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If you’re considering being part of a management buy-in (MBI) or you’ve decided to sell your own business to an incoming management team, there are several ways in which the transaction can be financed.
Equity funding, mezzanine finance, and debt finance are all ways to fund an MBI, so let’s look at these in a little more detail.
Management buy-in finance often includes equity finance as a standalone solution or as a supplement to debt financing. The funding might be provided by angel investors, for example, or venture capitalists. As well as securing the necessary funds, a significant benefit of equity finance lies in gaining access to investor business expertise.
Mezzanine finance combines equity and debt finance options, which means the lender can recoup their money by taking equity in the company should it default on repayments in the future. This type of funding can offer higher lending levels when compared with equity or debt financing alone.
Various forms of debt financing are appropriate for funding a management buy-in, including asset-based finance and business loans.
Asset-based finance for an MBI
Using existing assets to fund a management buy-in can generate significant sums. Releasing the value held in balance sheet assets, such as unpaid invoices, heavy machinery, or property, via a form of asset-based lending may be a good option for asset-rich companies.
As an example, you could leverage the high value locked inside an owned property via a commercial mortgage and generate sufficient funds for the buy-in from one option alone, or use high-value machinery assets.
Additionally, invoice finance uses the value of your sales ledger to release cash and may be used as a supplementary form of MBI financing. It’s a facility that grows with the business - as you issue more invoices, the amount of funding available grows, providing a stable financial base during the transitionary period and beyond.
Business loans to fund a management buy-in
Business loans can also be used to finance an MBI. They offer a fixed repayment schedule for certainty of budgeting and can be secured or unsecured.
An unsecured loan is still a good option for financing an MBI in full or in part, however, if few assets are available. It’s also typically faster to obtain as there are no assets to value.
The complex nature of a management buy-in makes specialist support essential when considering financing the deal, which is where we can help. We’ll conduct a whole-of-market search to find you the best deals.
UK Business Finance are trusted independent commercial finance brokers and we offer our services on a free-of-charge, no-obligation basis. Please contact one of the team to find out more.
We work across a wide range of sectors throughout the UK, providing specialist advice to each sector.
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