Where to discuss M&A and get advice - online communities
Whether you're a buyer looking to discuss deal sourcing, brokers, financing of deals or other buyer related questions....
Or you're a seller looking to talk valuation, how to sell, how to negotiate ....
There are online communities where you can meet like minded people, often those who've been there, done that and bought the t-shirt.
Obviously, the best option is to hire paid advice from a professional, but some of these communities might even help find the right professional.
Where to discuss M&A - LinkedIn M&A communities
The professional networking site, LinkedIn, has "groups" dedicated to M&A discussions.
Pros: There are a lot of professionals in these groups
Cons: Most of them are making self-promotional posts pitching their own services rather than engaging in discussion / providing advice. For better 'conversation' see Reddit below.
Some of the largest such groups in LinkedIn are
- The Dealflow Network (145K members)
- Institutional Investors and Allocators (84K members)
- Global Mergers & Acquisitions Association (49K members)
To participate in LinkedIn groups, one needs to have a LinkedIn account and apply to "join" a group. Most applications are accepted as standard and there are no 'qualifying' barriers.
Where to discuss M&A - Reddit subs (or subreddits)
Reddit is the world's largest forum for conversations. By many accounts, it gets more traffic in the average day than even Facebook does.
It is free to open an account and if new to Reddit, it may be worth reading some basics on how it works. However, it's worth the time and effort as the quality of discussion and the quality of advice can be quite high.
Reddit Basics - YouTube video
Reddit Basics - Detailed Article
The subreddits or 'forums' for the discussion of M&A matters are:
- Q&A on buying / selling businesses;
- Ask a business broker (a forum for speaking with brokers, or finding one);
- List a business for sale (free to list marketplace) and
- Business buyers community.
There are already numerous archived discussions on those subreddits and browsing through them could be informative. There's another for business valuation, but it's new and still to get off the ground.
Where to discuss M&A - Accounting Web
Accounting Web is a chat forum for UK accountants and corporate finance professionals. Sure, there are non-accountants as well, but anyone asking a stupid question is likely to get burned very quickly.
There's no such thing as a stupid question? In here, there definitely is!
Similarly, asking a question that has a complicated answer, and which really should be taken to a paid professional, would attract some scathing responses.
But the site is free to browse and it is free to register. There are extensive discussions about tax (not just on the sale / purchase of a business but all manner of UK tax questions), and some serious, high level conversations in the Any Answers forum, though it's worth reading the Community Guidelines first.
Conclusion
Our extensive advice for both buyers and sellers of businesses can be found in our article gallery.