ServicesMergers and Acquisitions
Bastrop Mergers and Acquisitions
If your company is combining with another or acquiring one, how the deal is built counts as much as what it is worth. We put the choices next to each other, show you where each one leaves you once the deal closes, and keep everything confidential starting with the first call.
A merger or acquisition is built from choices
Two deals with the same headline price can leave an owner in very different places. One pays most of the money at closing. Another spreads it over three years and ties part of it to future revenue. One transfers the whole legal entity, history included. Another moves only the assets the buyer wants. We treat these as options to weigh, each with its own strengths and weak points, so you understand what you are agreeing to before anyone signs.
Our work here covers owners selling to a larger competitor or a strategic buyer, companies acquiring a smaller firm to add customers or capacity, and two owners combining operations. We work at our office or by phone and video with business owners in Bastrop and across the surrounding area, including Elgin and Smithville.
If you are a single owner selling outright to an individual buyer, our Sell a Business page will likely fit you better. If the deal is between existing partners, see Partner Buyouts and Succession.
What our M&A work includes
- 01
Deal structure comparison
We set asset sales, stock sales and merger arrangements next to each other and explain the effect each has on taxes, liabilities, contracts and leases. Your CPA and attorney make the final calls on tax and legal points; we make sure you arrive at those conversations with clear questions.
- 02
Valuation as a starting point
Every discussion starts from a supportable number. We prepare a confidential valuation built on your financials and normalized earnings, so offers can be measured against something real.
- 03
Confidential buyer or target outreach
We approach likely partners with a blind profile first and release details only after a signed nondisclosure agreement. Employees, customers and competitors should not hear about a deal before you are ready.
- 04
Offer and letter of intent review
We read each offer line by line: cash at closing, seller notes, earnouts, equity rollover, working capital targets and the length of any transition period. Two letters that look alike often are not.
- 05
Due diligence coordination
We organize the document requests, keep the data room orderly and track open questions so diligence does not stall the deal or wear you down.
Questions about Mergers and Acquisitions?
Call(512) 580-9359Signs a structured M&A process is the right call
A competitor has made an approach
An unsolicited offer is flattering, but it is one buyer setting the terms. A considered process tells you whether that offer is fair and whether others would pay more or structure it better.
Growth now means buying, not building
If adding a location, a service line or a customer base would take years on your own, acquiring an existing company may be faster. That only works when the target is vetted carefully.
An offer includes an earnout or rollover
Payments tied to future results, or equity in the combined company, can be fair or can quietly shift risk onto you. These terms deserve close reading.
Two owners are talking about combining
A merger between peers raises questions about control, roles, valuation of each side and what happens if it does not work out. Settling those early saves a great deal later.
How a deal moves with us
- 1
Confidential consultation
We start with a free conversation about your company, your goals and any offer already on the table. Nothing is shared beyond that call without your say.
- 2
Valuation and options
We value the business and walk you through the structures that suit your situation, with the trade-offs of each written out plainly.
- 3
Outreach and negotiation
We contact qualified parties under nondisclosure, gather offers and negotiate terms on your behalf, comparing them on total value and risk rather than headline price alone.
- 4
Diligence through closing
We coordinate diligence, keep your attorney, CPA and lender working on the same timeline, and stay with the deal until it closes.
What drives the cost of M&A work
You sign no retainer, and the fine print holds no surprises. We earn our fee at closing from the seller's proceeds instead of charging by the hour while the deal comes together. How much work a deal takes does differ, and we review the terms with you by phone before you commit to anything.
- How big and complex the company is
- Several entities, sites or lines of revenue take more effort to value and present than a business with one location.
- The state of the books
- Tidy, reconciled records move fast. Books that need adjusting or explaining stretch out both the valuation and diligence.
- How the deal is built
- An all-cash asset sale is more straightforward than a merger involving equity rollover, earnouts or seller financing, all of which need carefully written terms.
- How many parties are involved
- Managing several buyers or targets at once takes more coordination than working with a single one.
What owners ask us about M&A
Should I sell the assets or the whole company?
Each option carries its own consequences. In an asset sale, the buyer chooses what to take, like equipment, inventory, customer lists and goodwill, and you generally keep the entity along with its past liabilities. In a sale of shares or ownership interests, the buyer takes over the whole company, its contracts and its history. Buyers usually prefer an asset sale and sellers usually prefer the other, so it is often negotiated. Have your CPA run the tax numbers on each.
Is an earnout a good idea?
It can be. An earnout can close the distance when you and a buyer value the business differently, but it ties your money to a company you may no longer run. Before advising you, we check how the targets are measured, who makes the decisions that drive them and how much of the price rides on them.
How is the deal kept private?
Interested parties first get an unnamed summary describing the kind of business and how it performs, with nothing that reveals its name or location. The name, financials and other details are shared later, and only with parties who have signed a nondisclosure agreement and shown they can close. We also help you decide when and how to inform key employees.
Do you help companies that want to buy instead of sell?
Yes. We help buyers spell out what they want, assess possible targets, go through the financials and put offers together. If a loan will be part of it, our Acquisition Financing Guidance page shows how we get you ready for lenders.
How long do mergers and acquisitions take?
That depends on company size, how organized the records are and how fast diligence goes. Smaller deals usually finish sooner than ones with several entities or outside lenders. Once we know the details, we give you a realistic timeline.
See your options before you sign anything
Bring the offer you have, or just the idea you are considering. We will talk it through with you confidentially and at no cost.