#6: A Management Buyout Success with Thom Gonyeau and Stephen Pruitt, Mountain View

Welcome to The Exit Plan, a podcast for business owners interested in learning more about selling their business.

In this episode, we have Thom Gonyeau and Stephen Pruitt, owners of Mountain View, a full-service creative agency based in Atlanta, USA. They share their journey from being employees at the company, which was founded in 1981 by Jim Tusty, to becoming owners through a management buyout.

Thom and Stephen also discuss the details of the closing, the paperwork, and the financial aspects involved. They also touch on the significance of timing, as their purchase occurred just before the 2008 financial crisis, and how managing finances tightly and diversifying services led to the company's growth.

Join us as we explore the journey of Mountain View, a creative agency that thrives on a combination of hard work, luck, and a shared vision for success.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• The history of Mountain View

• The belief and interest shown by Thom and Stephen in taking over the company and their negotiations with Jim

• The role of the Small Business Administration in providing an SBA loan to secure the funds for the buyout

• The financial aspects of the buyout

• Thom and Stephen's plans for the future

• Valuable advice for others considering a management buyout

CONNECT WITH MOUNTAIN VIEW:

• Website | www.mountainviewgroup.com

• LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/mountainviewgroup

• Facebook | www.facebook.com/mountainviewgroup

• Twitter | @mvgtweets

• Instagram | @mountainviewgroup

CONNECT WITH THOM:

• LinkedIn | Thom Gonyeau

• LinkedIn | Stephen Pruitt

CONNECT WITH ME

• LinkedIn | Barnaby Cook

THE EXIT PLAN

The Exit Plan is for business owners that are interested in learning more about how to sell their business. Each episode Barnaby Cook interviews someone who has bought or sold a business - either a creative agency, or a production company. The conversation gets under the skin of why they wanted to sell, or were looking to acquire, how the deal was structured, how they agreed upon a valuation and what lessons they learnt along the way.