With over 12 years of dedicated experience in a specialized field, Charter BTA is among the most experienced transition advisory firms in the Pacific Northwest.
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starts with a foundational principle: It has to be a good deal for everybody. Charter BTA walks the business owner through the process from Concept to Closing. It may be one year, three years, five or ten years. It all depends on your personal circumstances, your degree of urgency, and the timeframe in which you want or need to complete the process.
We begin our engagements by gaining a clear understanding of your ideal outcome. We start with a simple question: “What do you want to have happen?” We assess the state of your business, we evaluate and benchmark your position in your industry against best-in-class to determine opportunities to improve business valuation.
When I was introduced to the president and co-founder, she exclaimed, “I didn't know someone like you existed!” After 30 years building a successful business, it was time for transition. Their primary mission was to assure that their loyal employees could finish their careers and fund their retirements. The company was fairly small for an ESOP but it did best fulfill the primary mission. The tax benefits alone made it a good deal, but secure retirements for loyal employees was the clincher.
We were referred to the 78-year-old founder of a 40-year-old company recovering from embezzlement and near-bankruptcy. My job was to guide them through a successful transition and secure the seller’s retirement. The owner initially thought the combined skill sets of two employees would be the solution. He ultimately agreed that his ship needed a captain (not two). We identified a 46-year-old, 20-year employee and structured a down payment with a three-year earn-out, ensuring a smooth transition with the seller participating in the growth-in-value during the transition period.
We were referred to a couple of hard-working 40 -year-olds, best friends since high school, with 50/50 ownership and seven years in business. One was focused on growth, the other owned two fishing boats in Alaska, which split his attention come June/July. I recommended one buy out the other. He feared it would damage their friendship. I predicted they would be better friends. We structured a re-org buyout and crafted a one-page Business Plan with a focus on capital structure and financial reporting. We’ve seen double-digit growth going on five years. The friendship survives and thrives.
When we engaged, the three owners were early to mid-forties. In 20 years of operation, they had far surpassed their original vision. They are cutting edge contractors and attract the best in the business. Their primary concern was continuity and de-risking. We crafted long-term strategies for retention and rewards for key persons, and preparing next-gen management. They restated the Operating Agreement, and set up protections for their individual estates. Next step is implementing an ESOP to grant ownership to employees, ensuring financial security for their families.
We were referred to a 51-year-old owner who had developed a breakthrough methodology to cut costs of HazMat disposal. He was brilliant in operations and customer retention, but needed help with business admin and market penetration. “Owner centricity” was his bottleneck. His methodology delivered dramatic cost savings making his company a Strategic Buy. The solution was finding a larger competitor with the infrastructure already in place to market and distribute his special process. The deal included a substantial down payment, a three-year stay-bonus, annual installments, with the owner participating in the growth in value.
