There are many components that make up a business. Not all of them are listed on the balance sheet. When selling your business, you need to choose a reputable advisor that evaluates all of these components. Acqius specialise in understanding the value of intellectual property both on and off the balance sheet.

Intellectual Property

What is Intellectual Property (IP)? Well, there are many different types of IP. Some require registration, namely patents, registered designs and trademarks. Others don’t require registration but can be equally valuable. These may include goodwill, copyright, database rights, semiconductor topography rights, unregistered design rights and know-how amongst others. Acqius are expert in evaluating these hidden gems. Yes, they may not be adding to the balance sheet value of the business directly. But indirectly they can be some of the main USP’s of the business. Here at Acqius, we believe it’s critical to identify and evaluate all such hidden IP. Selling a business is not easy, especially if you do not shout about your strengths.

Know-How

Often overlooked, ‘know-how’ is a powerful business asset. It often arises through supporting innovation and is not documented. At Acqius, we believe in identifying all know-how and meticulously documenting such abilities. Acquirers will be impressed when asked to review a ‘Know-How’ section in due diligence. Equally important are trade secrets which can be documented in the same way.

IP Audit

Acqius would always recommend approaching an IP law firm to map out all IP and link to the business USP’s. We can recommend an established, reputable firm if necessary. This would give the business important guidance on how best to protect their IP. This is critical when it comes to selling the business.

Reputation

Many businesses will have spent years building their brand. This will likely have a knock-on effect on the reputation of the business which is extremely valuable. Acqius look to identify and quantify reputation almost as one of the first tasks. Again, this is often overlooked. Or treated as though everyone should automatically know about a good reputation. No, this needs to be evaluated and documented, again something Acqius are expert in.

Summary

Business IP tends to be identifiable by registered and unregistered categories and an IP audit documents this. Registered IP is straightforward and easily identifiable, Unregistered IP is often overlooked but can be significantly more valuable than the registered IP. At Acqius, we are experts at identifying unregistered IP and unlocking the hidden value in businesses. Fill out our form to arrange your free business consultation.