Irvine Business Brokers

Laurie D. Cole

Phone: (949) 633-1612
Email:
laurie@business-team.com

Professional Affiliations:
CABB, IBBA

Background/Experience:
Laurie Cole brings a varied background of experience to Business Team. After earning her degree in Business Administration and Accounting, she worked for several years in real estate investment trusts and commercial real estate lending before taking a position as accounting manager for a chain of pizza restaurants. After taking a break to raise her family, Laurie returned to work as a legal administrator in a business litigation firm, providing the opportunity to experience a diverse assortment of business types and issues. During her 16-year tenure, she developed a depth of knowledge and appreciation for the importance of structure in a healthy business organization. A growing real estate portfolio led Laurie to obtain her broker’s license and eventually transition into residential real estate sales. The daily tools of real estate – evaluating the needs of buyers and sellers, marketing, negotiating, writing contracts, communicating with government agencies, solving problems to facilitate closing – built a solid foundation for excellence in business sales, mergers, and acquisitions.


Patricia R. Jennex

Phone: (310) 465-9947
Email:
patricia@business-team.com

Professional Affiliations:
CABB, IBBA

Background/Experience:
Ms. Jennex brings a wide range of experience to Business Team from aerospace project management to software and electronic hardware development. Patricia grew up in Southern California and earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cal State Northridge, graduating with honors. She was also an art major before attending engineering school and has completed the landscape architecture program at UCLA. After 25 years in the corporate world in various technical and management positions, she changed careers and joined a private equity group as a partner and acquisitions analyst specializing in technology, ecommerce and manufacturing companies. In that capacity, she has reviewed the financials of hundreds of businesses and interviewed dozens of business owners and business brokers across the country. As a partner, she employed her problem solving and people skills to structure and negotiate acquisitions and partnership deals. Through this experience, she has gained an understanding of the challenges both business sellers and buyers face and in her current role with Business Team, is devoted to easing the process and facilitating solutions for both.


Matilde Guiza.

Phone: (949) 302-6990
Email:
maty@business-team.com

Professional Affiliations:

Background/Experience:
Maty Guiza has been intricately involved in the financial services industry as a liaison to business clients for over 20 years. She has a diverse and comprehensive educational background with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development with advanced studies in Business Administration, and minors’ degrees in Gerontology, Entrepreneurship and Criminal Justice. Ms. Guiza has held Executive level C-Suite roles in private companies for her ability to strategically meet the needs of businesses. Additionally, Ms. Guiza has held vice-president roles in fortune 100 banks as a business banker, private banker, relationship manager, commercial credit underwriter and licensed securities broker. Credited with extensive formal knowledge, Ms. Guiza has also held the position of trustee, Board President, and Financial Officer. Ms. Guiza currently owns her real estate brokerage and is responsible for the day to day operations as well as the property management needs of her clients. As a Business Broker with Business Team, Ms. Guiza exclusively works with privately held companies interested in selling or buying. Her experience and professionalism offer reliability and dependability to business owners through the process. Ms. Guiza is a CPM candidate at the Institute of Real Estate Management, a board member to the Orange County Association of Realtors and the Beverly Hills Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors as well as a member to the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.


Jeffrey H Tait CBB CBI

Phone: (310) 341-0806
Email:
JeffreyTait@business-team.com

Professional Affiliations:
California Association of Business Brokers, International Business Brokers Association

Background/Experience:
Jeffrey Tait has been a business broker with Business Team for more than 15 years. He has a Bachelor's degree in Economics with a minor in Business Administration. Before joining Business Team he was the top producing salesperson at three different staffing and technical consulting firms. He has been involved in the sale of hundreds of retail, service, manufacturing and distribution businesses. He is the Manager of Business Team’s Southern California operations. In addition to his own production, he is responsible for recruiting, training and managing our associates; ensuring that the office runs smoothly; and ensuring that every Business Team client is treated in a courteous and professional manner. He also teaches Business Team's Business Brokerage Training Course and the California Association of Business Brokers CABB 101 Business Broker Training course


Ian MacLachlan

2018

Phone: (408) 316-5198
Email:
ian@business-team.com

Professional Affiliations:
Professional Affiliations: IBBA (past board member), CABB (past president)

Background/Experience:
Mr. MacLachlan is the President and founder of BTI Group (1981), the largest regional intermediary for small and mid-sized businesses, with 10 offices in the Western United States and over 5,300 completed transactions. He is qualified as an expert witness in California Superior Court.

Prior to founding BTI Group, Ian started a chain of motorcycle dealerships which he built into the largest Kawasaki dealer in the U.S. The experience of selling it prompted him to enter the merger and acquisition profession.

He is a founder, past President, and former Director of the California Association of Business Brokers, a past Director and current member of the International Business Brokers Association, and a member of M&A Source. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

Ian received a degree in physics from San Jose State University.

Current Listings:
  Furniture & Appliances - Furniture
  Dry Cleaning and Laundry - Dry Clean Pick Up
  Wholesale & Distribution - Distribution

Reference Letters

I wanted to give you and your company, Business Team, a letter of recommendation for assisting in the sale of my business. You worked hard and did not give up. You brought me a number of prospective buyers and lots of good advice. Your team members were tirelessly finding prospective buyers for me to meet with. I was pleased with the outcome and the hard work it took to find the right buyer for me as I had requirements that were not just monetary.

Thanks so much

Sincerely,
Jane Groner
Founder of Pacific Placement Group
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thanks for your efforts over the past year. When we first met in February of 2002, you gave me a probable scenario of who would buy my business, how long it would take, and how much I could expect to sell it for. It appeared as if you were looking into a crystal ball, because you were correct in all cases. Your company did a great job with my greatest concern, letting the buyers know we were for sale without letting our competition know. The Sale was kept quiet up until the Very end.

Both you and Richard made the transition process very easy. Elaine was always on top of the details. Toni at Commercial Escrow was a pleasure to work with and made the paperwork part of the sale very simple.

Now that the sale is public, I have had people ask me how we found the buyer and how we advertised. I explained that your company took care of everything. I have given your name out to several people already. You may be getting some calls.

Thanks again Ian for delivering what you said you would.

Best Regards,
David L. McCoy, Former Owner Compass Rose Yacht Charters, LLC
It has been over a month now since my business, Flexstar Technology, was acquired by the Audax Group. After completing my transitional duties, I have been enjoying my days at home with my wife, improving my golf game and I have also been reflecting upon the service and professionalism demonstrated by you and the team at BTI.

As you know, I have been involved in the sale or purchase of Flexstar on five separate occasions. Perhaps more so than some of your other clients, I am very acquainted with the process including the stress and aggravation that accompany it. Selling a business is a lot of work; not an easy task, BTI produced a continuous stream of buyers. We were under an LOI with Golden Gate Capital and then the eventual buyer, Audax, practically since the start of our engagement agreement.

Throughout the transaction, I appreciated your calm and steady demeanor especially at the eleventh hour when what appeared to me to be a fatal development occurred. You remained convinced of the value of Flexstar, and you brought me several million dollars more than I had anticipated

Thank you again for all of your efforts. Should you need a reference please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Eric Vergari
Former President, Flexstar Technology
When it came time to sell my electronic waste recycling company, PC Recycle, I contacted the broker who had sold a similar business I owned in Seattle a number years ago and he referred me to Ian and Business Team. (incidentally he was a former Business Team employee).

We soon had a number of interested buyers from within the industry but the eventually buyer, outside the industry, was a former client of Ian's who agreed to pay my asking price (actually paid me a little bit more) and the transaction closed in two months. Ian, with the assistance of Marion (Business Team transaction manager) presented the deal to a number of SBA lenders and was able to find the one bank able to overcome a major challenge (Buyer's net worth exceeded SBA guidelines).

Ian was very helpful in the negotiations from start to finish and I can heartily recommend him to any business owners planning to retire.

Sincerely,
Farhad Saifyan, Seller