I was fortunate to begin my career in the financial services industry during my collegiate years at Florida State University. While attending Florida State, I began working as a financial analyst with the business valuation team in the North Carolina office of Viking Mergers & Acquisitions. After obtaining my real-estate license and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance, I decided to remain in Florida and work alongside my father in the Viking Florida Division.
Being raised in a family of five generations of business owners has given me a strong foundation of business acumen and respect for small businesses. My experience in finance, real estate, and business valuation analysis is built on that foundation and has given me a deep commitment and appreciation for my responsibility to my clients, family, and the Viking Mergers & Acquisition team.
Like all of Viking’s divisions, our business advisors in Tampa, FL, engage with potential clients early on in the sales process and remain engaged until the time is right for our client. Every business is not the same, nor are the needs of the business owner when forming an exit strategy. Our advisors understand that a business sale is not an event, it is a process that takes effective planning, communication, and execution.
Why We Are Here
For most people, selling their business is a major life-changing event, as it is likely their largest asset that they have dedicated their lives to building. Their business has put food on the table, put their kids through college, and provided all necessities for their families. Here at Viking, we are a three-generation company. We are a family business just like so many of our clients’ businesses, and we understand small businesses because we grew up in them.
The Viking business advisors in Tampa, FL, like all of our advisors across the southeast, are tenured personnel who are here for the long haul and have no interest in rushing our clients through a sale or purchase.
Working with our clients long-term provides the ability to continue to understand the business as our clients and their businesses grow — even after a business changes hands to a new buyer. We strive and offer to stay involved and continue to value the company for the new owner to track their progress and offer suggestions on how to increase their future value as they continue to grow the business. Because of this longevity, we have developed a strong referral base and have many recurring buying and selling clients.
Our Tampa team here at Viking works with our clients using a whole team approach. We understand that it often takes different ideas and perspectives to ensure the best result is obtained. Viking’s endurance and experience offer the ability to understand a business’s long-term goals and strategy, and our team approach allows us to effectively accomplish each step of the selling process for our clients. Each of our clients has a dedicated business advisor, analyst team, and marketing team providing support through the entirety of the process — in other words, everyone is available.
Advice if You Are Thinking of Selling a Business
If you are thinking of selling your business, having accurate information to make that decision is key — you don’t know what you don’t know. So, become as educated as possible on the selling process. You call a realtor to sell your house, you call a dentist for dental needs; likewise, it is essential to have a professional business advisor review and value your business. At Viking, we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. Our priority is to educate business owners so they can make the best, most informed decision.
In addition to you as the business owner, we’re also here to help your family and your employees. Employees are a vital part of every business, so it is a priority to be gentle with the business. On top of receiving a professional business valuation and consultation, confidentiality is extremely important, not just for yourself as the owner, but also to protect your employees.
Another way we help in the selling process is by providing separation between you and the buyer. Why? Because you need to keep running the business. How can you manage the demands of a transaction like this by yourself without taking that time away from your business or your family? With the number of transactions we’ve handled, you can be confident that we are well-attuned to the market, even though it is ever-changing.
Finally, as a business owner, sometimes you just need someone to bounce ideas off of. Who better than a trusted team like ours, with the perspective and the experience to help?
Advice if You Are Thinking of Buying a Business
Here in Florida, we are seeing a lot of people moving from the Northeast. Some are relocating an existing business, some are starting or acquiring a new business, and some are retiring and moving down. Regardless of the reason, the state of Florida is growing.
If you are considering buying a business, you want to be sure you have the appropriate amount of information about the company — and be sure that information is accurate. Viking pre-qualifies businesses through SBA lenders so the buyers we work with can have confidence in the deal. Banks want to lend money to successful businesses, and those who have managed to survive and thrive over the past one to two years are standing out.
Right now, we are seeing a lot of people who have worked in corporate America for many years using Rollovers as Business Startups (ROBS). ROBS allow a person to use their 401(k) without paying early withdrawal penalties or upfront taxes when starting or acquiring a business. A surprising number of people are completely unaware of this option. We explain ROBS in more detail in this article.
Options like this one are a good example of the advantage of our team approach, which includes third-party teams of attorneys and CPAs to help buyers and sellers with all aspects of the buying and selling process.
If you are considering business advisors in Tampa, Fla., or anywhere across the Southeast, we would love to talk. Contact us today for a confidential, no-cost consultation or business valuation, and let’s see how we can help you. That is why we are here.