How to sell your business - Podcast

Oaklins’ new Podcast, “The Real Dealmakers”, is a five-part Podcast Series that helps entrepreneurs to keep their edge when selling their business

A five-part podcast series of thought leadership podcasts has been launched by Oaklins, the number one independent financial advisory firm in The Netherlands, and a leading global financial advisor providing M&A, growth equity & ECM, debt advisory and corporate finance services for mid-market companies.

The podcast-series is presented by Paul Laseur, financial journalist of BNR’s news radio, and Maarten Wolleswinkel, founder and partner of Oaklins Netherlands. During his 20-year career in M&A advisory, Maarten has acted as lead advisor on over 100 international transactions.

“For most companies, selling their business is a one-off event. Leading an organisation through such a complex undertaking can be very complex and intense, but a good preparation will result in enormous benefits.” said Maarten Wolleswinkel. Maarten Wolleswinkel, founder and partner of Oaklins' team in Amsterdam

“As an entrepreneur you have devoted extraordinary effort in making your business successful. When you are ready to sell, you want this process also to be done in the best way possible. This series is particularly suitable for any entrepreneur or business owner who is considering or planning to sell a business.”

The podcast, now available through the BNR app, online and via the Oaklins website, gives any business or organisation guidance in times of crucial decision-making when selling a business. The first step in such a process starts with episode 1. According to the podcast description, this episode tells you everything you need to know about thoroughly preparing your business for sale and what content is essential for a winning bid book.

On average a process will take up to 6-12 months and during this time it’s essential to keep control. In episode two, Maarten explains how to stay in the driver seat. A structured process, the right timing and a proper execution are essential to achieve great results. Beginners mistakes are extremely expensive. Maarten also elaborates on the difference between value and price. How to put a price tag on your company and how to get the best price is discussed in episode 3.

Once you found the best buyer for your business, it’s time to draft a letter of intent, or LOI, prior to a formal contract. An LOI establishes the framework for an extraordinary – possibly life-changing – outcome. This will set the stage for the next phase: closing the deal. How to create a well-written LOI and what you should and shouldn’t include is discussed in episode 4. In the final episode 5 Maarten explains the do’s and don’ts of the last and most intense phase: negotiating the Share Purchase Agreement, or SPA, and finally closing the deal.

Learn from the experts

There is a whole lot of knowledge to absorb in this podcast-series. But if you are considering or planning to sell your business, it sure is worth listening to this one. Each episode runs 26 to 32 minutes long, meaning you can binge this series in a single day. Alternatively, you can listen to one or two episodes on your way home. It’s time well spent when you are thinking of selling (or buying) a business, or even when you’re in the middle of it. Next to this Dutch language podcast series Oaklins also has issued a free (English written) E-book “How to sell your business” which can be downloaded here.

This podcast series was created by Maarten Wolleswinkel of Oaklins Netherlands in cooperation with Paul Laseur and Annick van der Leeuw of BNR, and can be found here.