When businesses experience financial difficulties, the results can be drastic and impact their ability to operate effectively and sustainably. If the company becomes more complicated than it used to be, the first thing that many think of is restructuring their business.
When it comes to restructuring your business and making the most of the opportunity, you want to focus on improvement and success. Each type can help your company improve in many ways, so choosing the proper restructuring to fit your specific goals and needs as an entrepreneur is essential.
For example, you may want to restructure your business if you’re unsatisfied with your current profit margins or want to cut costs and increase efficiency. The result of restructuring efforts such as these could include increased profit margins, higher sales and more satisfied customers.
An overview of restructuring
Restructuring is a process by which a company is either broken up into smaller units or reorganized to meet its stakeholders’ changing needs better. This process might include organizational changes, rethinking company values, or even outsourcing certain aspects of your business that you’re not as good at managing.
Restructuring aims to allow the business to operate more efficiently and effectively. The process can be initiated by the management or an outside party such as a lender or shareholder.
To run a successful restructuring campaign, you must possess various leadership skills such as strategic agility, analytical reasoning, change management and global awareness. You can learn these skills by enrolling in an AACSB online MBA no GMAT at Suffolk University.
With this online program, you’ll learn how to identify new market opportunities and devise a strategy to pursue them. The program will help fast-track your competitive edge, equipping you with the necessary business acumen to solve complex problems quickly and creatively.
Types of business restructuring that can benefit your company
You may want to go through business restructuring for many different reasons. Maybe your company isn’t performing as well as you would like, or there are issues with morale or leadership at the top that need addressing.
Restructuring your business can be pretty daunting, especially if you aren’t entirely sure what to do. If you’re not careful, you could make big mistakes that will cost you money and time in the long run.
Fortunately, there are many different ways that you can restructure your business so that it runs more smoothly than ever before. Let’s take a look at each one individually.
Legal restructuring
Legal restructuring refers to changing the form or organization of a company, such as by converting a partnership to a corporation. Company executives may decide to make a business its legal entity to gain more control over its operation and the ability to sell shares on the open market.
When this happens, they leverage legal restructuring to take the necessary steps to become a corporate entity. For example, they might change their company’s name, create new documents that outline their responsibilities, or purchase an existing corporation through acquisition.
They can also use this process to divest assets or liabilities without transferring them to another party. In doing so, they will be able to continue operating under the same organizational structure but with different obligations and privileges.
Turnaround restructuring
Turnaround restructuring is a type of restructuring that corporations or companies in distress usually use. This type of restructuring looks to save a company from liquidation and bankruptcy.
Turnaround restructuring aims to replace the organizational structure, business models, product lines, services, management systems, and other outdated aspects. The goal of this type of restructuring can be to revive the organization’s lost vitality, improve its market standing, and provide it with more competitive power.
Its focus is to eliminate any business activities not contributing to the bottom line and replace them with new ones that will hopefully generate revenue. The hope is that by making these changes, there will be an improvement in financial performance, allowing the company to remain independent.
Cost restructuring
Cost restructuring is a process that reduces the company’s expenses to make it more profitable. The process is designed to reduce overhead costs without impacting business operations, often leading to a healthier bottom line.
This can be achieved through layoffs, outsourcing specific jobs, or reducing employee benefits and other perks. For example, in an economic downturn, many companies will resort to cost restructures to maintain their staff levels and keep the necessary revenue from sales.
Cost restructures are not consistently negative, as they can sometimes help to increase productivity by freeing up money for more critical tasks. Many businesses opt for this form of restructuring during difficult times to maintain competitiveness.
Divestment
A company might decide to divest when they are struggling financially, need to pay off debts, or want to focus on a specific area. Divestment is a type of business restructuring where an enterprise sells off part or all of its assets to a third party.
Divestments are often done to raise money for the company and can also be used to sell off unprofitable divisions. For example, suppose that a company has two subsidiaries, with one being more profitable than the other. In that case, it might decide to divest itself from the less successful subsidiary to focus on the more successful one.
The divestment process can be long because it involves considering factors such as profit margins between companies engaged in the sale, and more.
Spin-off restructuring
Spin-off restructuring is an approach to reducing the size and complexity of your company by spinning off one or more divisions. The rationale behind this strategy is that smaller companies can be run with fewer resources, making them easier to manage.
It also allows for greater specialization, which improves efficiency in the long term. This restructuring can be a great way to focus on what you do best while diversifying your holdings.
In addition, it’s a viable way for the spun-off division to move forward with a new management team with greater autonomy over business decisions.
Repositioning restructuring
A company may choose a repositioning restructuring if they want to change how its business is positioned in the marketplace. For instance, a company exists as an industrial firm, but it now wants to transition into a retail enterprise.
Another possibility is that a firm may see that it’s not profitable with its current strategy and would like to start manufacturing products with different materials or processes.
This restructuring will be more expensive than other restructurings because it requires significant investments in advertising, branding and training employees.
Mergers and acquisitions
A merger and acquisition (M&A) is a type of restructuring where an acquiring company or individual acquires the majority stake in another company by purchasing a controlling share.
Companies perform mergers and acquisitions to decrease competition, build up market share, or gain access to resources that are not available domestically. You can also use them for tax benefits, such as the ability for one company to write off the expenses of another.
Benefits of restructuring a company
You might feel pretty overwhelmed if you’re thinking about restructuring your company. Restructuring can be expensive and time-consuming, so you must ensure that it’s worth it before committing to it. Below are some common reasons why company restructuring can benefit the business.
It can help the company become leaner and more efficient
Restructuring can help the company become leaner and more efficient by cutting out excess costs. This action can make it easier to focus on the core aspects of a business generating revenue, while eliminating other elements that may not be as important. The process also allows companies to eliminate bad managers who may be holding back growth or are just not good at what they do.
It can help the company focus on its core business
To be successful, a company needs to focus on what it does best. Many companies are too diverse in their offerings and must stay focused on their core competencies. By focusing on what they do best, companies will be able to produce more efficiently, leading to a higher return on investment and greater market share.
It can help the company save money
If a company is struggling financially, there may be an option to restructure the business to save money. It will help the company save money by reducing overhead and streamlining processes.
With fewer expenses, you can better position the company to generate profits in the future. For example, if a small or medium-sized business is not generating enough revenue, it may have too many employees and products.
In this case, restructuring would involve laying off some employees or closing one of its product lines to cut costs.
It can help the company attract new investment
Restructuring a company can also be done to attract new investors. Investors look at a company’s financial stability before deciding whether or not to invest.
If you are restructuring your business, it may show them that you are being proactive and looking out for your business during tough economic times. When restructuring a company, the industry will offer more financial stability and be more attractive to investors.
For example, if you are planning on going public and need financing, you might want to do some restructuring before presenting your company to potential investors.
Not only will this show them how well-managed your business is, but it may also allow you to offer a lower initial share price than what might have been provided otherwise.
It can help the company compete better in its industry
As the industry changes and new competitors enter the market, it’s essential to keep up with changes. The best way to do this is to restructure.
This action will help you find new opportunities and develop creative solutions to previously unsolvable problems. For example, if your company has a product that is becoming obsolete in the current economy, restructuring may be necessary to switch over to a different product line.
In this instance, restructuring may mean cutting back on some of your production capabilities to make room for newer models of machines that produce more of your desired products. Doing so enables you to stay relevant in the present economic climate while staying competitive.
It can help the company improve its public image
One of the most critical aspects of restructuring is improving a company’s public image. Restructuring can help improve a company’s general appearance.
The restructuring process often occurs when a company is either in financial trouble or needs to downsize due to poor performance. When a company appears unstable, it can make potential customers wonder about the quality of the product or service. After all, if the business can’t even get its house in order, why should it be trusted to produce a high-quality product?
Restructuring can help reassure potential customers that you’re more than capable of keeping your business afloat.
It can help the company improve employee morale
When a company is restructured, it can be a complex process for employees. However, the restructuring process can increase employee morale and satisfaction if handled correctly.
When management communicates with its employees about the restructuring and any changes that will take place, they are more likely to feel reassured that their jobs are secure.
They may also realize that the restructuring benefits them – for example, they may get better opportunities or higher wages. When employees see others in similar positions get promoted due to successful performance during this time of change, they will also know that there’s an opportunity for advancement.
Final thoughts
Restructuring a company can be a great way to get your company back on track. The process can help bring in new talent, revitalize the company culture, and reinvigorate your employees.
When handled properly, restructuring a company can create opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist. For instance, many companies find themselves with too many departments or staff during the reorganization process.
Suppose that these positions are unfilled during the restructuring. In that case, restructuring allows you to hire someone who may have been overlooked before and could be a valuable addition to your company’s culture.
If you’re considering restructuring your company, you might be pleasantly surprised by what it has to offer.
