Practice Area:
Growth to Exit®
Make room for a trusted voice at the table.
Years and sleepless nights are spent experiencing the pain and celebrating the wins of owning and growing a company or line of business. There’s never a bad time to begin realizing the fruits of that labor by positioning the enterprise for transition, either to sell or pass on to the next generation. Do you know what prospective purchasers or private equity investors look for when seeking companies to acquire? Our Growth to Exit® process focuses on non-legal and legal issues to ensure you maximize the value of your exit while minimizing the risk of the process.
We prioritize the five critical non-legal areas that owners or executives of closely-held, private companies frequently need to impact growth and valuations:
Legal
contract review, corporate governance, risk management
Finance & Accounting
review of capital and debt structure, A/R needs, growth capital needs, audits, ICFR
Human Capital
HR policies/procedures, compensation aligned with roles, compliance
Sales & Marketing
sales process, compensation, marketing and messaging alignment
IT systems & intellectual property
operating software, cybersecurity, information security, disaster recovery plan
Our legal advice and business insight work together to quickly identify high-level strengths and opportunities to improve, and our deep network of referral partners can augment a company’s internal resources to prepare for an exit.
Every transaction is unique, and we know from experience that value depends on an organization’s preparedness. During our Growth to Exit® engagements, our specialized legal professionals collaborate to evaluate an organization’s legal and transactional preparedness. Reviewing and making necessary updates to an organization’s contracts, corporate governance, risk management, and resolving controversies can avoid delays and discounts during an exit transaction.
As an organization starts the process of evaluating an exit, we implement best-practices in transaction process management by focusing on the time-intensive and heavy-lift tasks that can distract and derail the exit process. Collecting and organizing diligence materials ahead of time saves valuable internal resources and can save money in the future.
When best practices are embedded in each of these five areas of your company, a potential buyer or investor is more likely to give you the full enterprise value your business can command.
As your Growth to Exit® advisors, we provide strategic business insight and legal advice in these areas to prepare your company for a sale or transition. We will immerse ourselves in your business model and practices and then engage with you to develop a strategy and implementation plan that clearly defines the goals, expected outcomes and execution.
For almost four decades, Shields has been the trusted voice at the table for private clients, family offices, and middle market companies transitioning through growth to an exit. We help you plan for sustainable growth and guide you through the complexities of generational issues and succession planning.
The mission of Shields Legal is to bring strategic business insight, professional judgment and competence to your company’s business and legal issues.