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7 Ways a Board Enhances Private Enterprise Value

By Darren Rawson Mary Cameron
Published: June 19, 2017 | Last updated: April 16, 2021
Key Takeaways

High-performing boards can significantly enhance the enterprise value of private businesses.

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Most economists agree that private enterprises or small and medium sized enterprises (SME) are a critical engine of the economy. Some of the traits that contribute to the success of SMEs include: (1) strong entrepreneurial spirits, (2) customer-focused cultures and (3) nimbleness with the ability to mobilize decisions quickly. SMEs are often constrained by: limited resources (people and capital), lack of size and scale to tackle large initiatives and a narrow breadth of skills and experiences inside their company.

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Best Practices to Enhance the Value of an SME

One of the recognized best practices to enhance enterprise value of SMEs is having an established, high-performing, independent board of directors. The March 2014 paper titled "Advisory Boards: An Untapped Resource for Business" published by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) quantitatively reported SMEs with advisory boards have superior growth and better financial results. 86% of SME leaders felt that having an advisory board had a significant impact on their business, in particular in the areas of vision, innovation, risk management and profitability.

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Lenders typically have more confidence in an organization with an independent board of directors. More importantly, potential buyers often put higher value on organizations operating with a high-performing board. The following outlines seven ways a board enhances value of an SME:

Discipline

By far, the most important benefit to a potential buyer is that a board of directors helps build a culture and practice of discipline in an organization. Regular board meetings create focus on the business and, in particular, the goals. Management is trained to run and manage the business using key performance metrics. Accountability is increased through rigor of regular reporting and business review. Business plans and board reports are prepared to a higher standard of professionalism. Commitments from executives are made with more care and accountability to deadlines is enhanced.

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The long-term benefit to an organization is enhanced profitability and growth. Potential buyers are often willing to increase the offer price knowing the organization is governed by a high-performing board that drives management to consistently achieve its goals and exceed targets.

Succession and Talent Development

SMEs typically spend very little time on succession and talent development, often procrastinating on the topic to focus on the problems of today. A board of directors invests time and energy to understand the talent inside the organization and assess succession options and scenarios. Succession plans are prepared with more depth and rigor with a lens to the long-term needs and health of the organization.

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In family-owned businesses, an independent board of directors can help provide insight and wisdom into the capabilities of family and non-family potential successors and help the CEO prepare accordingly for eventual succession. The objective external oversight gives outside investors confidence that positions have been awarded and earned on the basis of merit, giving confidence in the depth of management experience. Potential buyers are much more willing to take a risk on an organization with diverse talent and an organization with succession plans in place compared with a thin organization with the talent and heavy lifting concentrated on the CEO and/or family members.

Strategic Thinking

The leadership team of most SMEs, including the owner/operator, often spend the majority of their time on business development, customers and operations; very little time is spent on strategy. A high-performing board of directors, with well-established operating processes and a culture of healthy skepticism, will stretch the conversation towards the macro environment, the competitive landscape and the strategy of the organization.

In our experience, high-performing SME boards typically invest 60% or more of their time on strategy and strategic thinking. Potential buyers are more willing to invest in a business that maintains focus on strategic thinking rather than just day-to-day operations. This matters because it can enable the business to be prepared for change, whether that means handling a threat or taking advantage of an opportunity. Many SMEs have experienced success, but may fall short in seeing the wider opportunities of the market.

Risk Mitigation

Owners and executives of SMEs are often very deeply embedded in their organizations and can have difficulty making the time or finding the objectivity to step back and assess the strategic risks facing their business. A high-performing board of directors with a diverse set of experiences provides both a sounding board and a lens into the potential risks facing an organization which can erode shareholder value and/or cripple a business. Potential buyers have more comfort investing in a business that has a culture of assessing and embracing risks and has sound mitigation strategies.

Reputation

A board of directors populated with capable, experienced and well-known professionals will help add to the credibility of any organization. This credibility can benefit discussions with lenders, customers, suppliers, auditors, investors and government regulators. Having a board of directors can also provide confidence to staff, boosting both morale and retention.

Crisis Management

In the event of a crisis event or major setback, a board of directors can be an invaluable asset to owners and executives to help mitigate the crisis and establish a plan to get the business to a healthy state. An owner or CEO is one of the loneliest jobs on the planet and, at a time of crisis, it can be even more stressful. Having a team of high-powered and experienced directors at your disposal can be invaluable in navigating through a crisis. The board provides added stability to the organization. Board members can leverage their experience to assist the CEO to evaluate various courses of action and stay calm and confident in addressing crises.

Opportunity Capitalization

Businesses geared to capitalize on opportunities, planned or unplanned, are considered much more valuable to buyers than businesses that are primarily internally focused. A high-performing board of directors provides an incredible resource for SMEs to leverage when evaluating the risks and prizes from any opportunity, be it an internal growth strategy, operational improvement or acquisition. Potential buyers put significant value on businesses that have a risk appetite, understand how to effectively utilize capital and are effective at monetizing opportunities.

Conclusion

There is no question that a board of directors is an added cost to any organization, in particular an SME. Like any team, a newly formed board of directors will likely require time to become high-performing, possibly as much as one or two years. Whether operating a business for the long-term or setting a business up for a sale, a high-performing board of directors should be accretive and contribute to enhancing enterprise value. Having a capable board of directors in place will add comfort to a buyer and should increase the purchase price in the event of a sale.

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Written by Darren Rawson Mary Cameron | President

Darren Rawson Mary Cameron
Despite diverse backgrounds, Darren and Mary share an interest in high-performance board governance. Darren and Mary have worked together on private boards as well as teaching board governance for private enterprises. They are passionate about governance in private enterprises and believe that a well-designed board can add significant value and be a critical component to the long-term growth and prosperity of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

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