Long before a closely-held business is readied for sale, it should be protected by the owners creating a buy-sell agreement. In short, every co-owned business needs a buy-sell, or buy-out agreement the moment the business is formed or as soon after that as possible. A buy-sell, sometimes called a buy-out agreement, protects business owners when a co-owner wants to leave the company (and protects the owner who is leaving). It also contemplates dealing with unforeseeable catastrophic events, such as owner death or disability. We recommend business owners create a buy-sell agreement as soon as the business is formed because, as is often said: “It’s a lot easier to get an agreement in place when everyone’s in agreement.”
We have broken down the key elements and thinking that go into a buy-sell agreement into a series for business owners to find success.
PART 1 – PROVIDING A MARKET FOR THE OWNERSHIP INTEREST OF THE CLOSELY-HELD BUSINESS UPON A SPECIFIED “TRIGGERING EVENT”
Being able to work with people you know and trust in a closely-held business can be an invaluable experience, but among the many practical advantages is that the partners hold a great deal of control over their own companies. With fewer government regulations restricting their actions and decisions, owners can choose what to do with their profits—pay themselves, donate to charity, reinvest, etc.—and they generally enjoy the freedom to try out new ideas and pursue higher risk, higher yield options that might not fall in line with a corporate shareholder’s more conservative judgment.
That said, the many pluses of closely-held companies do come with some minuses, and one of those is the potential inability to sell the business or some of its ownership interests when necessary. That time may come for a variety of reasons, both unexpected and planned from death and illness to retirement, and the so-called “triggering event” can wreak havoc on the enterprise.
More on Triggering Events
Most commonly, a buy-sell agreement kicks in at the death of an owner and requires the surviving owners or the company to purchase the deceased owner’s interest from their estate. Death isn’t the only possibility of a triggering event, however. Any number of situations could arise that could send a business into disarray, including the following:
- Sudden illness, disability, or incapacitation
- Retirement
- Divorce
- Termination of the employment of the owner within the company
- Bankruptcy or insolvency of the owner in question
- Lack of desire of owner to continue in business
The reality is that without a buy-sell agreement in place, closely-held businesses run a high risk of not being able to be sold, either in whole or in part, when a triggering event happens. The best course of action to prepare for this scenario is to create a buy-sell agreement and provide a method for valuing the business within the agreement so you can avoid potentially catastrophic consequences to your business later.
The Importance of a Buy-Sell Agreement
Having an exit strategy in place, notably in the form of a buy-sell agreement, is an excellent way to help ensure your business doesn’t go under when a triggering event occurs. A buy-sell agreement that has already been agreed to in advance, independent of emotions that could be heightened during challenging times, can help resolve matters quickly and in the best interests of the business.
Having a buy-sell agreement in place when emotions are running high is also beneficial for valuation purposes. Even if you can come to a reasonable, fair value, it can be even more challenging to get a potential buyer to agree with you on the acceptable sale price, especially depending upon the circumstances of the triggering event.
Valuing the business during the calm times provides not only an unbiased valuation, but also a market for the ownership interest in the enterprise upon a triggering event that is specified within the buy-sell agreement. Quite simply, having a buy-sell agreement in place ahead of time can mean the difference between a successful passing on of the business and its folding; the agreement can provide a market for what may be an otherwise unmarketable interest that no one would want or perhaps even be able to buy. While drafting a buy-sell agreement helps put a number to the value of each business owner’s interest, it also makes sure that the remaining owners have complete say over who their next partner will be or even whether they want anyone else in the business at all. Moreover, with a buy-sell agreement in place, surviving or remaining owners are less likely to have grounds to pursue litigation—which can be expensive, time-consuming, and end up harming or even destroying the business.
Check out our next article in our business series covering what type of exit strategy needs to be considered in a transition.
If you have questions about your company’s succession, please contact a member of our Estate and Business Succession Planning team.
