9 Ownership Transition Issues Specific to Contractors

All businesses face challenges with an ownership transition.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

There are nine interrelated issues that heavily impact contractors. 

Succession: 9 Ownership Transition Issues Specific to Contractors.

We will dive deeper into each of these over the next week:

  1. Strength and alignment of the management team (post-deal)
  1. Culture of the company - Is it prepared for an ownership succession and compatible with the new owner? Seems “soft” but is very “hard” and can destroy value quickly.  
  1. Key relationship continuity with employees, customers, and others.
  1. Financial partner alignment with banking, surety, and possibly insurance.  
  1. Cash generation capabilities.
  1. Asset vs. stock sale - who owns past liabilities, how are they quantified, and what is the tax implication?
  1. Sustainable growth strategy and plan to ensure value is created for all stakeholders.  
  1. Future direction of the construction industry and ensuring you are neither selling nor buying the equivalent of a horseshoe manufacturer and installer in 1900.  
  1. Extremely low barriers to entry for new contractors can easily create competitors out of unaligned stakeholder groups, which often destroys value.  

9 Ownership Transition Issues Specific to Contractors
Continue building value in your business, yourself and your key team members with a good succession strategy....

9 Ownership Transition Issues Specific to Contractors
Continue building value in your business, yourself and your key team members with a good succession strategy....

Different Heights Require Different Skills and Gear
As contracting businesses grow the leadership focus, strategy, org structure and processes must change. Think about building a business the same as you would hiking up a mountain with each different phase requiring different skills and different gear.
Cash Flow Tip 1 - The Right Markets and Customers
Finding the Right Markets & Customers. Keeping in mind that you can’t have great cash flow without great profitability the first thing you have to look at is your market strategy.
The ABCs of Strategic Market Choices
Strategic Market Choices for where a contractor chooses to play must be balanced between diverse enough, large enough, and focused enough. These are the highest leveraged decisions that leaders of construction businesses make.