LET US HELP YOU NEGOTIATE A WIN-WIN OUTCOME.

Tom Calderwood , 10 Oct 2019 Thank you Troy Foran for the determination and professionalism with the regards to the sale of my business  The whole process was daunting to me in the beginning and I was not confident that I would get the outcome I wanted. Appointing you as my broker was certainly the right decision. You kept me apprised of any developments and updates and was always very flexible time wise in meeting with potential buyers and myself. You never intentionally got my hopes up ("There are no guarantees until the money's in the bank" you would say). As it turned out there were complications with a purchaser who signed an agreement however never honored it. You immediately went straight back to work and revamped the ad for our business and generated a tonne of new interest which resulted in a new purchaser within only a few months. Thank you for your professional service and I would certainly recommend Benchmark to anyone intending to sell their business.

ReGroup Solutions , 12 Aug 2020 Ian’s client was a director who had been in business for 51 years as cladding contractor. The Company had up to 100 employees working from owned factory premises and on-site at large commercial building sites nationally. The Director had been thinking of succession and made contact with Ian to investigate the sales potential of his long-standing and reputable business. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis struck and the Company’s supply chain was severely impacted. The Director sought the advice of a registered liquidator, who recommended external administration. The Director’s hopes of achieving a positive sale quickly diminished and the position with the bank meant there was now a serious risk he would lose his family home.  Operating nationally, Benchmark has a huge database of prospective buyers and Ian had already generated significant genuine interest by drafting an impressive Information Memorandum and selectively negotiating with several key interested parties. Ian was concerned over the liquidator’s advice to his Client. The Director was being pressured into placing the company into voluntary administration (which Ian could see was premature and too drastic). Ian had identified his Client’s potential and felt that any insolvency procedure would unnecessarily destroy the company’s goodwill and asset values.  ReGroup Solutions would like to give a huge thanks to Ian for referring his client, the Director, to us for a second opinion. After conducting our preliminary analysis, ReGroup Solutions advised the Director on his capacity to utilise the ‘insolvency safe harbour’ under section 588GA. The new legislation, effective since September 2017, provides directors with protection from insolvent trading personal liability whilst they explore a range of restructuring and turnaround strategies. This enabled the Director to continue trading his business so that a ‘going concern’ sale could still be actively pursued by Ian. This meant Ian could still maximise the outcome for his Client by continuing his strategic negotiations.  ReGroup Solutions provided initial crisis management advice and then proceeded to investigate the various restructuring and turnaround options with the Director. The insolvency Safe Harbour provided the director with breathing space and enabled Ian Haggerty to continue his negotiating with key interested parties. The team at ReGroup Solutions worked closely with Ian Haggerty throughout the entire process – despite being an extremely complex matter, made worst by the COVID crisis, we’re delighted to say that Ian successfully negotiated a tremendous outcome for his Client!   Ian lead the way in agreeing a sale of his Client’s business, assets and the large factory premises. This not only meant the majority of workforce kept their jobs but the indebtedness to the bank could also be fully satisfied. The Director’s home was no longer at risk and Ian’s Client stands to walk away with potential surplus of $1.5m. The deal stands to return 100c in the dollar to trade creditors. Ian even secured his client a two year consultancy position with the purchaser - and at an exceptional rate! Ian’s Client can now take a well-deserved step back, with his impeccable reputation intact.   On a personal level, it was an absolute pleasure collaborating with a skilled negotiator such as Ian. The very purpose of the insolvency Safe Harbour is to help the director find a ‘better outcome’ for all stakeholders by utilising a skilled team of professionals. In this particular case, Ian was able to get an outstanding outcome for his Client on multiple levels. This was despite the extremely difficult and volatile market conditions.  Congratulations to Ian Haggerty on what has ended up being a landmark Safe Harbour win for his Client! Ian Haggerty receives another Benchmark Business Sales Review. Ian was the Managing Director/Owner of Pipe Shield, a specialised pipeline inspection, maintenance, rehabilitation company. Ian sold his business to Veolia. He has also worked internationally for companies such as Trafalgar Water Inc., where he was a consultant to a number of North American companies within the utilities, services and water industries where his main role of operations was in mergers and acquisitions, consolidation proposals, market analysis, securing funding for growth, and new technology introduction and acceptance. Get to know more about Ian Haggerty and his accomplishments by clicking the "View Profile" button below. Additionally, you can read other Benchmark Business Sales Testimonials from the "Broker" section above. Ian Haggerty is a business broker at Benchmark Business Sales & Valuations.

We listed our store with Tu approximately three years ago, and he always kept in contact with us whenever any prospective buyer showed interest in our business. Tu consistently kept our figures up to date. Eventually, after a high level of interest, Tu found us a buyer and helped us negotiate through to a successful sale. We had our store listed with other brokers previously and never heard from them. If you are looking to sell your house or business, we would most certainly recommend giving Tu from Benchmark Brokers a call. Thank you for all the hard yards you put in, Tu.

Jules , 13 Dec 2018 I first made contact with nikki several years ago and talked to her about various plans we had for the salon Industry. When these plans changed and we decided to go a different direction, my first call was to Nikki to discuss what we were looking for. She has helped us work through the process at every step and was straight forward in her approach. We worked well together and will stay in touch with Nikki for anything we are doing in the future. Thanks for your assistance Nikki in this project and we look forward to the next one!

"Thank you John. I have now sold down my chain of salons over the last 10 years. It was a very emotional experience for my partner and I to do so therefore. We put all our trust and faith in John to get the job done and I must say it was an amazing whirl wind event.  With extensive due diligence, finance difficulties and 2 shopping centre leases to get through we were constantly worried that we would never see the end. But with john's expertise we finally reached settlement after he helped the buyer to successfully jumping over these hurdles. I strongly recommend that you have John in the middle of any business transaction he is a real problem solver and miracle worker." - Matt Glyn | 06 Feb 2020 John Kasapi receives another Benchmark Business Sales Review. John really prides himself on offering his clients exceptional customer service, combined with his wealth of sales and industry knowledge. He has “been there and done that”, as he has owned his own business, and he has worked in many top salons around the world – and has experienced everything this industry has to offer. Get to know more about John Kasapi and his accomplishments by clicking the "View Profile" button below. Additionally, you can read other Benchmark Business Sales Testimonials from the "Broker" section above. John Kasapi is a business broker at Benchmark Business Sales & Valuations.

Melanie made the whole buying process straight forward and was so calming and approachable. . She was always available to answer my questions and extremely helpful. I highly recommend Melanie. - Gabbi Every (5 Star Google Review)

Shane Ayre , 13 Dec 2018 “I would just like to say a very big thank you to you personally and to Benchmark for handling the recent and very successful acquisition of Akwa Worx & Akwa Facility Maintenance Pty Ltd to ASX listed De.Mem Ltd. The whole process was very quick and efficient and the drive from you with my instructions to do was done in a very professional manner. Once again thank you and I would have no concerns giving recommendation to any of my colleges should they wish to go forth with a sale.” Ian Haggerty receives another Benchmark Business Sales Review. Ian Haggerty has almost 30 years business experience working throughout Europe, the Middle East, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Ian is a dedicated business professional who’s approach towards business includes private business owners as well as corporate business owners, and participates at all levels of business interactions. With significant business experience gained from owning his own businesses and time spent in the corporate world; his strengths are identifying short and long term growth opportunities as well as understanding the diversity of exit strategies and succession planning available to business owners. Get to know more about Ian Haggerty and his accomplishments by clicking the "View Profile" button below. Additionally, you can read other Benchmark Business Sales Testimonials from the "Broker" section above. Ian Haggerty is a business broker at Benchmark Business Sales & Valuations.

We recently purchased a business through Benchmark, and the entire process was outstanding from start to finish. Our agent, Ziggy, was incredibly responsive and supportive throughout every stage of the acquisition. Ziggy took the time to guide us through the whole process and made the complex task feel smooth and manageable. I highly recommend Ziggy and Benchmark to anyone looking to acquire a business. - Brendan Stone

From start to finish, Ian returned my phone calls, which was very important to me, and followed up on everything that was requested in a highly professional and considered manner. Do not hesitate to deal with Ian. He will genuinely assist you with every aspect of the process and ensure you feel supported throughout. Thanks again, mate. Dave Hope

I recently bought a hair salon through Mel & I honestly can’t rave enough about her!!! Her knowledge and skills far exceeded any expectation I had. Mel’s warm and caring personality as well as her willingness to go the extra mile for people is exceptional. I HIGHLY recommend anyone who is looking for a personable, reliable, honest & all together amazing business broker get in touch with her as I am extremely confident you will as pleased as I was with her capabilities. I’m looking forward to work with Mel in the future she will be my first point of call going forward. - Hayley Critcher