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Clarity

Ismael Wrixen

New York

Ismael Wrixen is the Executive Chairman of FE International. Ismael has overseen the sale of hundreds of millions in online businesses, including the sale of the popular accounting social media automation platform, Juicer, and the acquisition of Drip by Leadpages. Wrixen is also an active investor in SaaS businesses, sits on the board of numerous exciting businesses, including the LTV Fund and is and a member of the Forbes Finance Council. Wrixen’s previous background was in large-cap M&A investment banking, namely at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, where he executed several high-profile public deals namely in the Technology sector.

$8.33/min

Ismael donates to Pup Aid - Raising awareness of the horrific practice of Puppy Farming ($1,589.12)

8 Calls

4 Reviews

28 minutes
Avg. call

eCommerce Internet Marketing Private Equity SaaS Financial Modeling Internet Strategy Business Valuation Mergers & Acquisitions Financial Analysis Amazon

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Buying, Selling and Due Diligence of SaaS, E-Commerce and Content Businesses

Ismael is the CEO and co-owner of FE International, the market leader in the sale of online businesses. Ismael has overseen the sale of over $75M in online businesses and has owned and sold several successful online ventures. Ismael’s most recent experience includes the sale of the popular accounting software, Less Accounting, and the acquisition of Drip by Leadpages. Ismael’s previous background was in large-cap M&A investment banking where he executed several high profile public deals, namely in the Technology sector.

Answers 3
Reviews 4

Answers

Ismael Wrixen answered

Can anyone recommend an ideal co / m&A firm / resource to approach re exit strategy. We're a v fast growing start-up, but want to assess options. Thx!

Thanks Bryan.

If you are still looking for help, do get in touch (ismael@feinternational.com). We have offices in London and the US, so know both sides of the pond very well.

We have advised on more online business sales than any other specialised broker, so should be well placed to point you in the right direction.

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Exit Strategies

Mergers & Acquisitions

Marketplaces

Ismael Wrixen answered

Can anyone tell me where I would find accurate information on the earnings multiple number to use for my business?

In order to accurately determine an earnings multiple you either need to find relevant precedents (recent, similar size, niche etc.) or speak to a broker who does this on a daily basis and has access to real sales data assuming you are looking to sell outright.

Here’s a useful article on the topic: http://feinternational.com/blog/how-do-you-value-an-online-business/

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Business Valuation

Ismael Wrixen answered

What type of lawyer do I need to buy a small e-commerce business doing $1m in sales?

If you’re interested in buying an e-commerce business successfully you need a lawyer that is experienced in M&A both in the deal size and the e-commerce space. You should then look to follow some best practices from other successful deals.

My advice first and foremost would be to identify lawyers with relevant experience. Firstly, find attorneys that operate in the same size range as the business in question (e.g. $1M-$5M). The market dynamics and associated legal norms are different at each size range, so its important to get one that is appropriate to the business you are buying or they will frustrate negotiations enormously. The second piece of this is to find one with relevant industry experience. A lot of online business transactions can get into trouble by offline lawyers failing to understand the asset class properly. Make sure your lawyer understands the fundamentals of online businesses and has successful transaction precedents in the space. 2 years of industry specific and 5 years of general transaction history is ideal.

Once you have a lawyer you’re happy with, there a couple of practices to follow. Firstly, don’t look to reinvent the wheel. Do not have your lawyer draft legal documents from scratch (and be weary if they suggest this), templates that are customized to the deal terms are absolutely fine and standard. Secondly, you want to ensure your lawyer has a problem-solving mindset from the outset. Rigidity on all deal terms can create major issues towards the closing stages of a deal (legal is usually done after DD is signed off) and quite often deals are killed by lawyers that refuse to negotiate any terms. Its important you and your lawyer adopts a problem solving approach during this key stage of the deal.

Happy to answer any other questions you might have in relation to his deal.

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Mergers & Acquisitions

Acquisitions

eCommerce

Reviews

Ismael is great! Amazing insights and top level advice! Highly recommend!!!!

Oleksandr Fedotov Source: Clarity

Solid call with some very specific tactics on how to deal with a current situation. That is what I liked the most, Ismael recommended specific provisions on something we're working on. Brought up excellent points.

Chad Hamzeh Source: Clarity

Great call with Ismael. He was super knowledgeable about the M&A industry and gave great feedback and pointed out blindspots I had with the challenge I wanted feedback on. Would highly recommend hopping on a call with him!

chandler perog Source: Clarity

Amazing call, Ismael is really knowledgeable and experienced about the subject!

Dan Goldsmit Source: Clarity

Member since March 2014