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3 Warning Signs for Sellers to Be Aware Of

If you’re getting ready to sell your business, you’ll want to be on high alert for potential warning signs that could potentially derail the deal. Of course, time is of the essence when it comes to finalizing your deal. Why spend time negotiating with a buyer who is either not really interested or is simply not qualified to buy? Let’s take a look at some of the top buyer warning signs. 1....Read More

4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Business

When in the process of buying a business, some buyers have accidentally overlooked important questions that need to be asked. However, you don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you wish you’d found out details that would have impacted your decision-making. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some often-overlooked inquiries.  1. What Is Included in the Sale? It is possible to...Read More

When It Comes to Selling Your Business, Let Others Do the Heavy Lifting

While brokerage professionals are working to sell your business, it’s important for you to keep running things in a smooth and seamless manner. In countless cases, sellers have made the mistake of letting things slide simply because they are distracted while trying to sell. You’ll want to make sure things remain the same, as prospective buyers will otherwise start to become nervous. Be sure...Read More

Takeaways from the Latest BizBuySell Insight Report

Whether you are thinking of buying or selling a business, it’s worth taking a look at the quarterly BizBuySell reports. The findings from these publications are taken from analysis of sales and listing prices of approximately 50,000 businesses across the United States. The report covers the statistics of sales prices and successful transactions. It also discusses the trends that are at play....Read More

What You Need to Know About Family Businesses

Family businesses are critical to both the US and World economies. In fact, in the US alone, there are approximately 5.5 million family owned and controlled businesses.  While much of the world’s wealth is a byproduct of family-owned businesses, the fact is that most are not actually prepared to sell in a way that will profit the owners for their life’s work. Many owners of family businesses...Read More

Justifying Your EBITDA

All too often a business owner decides to sell, only to learn a number of harsh realities. For example, oftentimes a business owner discovers that their lack of financial data represents a major problem. The simple fact is that prospective buyers will dive in and scrutinize every aspect of EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization) when looking at their...Read More

Alternatives for Owners of Eroding Industries

Let’s assume that you own and operate a company that manufactures a product in an industry that is eroding or going downhill. What are your choices or alternatives? Run the company as a “cash cow,” resigning yourself to the fact that your industry is slowly declining or is no longer a growth industry. Keep what you are doing profitable even if you have to increase prices and/or cut costs....Read More

Highest Price is Not Always the Highest Priority

Many M&A experts believe that the highest price may not be the most important factor in putting a deal together. Here is one such expert’s opinion of the most important factors: The assurance that the sale will close promptly. The deal terms, e.g., cash, stock, notes, all cash at closing, earnouts, contingencies, etc. Total price and/or consideration. Legal issues. In many cases, the...Read More

What Do You Need to Do to Get Your Business Ready to Sell?

In his recent article in Smart Business entitled, “How to get your business, and yourself, ready for sale,” author Adam Burroughs explores the key points of getting your business ready to sell.  Burroughs points to the truism that, at some point, almost every business owner must sell his or her business.  For this reason, it is critical to think about what it takes to get your business ready...Read More

Selling Your Business, Taxes & Tax Structures

It is never too early to start thinking about what tax structure you should use when it comes time to sell your business.  A simple, but undeniable, rule of life is that taxes matter and they can’t be overlooked.  Author Tim Fries at The Tokenist has written an excellent and quite detailed overview article on what tax issues business owners need to consider before selling their business.  His...Read More