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NEW SURVEY HELPS YOU VALUE YOUR FIRM FEBRUARY RELEASE

Do you know how much your architectural, engineering, planning or environmental con- sulting firm is worth? If you’re the leader of an A/E/P or environmental consulting firm, you can’t risk not knowing the value of your business. Whether for external purposes, such as a firm sale or merger, or internal purposes, such as ownership transition or ESOP implementation, all firm owners must know the value of their investments. To help A/E/P and environmental consulting leaders manage this daunting task, Zweig Group – the go-to resource for architec- tural, engineering, planning, and environ- mental consulting leaders – will release its 2016 Valuation Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms on February 1.

SHOP SMARTER! If you’re considering purchasing a survey from Zweig Group, why not share your data, too? The more firms that submit information, the more comprehensive each survey document is, and the more useful it is to other firms. Plus, survey participants receive a coupon code for 65 percent off the survey of their choosing or 50 percent off a mini-survey (that’s a savings of $321.75 and $125, respectively). So, shop smarter: Participate in a survey before you purchase; save money and help your industry be the best it can be! All 2016 surveys are now open for participation, so there are several topics to choose from. These surveys are closing soon: ❚ ❚ Merger & Acquisition Survey – open until February 9 ❚ ❚ Company Car Survey – open until February 17 ❚ ❚ Work Travel & Reimbursement Survey – open until February 24 ❚ ❚ Cell Phone & Mobile Devices Survey – open until March 2 The more you participate, the more opportunities you have to save! Visit info. zweiggroup.com/survey-participation today or email research@zweiggroup.com for more information.

“Valuing your firm can be important for many reasons,” said Andrea Bennett, Zweig Group’s research and publi- cations manager. “Last year, half of respondents said they performed a valuation prior to an internal owner- ship transfer, while a little more than a third said it was a buy/sell requirement. However, we also had respondents who said it was necessary to obtain financing, for an outside sale or merger, or an ERISA, ESOP, or IRS requirement. Determining the right way to conduct a valuation for your firm is essential.” Zweig Group surveyed A/E/P and environmental consulting firms that had performed valuations in the past three years. The survey includes questions about who executed the valuation, why it was conducted, and key financial statistics, including net revenue, book value, backlog, EBITDA, and more. It also covers valuation methods and firm profiles, so readers can compare their companies to similar businesses in the same industry. The 2016 Valuation Survey will be released February 1, and preordering is available for a dis- counted rate. For more information, visit zweiggroup.com, email info@zweiggroup.com or call 800.466.6275.

IRRELEVANCE, from page 3

Creating a highly valuable firm requires a great deal of balance. An entrepreneurial leader will foster an entrepreneurial culture. The leader’s passion and drive can become tangible assets if these characteristics are cultivated in leaders across the company. Finding the individuals within the firm who embrace constant evolution and innovative thinking is the first step. The next step is to develop these highly desirable traits within employees and provide opportunities for them to step up and make decisions. Every leader of every firm – from CEOs down to junior managers – should identify their successor and should nurture that individual’s development while at the same time finding ways to hand off more and more responsibilities to their successor. The return on the investment in your own irrelevance will be realized in a more valuable enterprise that is readily marketable. JAMIE CLAIRE KISER is director of M&A at Zweig Group. Contact her at jkiser@zweiggroup.com

is able to run without you managing every detail of the company, you’ve just made yourself a much more attractive prospect. Granted, this is much easier said than done. Entrepreneurs who start their own businesses especially have a hard time delegating. Plus, it’s counterintuitive. How could anyone be as invested in the business as the person who founded the business, devoted decades of time and resources to its development, and whose name is synonymous with the firm’s reputation? “Every buyer that we work with is more interested in the folks behind the top leadership than they are in the guy who wants to cash out and retire.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER February 1, 2016, ISSUE 1137

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