Mezzanine Financing for Family-Owned Businesses: Balancing Growth and Legacy
Summary: This article explains what mezzanine financing is, how it can benefit family-owned businesses, and what to consider before applying for it. It also provides some tips on how to work with an advisor when seeking mezzanine financing.
Table of Content:
- What is Mezzanine Financing?
- Benefits of Mezzanine Financing for Family-Owned Businesses
- Challenges of Mezzanine Financing for Family-Owned Businesses
- How to Work with an Advisor When Seeking Mezzanine Financing
- Conclusion
What is Mezzanine Financing?
Mezzanine financing is a type of hybrid financing that combines debt and equity. It is usually provided by private investors or specialized lenders who are willing to take more risk than traditional banks. Mezzanine financing is typically subordinated to senior debt, meaning that it has lower priority in repayment in case of default or bankruptcy. However, mezzanine financing also offers higher returns than senior debt, often in the form of interest payments and equity warrants or options.
Mezzanine financing is a great tool for family-owned businesses that need capital to grow, expand, acquire other companies, or transition ownership. It can help them access more funding than they could otherwise get from conventional sources, without diluting their ownership or control. It can also offer more flexibility in repayment terms, allowing them to preserve cash flow and adjust to changing market conditions.
Benefits of Mezzanine Financing for Family-Owned Businesses
Mezzanine financing can offer several benefits for family-owned businesses, such as:
- Growth: Mezzanine financing can help family-owned businesses grow faster than they could with senior debt alone. It can enable them to pursue strategic opportunities, such as entering new markets, launching new products, or acquiring competitors. For example, Polar Beverages, a family-owned soft drink company in Massachusetts, used mezzanine financing to acquire several regional brands and expand its distribution network.
- Legacy: Mezzanine financing can help family-owned businesses preserve their legacy and values. It can allow them to maintain their ownership and control over the business, while also increasing their equity stake. For example, Prudential Private Capital helped a family-owned manufacturer of specialty chemicals buy out its minority shareholders and increase its ownership from 18% to 100% using mezzanine financing.
- Flexibility: Mezzanine financing can offer more flexibility than senior debt in terms of repayment terms and covenants. It can allow family-owned businesses to defer principal payments, pay interest in kind (PIK), or convert debt into equity at a later date. It can also have fewer restrictions on how the funds are used, giving family-owned businesses more room to maneuver and adapt.
Challenges of Mezzanine Financing for Family-Owned Businesses
Mezzanine financing can also pose some challenges for family-owned businesses, such as:
- Cost: Mezzanine financing is more expensive than senior debt, reflecting the higher risk and return involved. The interest rates can range from 12% to 20%, depending on the creditworthiness and performance of the borrower. Additionally, mezzanine lenders may require equity warrants or options that give them the right to buy a portion of the company's shares at a predetermined price in the future.
- Dilution: Mezzanine financing can dilute the ownership and control of family-owned businesses if they have to give up equity to the mezzanine lenders. This can affect their decision-making power and influence over the business. Moreover, mezzanine lenders may have different goals and expectations than the family owners, which can create conflicts or misalignment.
- Discipline: Mezzanine financing requires family-owned businesses to be disciplined and accountable in managing their finances and operations. They have to meet certain financial ratios and benchmarks, such as debt service coverage ratio (DSCR), earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), and growth rate. They also have to provide regular reports and updates to the mezzanine lenders.
How to Work with an Advisor When Seeking Mezzanine Financing
Working with an advisor can be beneficial for family-owned businesses that are seeking mezzanine financing. An advisor can help them:
- Assess their needs and goals: An advisor can help family-owned businesses determine how much capital they need, what purpose they want to use it for, and what kind of financing structure best suits their situation.
- Identify potential sources: An advisor can help family-owned businesses find and contact suitable mezzanine lenders who have experience and interest in their industry and size. An advisor can also help them prepare a compelling pitch deck and business plan that showcase their strengths and opportunities.
- Negotiate terms and conditions: An advisor can help family-owned businesses negotiate the best possible terms and conditions for their mezzanine financing, such as interest rate, repayment schedule, equity participation, and covenants. An advisor can also help them review and understand the legal documents and contracts involved.
- Manage the process and relationship: An advisor can help family-owned businesses manage the due diligence and closing process of their mezzanine financing, ensuring that everything goes smoothly and timely. An advisor can also help them maintain a good relationship with their mezzanine lenders, providing them with regular communication and feedback.
Conclusion
Mezzanine financing is a valuable option for family-owned businesses that need capital to balance growth and legacy. It can provide them with more funding, flexibility, and ownership than senior debt, while also offering higher returns than equity. However, mezzanine financing also comes with higher costs, dilution, and discipline than senior debt, which require careful consideration and planning. Working with an advisor can help family-owned businesses navigate the mezzanine financing market and secure the best deal for their needs and goals.
We can help you secure funding for your corporate objectives.
- Flexible Financing Structure for Growth & Expansion
- Fill the Gap Between Senior Debt & Equity Capital
- Preserve Ownership & Control of Your Business
- Customized Repayment Terms and Conditions