[Question] What do you guys think of drag along rights as a minority member?

qurious4christ

New member
My partner (80%) and I (20%) are formalizing our operating agreement and there's a provision in there about Drag-Along Rights, where if he sells I may be forced to sell as well. While we are both aligned that we want to sell the company to private equity in the next 5 years, I just want to make sure I don't agree to something I'd regret. I've been working 7 years on this product and would hate to exit for less than I think its potential is.

I do know that there are certain perks to having these in place, including requirements to have the same terms as the majority seller, but what do you guys think about these clauses?

The full section:

Section 9.3 Drag-Along Rights.

(a) In the event that XXX (who will be referred to in this Section as the “Selling Member”) proposes to Transfer all of his Ownership Interest or substantially all of the assets of the Company in one transaction or a series of related transactions (a “Proposed Sale Transaction”) and the Company has more than one Member, the Selling Member may, at his option, deliver a written notice of the Proposed Sale Transaction (a “Drag-Along Notice”) to all other Members at least thirty (30) days prior to the closing date of the Proposed Sale Transaction requiring the other Members to sell and Transfer all of their respective Ownership Interests to the Proposed Purchaser (or consent to sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company) in accordance with the terms of this Section 9.3. The Drag-Along Notice shall set forth the principal terms of the Proposed Sale Transaction insofar as it relates to the Transfer of Ownership Interests or assets, including (A) the name and address of the Proposed Purchaser and (B) the purchase price for the Ownership

(b) In the event the Selling Member elects to exercise his rights under this Section 9.3, each other Member shall be obligated to sell and Transfer the Ownership Interest held by such other Member to the Proposed Purchaser (or to consent to the sale of assets, as applicable) in exchange for an amount determined by allocation of the All Interests Sale Price (when paid, and subject to adjustments as set forth in any definitive purchase agreement, and net of any expenses of the Company and the Members incurred in the transaction) among all Members in accordance with their Ownership Percentages (or, in the case of an asset sale, in an amount based on the methodology for distribution of assets upon dissolution of the Company as set forth in this Agreement). In connection with a Transfer to the Proposed Purchaser or a sale of assets as set forth herein, each other Member will be obligated to enter into such agreements as are customary and reasonable in the context of the Proposed Sale Transaction to (X) assign its Ownership Interest to the Proposed Purchaser and/or (Y) provide customary covenants (including covenants not to compete), representations, warranties and indemnities (so long as all Members are subject to comparable terms). At the closing of the Proposed Sale Transaction, the Proposed Purchaser may pay to each other Member the portion of the All Interests Sale Price allocable to such other Member, in the Proposed Purchaser’s sole discretion, either in immediately available funds or on the same terms and conditions as the Proposed Purchaser pays the Selling Member his applicable portion of the All Interests Sale Price (e.g., if the Proposed Purchaser pays the All Interests Sale Price in stock or membership interests of the Proposed Purchaser, then the Proposed Purchaser may opt to pay the other Members in stock or membership interests of the Proposed Purchaser).
 
@qurious4christ If I were your partner and owned 80% of the equity, I would want you to sign a drag-along clause too. Holdout investors can kill a sale very quickly. And, from your perspective, it isn’t bad since you’ll get the same deal as him.

If you’re both committed to selling to a PE firm in five years, you’ll be okay.

Now, the other side is that, because of your partner’s age, you may end up in a situation where you can sell for x in five years, while being sure that you could get 25x in seven. Because of the drag-along rights, that will be your partner’s decision.

Because of that, I wouldn’t count on a life changing, fuck you amount of money. Let’s be positive and hope for the best, but if I was in my early 60s, I would take the first deal that paid a multiple of revenue and retire.
 
@brookeshien I was scrolling through my old posts and found this. Thanks again for the advice. I figured I'd give an update.

We sold 3 months ago, but as a strategic acquisition for a management consulting firm. It more or less played out exactly like you said, except we got a few offers, and my partner picked the one for a lower multiple, but set everyone up for better careers going forward, which was classy.

The firm is PE owned, and I had the opportunity to roll my equity forward. So I can do a couple rounds, which is great, maybe get a chance to ring the bell. Also, my base + bonus is just shy of what I was making last year including my retained earnings.
 
@qurious4christ If you think they'll make a decision that will harm you, or be a poor decision, etc. re: sale of the company... you don't trust them.

Don't commit 7 years of your life to something/someone you don't trust.

That's my advice.

This is a very common condition that is there to allow for the highest possible value of the company - the company is significantly less valuable to buyers without this drag-along. So... if you want the company to sell for as much money as possible this is a clause you should be happy about.
 
@carlssonjeseth Thank you for the advice! I definitely trust my business partner - we've had a professional relationship for over 10 years now and he is certainly a heavyweight in this field. We have an agreement that pays me salary/benefits above what I could find elsewhere so the equity is really just there to satisfy my desires to be an entrepreneur. Its just that I am 29 and he's in he's 56 so we're just at different times in our careers and therefore different acceptable timelines for an exit.

Its good to hear that this clause helps increase the value of the company - I appreciate that input and it certainly makes me feel better about it.
 
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