Goldmark Advisers, Inc. - Q&A with Jeffrey M. Gold

What size of businesses do you typically represent?
We represent middle market companies with annual revenues of $10 million to $100 million.

Does your firm have an industry focus or are you more generalists?
About half of our business is focused on Media, but the rest is quite general.

What geographic region does your firm cover?
Our firm primarily focuses on the United States, but our largest client is based in the United Kingdom. Thus, we do have a small office in London.

What are the components to your compensation for your service?
Usually a monthly retainer is required which we later credit toward a success fee. The success fee is determined by the “Stutter Lehman” formula for M&A deals.

How many M&A professionals are there at your firm?
We have a team of 8 professionals.

Describe the main service that your firm provides.
Our firm provides merger & acquisition advisory services to both the buy side and the sell side.

What other services are provided by firm?
We also offer some corporate finance and valuation work.

What have you found to be the single largest factor in getting the highest price and terms for your client?
Finding the right buyer requires patience and thorough research.

What is a common misconception that you find among your clients?
A common misconception is that the work we do is easy.

Describe a transaction that really highlights your firm’s skills (or the benefits of using your services).
We represented a large UK based publisher in a transaction that was quite desirable and the deal was an auction. I was able to get a Representations and Warranties policy from an insurance company that allowed us to be more competitive on the terms of the deal.

Discuss a difficult-to-close transaction and what made it difficult.
Transactions are always difficult when the operating performance doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

Describe a tense moment at the closing table.
A deal fell apart at the closing because the bank decided to change the subordination language that was already agreed to by the buyer and the seller.

Have you ever saved a client of yours from a fraudulent buyer?
No. I haven’t come across any fraud in what we do.

What can a client do to maximize their company’s valuation or enhance the business sales experience?
Three suggestions:  live up to or out-perform expectations, have better than average EBITDA margins, and have backup management in place.

What should a business owner do if they are potentially interested in using the services of your firm?
Visit our website at www.goldmarkadvisers.com, and then call us for a free consultation.