After years of thinking about it, months of talking about it and weeks of agonizing over it, we’ve finally done it. Chris and I are thrilled to announce the start of a new chapter at our firm under a new brand name: Allan Taylor & Company.
Why the change?
I’ll never forget the first blog post I wrote for the New York Times back in 2009. Actually, the post itself wasn’t all that memorable, but I’ll never forget the very first comment it received.
Blecch… I’m sorry, call me old fashioned, but anything with Synergy in the business name isn’t worth my time.
Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging.
Truth be told, we never really liked our old brand name — Synergy Business Services — either. And as the years went on, we liked it less and less.
We chose our old name in haste, and it didn’t take us long to realize that too little thought had gone into it. In addition to more than 60 other businesses in Arkansas named “Synergy” something, there was occasional confusion about the “business services” we offered. Two of my favorite phone calls were from a guy who thought we installed telecommunications systems, and another who asked if we did document shredding. Not good.
And let’s face it. The word “Synergy” pretty much left business vernacular in the 80’s.
Lastly, it’s tough to build value in a brand you feel ho-hum about. We needed a brand that not only reflected who we’d become, we needed a brand we could love.
Which brings us to today.
What’s different?
Like most companies, we’ve evolved since we started in 2006. What began as a typical business brokerage has blossomed into a national, boutique firm of M&A brokers with the expertise and capabilities to help larger clients with more complex needs.
After almost nine years of helping business owners sell, we’ve got a clear idea of what makes us different in our industry. Most of that has to do with our attitude towards the planning and process behind selling a business. We’re not here to “sell” anyone on selling their business. We take the time to get to know each business owner we meet, and go through our own due diligence to make sure Allan Taylor is the right fit for you and your goals. We’re here to help you make an informed decision first, so that you can choose the right exit strategy, then move forward with confidence.
We’ve been featured in several national publications since that first blog post in 2009, spoken in front of hundreds of dedicated business owners, and continued to educate ourselves in our field. Our clients now come from every corner of the country, and continue to get bigger every year.
In addition to selling businesses, our opinion of value has become a popular and affordable tool for decision making around business and personal financial planning. We also had enough business owners and advisors ask us for consulting services over the years — primarily in the areas of pre-sale planning and value enhancement — that we’ve added that as an official service offering, as well.
Who is Allan anyway?
Allan is my maiden name. I really miss it sometimes, and this was a fun way to bring it back into my daily life. It reflects who Chris and I are as both founders and “copreneurs,” something we have in common with many of our clients. Allan Taylor is two dedicated entrepreneurs, plus a lot of other folks (“& Company”). From kids to colleagues to clients, it really does take a village.
To that end, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the amazing business owners and deal professionals that we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. No matter what we call ourselves, we couldn’t have done it without you.
How can we keep in touch?
You’ll find us in the usual places, mainly here on our new blog (big shout-out to James Dalman of Dalman Designs for helping us create a brand and a website we now love), and on Twitter. You can also get updates by subscribing to our Email newsletter.
So there you have it. This rebranding has been quite a journey for us. It forced us to put our own business under the microscope in a way that we never had. We’re thrilled with the results, but we’d like to hear from you; good, bad or otherwise.
Here’s hoping the first word that comes to mind isn’t “blecch.”
