What Are Enterprise Goodwill and Personal Goodwill and Are They Marital Assets in SC?

What Are Enterprise Goodwill and Personal Goodwill and Are They Marital Assets in SC?

The value of a business is determined by a number of factors, including its income, physical assets like buildings and equipment, and intangible assets like goodwill.

But what exactly is “goodwill” in business, and what’s the difference between personal goodwill and enterprise goodwill? And is goodwill subject to division as marital property in divorce proceedings (as discussed by the SC Court of Appeals in Bostick v Bostick, 2022)?

Personal Goodwill vs. Enterprise Goodwill

“Goodwill” is an intangible business asset. Goodwill can encompass many things, depending on the nature of the business, including branding and brand recognition, customer relations, employee relations, and intellectual property (trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets).

Goodwill can be divided into two types, personal and enterprise.

Personal goodwill is inextricably tied to an individual or individuals, often the business owner(s). The individual’s exceptional knowledge or skills, experience, reputation, and relationships with customers, employees, and suppliers may all be factors in a company’s personal goodwill valuation.

Enterprise goodwill is tied to the business itself rather than to an individual, such as its brand, location, convenience for customers, unique offerings, intellectual property, and the like.

Say a highly regarded chef sells one restaurant and leaves to start another. If the regular customers follow the chef to the new restaurant, that’s an example of personal goodwill. Once the chef has gone, the restaurant has lost that intangible asset (the personal goodwill tied to the chef) that brought in business and made money. But it still boasts a great location, convenient opening hours, and a unique menu, all of which will outlast the presence of the founding chef and continue to bring in revenue; that’s enterprise goodwill.

Determining the dollar value of a company’s personal goodwill and/or enterprise goodwill can be a challenge for business owners.

Is Goodwill a Marital Asset Divisible in Divorce? Bostick v Bostick Background

Another issue some business owners face is whether their company’s personal goodwill and enterprise goodwill are marital assets that can be divided in a divorce. This varies by state. The South Carolina Court of Appeals weighed in on the issue in the case Bostick v Bostick in March 2022 (read the opinion here).

Josie M. Bostick and Earl A. Bostick, Sr., were married in 1971 and began divorce proceedings in 2017. During their marriage, Earl was a dentist with a successful practice in two locations, Ridgeland and Bluffton. Earl retired before the divorce was finalized and sold the Ridgeland practice to the Bosticks’ son for $569,000 plus $51,113.15 in accounts receivable. The contract divided the $569,000 in two parts: $144,860 for purchased assets and $424,140 for goodwill. The contract also required Earl to be available for up to 60 days after the sale to help transition, and it contained a covenant not to compete.

How this money should be divided in the divorce was a point of disagreement. The family court determined that the hard assets and accounts receivable were marital assets to be divided 50/50, as the Bosticks had previously agreed. But it held that the goodwill was a nonmarital asset because it was personal goodwill and was therefore Earl’s alone. The court based this decision on Moore v Moore (2015), which ruled that enterprise goodwill is a marital asset subject to division, while personal goodwill belongs solely to the professional and is not subject to division.

Josie contended the family court erred in this decision. The appeals court agreed.

Was it Personal or Enterprise Goodwill?

The SC Court of Appeals notes that if the dental practice were an “ongoing concern,” then “the majority, if not all” of the goodwill would be personal, but it was known that Earl was leaving the practice and the profession altogether. The court does note that the agreement for Earl to be available for 60 days after the sale and the covenant not to compete do weigh in favor of personal goodwill but concludes that there was no evidence that the entire amount should be considered personal goodwill.

Plus, Earl had previously sold his Bluffton location, and the revenue from that sale – which also included a goodwill portion – was put on his side of the ledger for purposes of equitable distribution. The court says it sees no reason to treat the sale of this second location any differently.

“Therefore, we conclude the family court erred in not treating the entirety of the sales price as marital property,” says the court.

(Note that there is a possibility this decision could be appealed and go to the SC Supreme Court.)

Buying, Selling, and Growing Your Business in South Carolina

No matter what stage of business ownership you’re in, you can use the guidance and advice of an experienced business attorney like Gem McDowell. With over 30 years of experience helping clients in South Carolina, Gem is a problem solver who is ready to help you whether you need advice and assistance buying or selling an existing business, starting up a new one, or helping your business thrive while protecting your interests.

Call Gem and his team at his Mt. Pleasant, SC office at 843-284-1021 to schedule a free consultation.