owners of a private company who are looking for an exit strategy may consider the sale of all (or part) of the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Such a strategy may be particularly attractive to baby boomer private company owners who are seeking retirement and liquidity and who would prefer to see their loyal employees retain a stake in the company ownership. This article considers the role of the valuation analyst in performing an ESOP financial feasibility analysis. Such an analysis…
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Revising Your Firm’s Brand As a new decade begins, you may consider the state of your firm’s overall brand and if there are any needed changes. When you conduct such an exercise, one of the first elements to consider revising is your firm’s positioning statement. In this article, we will review the five steps to writing an effective positioning statement which can be a strong foundation for your brand. As a new decade begins, you may consider the state of your firm’s overall brand and if there are any needed changes. When you conduct such an exercise, one of the…
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Theory into Practice In our literature and at professional conferences, we often discuss the theoretical aspects of our work. For lost profits this includes discussions on the best method for valuing lost profits (before and after, yard stick, but for) or the optimal discount method (ex ante, ex post, or hybrid). Occasionally, these become academic debates with little impact on our “real life” work. This year, I received an assignment that allowed me to apply some of these theoretical ideas to real life circumstances. This case involved stolen intellectual properties and three separate loss categories: lost royalties, lost profits, and…
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Best Practices: Thought Leadership in Valuation, Damages, and Transfer Price Analysis This fall, Robert F. Reilly and Robert P. Schweihs published Best Practices: Thought Leadership in Valuation, Damages, and Transfer Price Analysis. The book celebrates the 50th anniversary of Willamette Management Associates and is intended to present thought leadership. The topics selected for inclusion are topics that the authors felt did not already enjoy thought leadership discussion in the current literature. As the authors note: “we were not satisfied with the breadth or depth of the available literature in [many of the topics covered]. We usually concluded: Someone should write…
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The Cost of Equity Capital (Part II of II) This is the second of a two-part series article focused on issues that arise estimating the cost of equity capital. In most forensic-related valuation analyses, one procedure that affects most valuations is the measurement of the present value discount rate. This discount rate analysis may affect the forensic-related valuation of private companies, business ownership interests, securities, and intangible assets. This discussion summarizes three models that analysts typically apply to estimate the cost of equity capital component of the present value discount rate: (1) the capital asset pricing model, (2) the modified…