As a business advisor and attorney working with healthcare professionals, my familiarity with the variety of business-related decisions, including merger and acquisition transactions, extends across a wide range. As we continue to work in the difficult times of COVID-19, it is reassuring that businesses are being bought and sold. We have business owners ready to sell, and we have new entrepreneurs or existing business owners willing to buy. This is excellent news, especially in the trying and uncertain times that we are all facing.

Thus, as part of the work that we do, I continue to focus on the fact that my role as a professional advisor is to ensure: (i) that clients are making informed decisions, (ii) that we minimize disruption involved in those decisions, and (iii) that we maximize profits for the client as part of that decision. We do that by, among other things, facilitating and making sure that deals get done. We continue to be frustrated by opposing professionals, however, who over-lawyer and over-analyze transactions to the point that the back and forth negotiation negatively impacts the deal, and the parties involved.

To be clear, I intend and always will cross my T’s and dot my I’s in every transaction that we are involved in and will always ensure that the client is making a decision after considering all of the underlying facts and circumstances. What I am not going to do, however, is get in the client’s way if the client ultimately considers my advice but chooses not to follow it. I will also not make unreasonable demands on the other side, whether that is with the attorney or other business professionals involved, which ultimately causes the deal to fail, complicates the overall agreement, or causes the deal to be more expensive for all involved. We continue to have too many professionals out there that allow their egos to control the negotiation, cloud the deal, and fail to take into consideration the best interest of the parties involved, and really the deal itself. Thus, we will continue to fight the fight and work with those professionals to understand what is in the best interest of all involved and get the deal done.

In sum, we continue to be blessed that our clients are buying and selling businesses and that those clients allow us to participate in those transactions. I guess what I am trying to say is: thank you. Small businesses, including healthcare businesses, always have and always will drive the economy. We are appreciative of our relationships and the fact that our clients continue to allow us to be involved in their businesses. We will continue to do our part to ensure that this process continues. We commend each and every one of you that are out there doing it, taking risks, and making things better for all involved.