Steps to take a company public

With the right guidance, any size company can go public. There is no requirement for any minimum amount of revenue, profit, or time in business. We've even helped several startups go public.

The following are the general steps to take a company public:

1. Engage an advisor

Our founder took four of his companies public without the help of an advisor, so you could do the same too. However, most CEOs don't have the background, expertise or time to figure out all the steps, engage all the third-party professionals, and manage the process to be cost effective and time efficient. That's why engaging an experienced advisor to help complete an IPO, direct listing or reverse merger is important. However, you can also do it yourself.

2. Prepare audited financial statements

Regardless of which method a company uses to go public, it will need financial statements that are audited pursuant to the rules set forth by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as well as industry standards. Financial statements are generally prepared by a third-party accounting firm who is familiar with all the nuisances. The financial statements are then audited by a qualified audit firm.

3. Prepare a prospectus

A prospectus provides the government and investors with an outline of the business, team, products/services, key strategies, risk factors, audited financial statements and more. The prospectus is then reviewed by examiners at the Securities and Exchange Commission who will issue comment letters that help to ensure the final document contains all of the required information and presented in an easy to understand format.

4. Various

The other steps of the process depend on how a company goes public. A reverse merger, direct listing and initial public offering have different steps, requirements and issues, which is why an experienced advisor is highly recommended.

We typically take companies public through a direct listing with no investment banker and help larger clients through a reverse merger or IPO directly onto NASDAQ. With the right guidance, any company can go public in the United States. We've helped startups with no revenue to much larger companies.  Most of our clients start the process for $20,000 to $50,000 and use investors capital to pay for the rest.

Our founder has taken four of his companies' public. Previously, he was an analyst for two asset-management firms and a partner of a large investment banking firm. He has significant experience helping entrepreneurs take their company public to raise capital, complete acquisitions and increase their business valuation. His clients have generated more than $10 billion in shareholder wealth.

Reach out to learn more.