It has often been said that valuing companies is an art, not a science. When a buyer considers the purchase of a company, three main things are almost always considered when arriving at an offering pr…
March 3, 2015
A Reasonable Price for Private Companies
Putting a price on privately-held companies is more complicated than placing a value or price on a publicly-held one. For one thing, many privately-held businesses do not have audited financial statem…
February 23, 2015
Top Ten Mistakes Made By Sellers
Neglecting the day-to-day running of their business with the reasoning that it will sell tomorrow. Starting off with too high a price with the assumption the price can always be reduced. Assuming that…
February 12, 2015
Why Sell Your Company?
Selling one’s business can be a traumatic and emotional event. In fact, “seller’s remorse” is one of the major reasons that deals don’t close. The business may have been in the family for generations….
February 2, 2015
Who Is the Buyer?
Buyers buy a business for many of the same reasons that sellers sell businesses. It is important that the buyer is as serious as the seller when it comes time to purchase a business. If the buyer is n…
January 12, 2015
Buying (or Selling) a Business
The following is some basic information for anyone considering purchasing a business. Is may also be of interest to anyone thinking of selling their business. The more information and knowledge both s…
January 8, 2015
The Deal Is Almost Done — Or Is It?
The Letter of Intent has been signed by both buyer and seller and everything seems to be moving along just fine. It would seem that the deal is almost done. However, the due diligence process must now…
October 8, 2014
Selling Your Business? Expect the Unexpected!
According to the experts, a business owner should lay the groundwork for selling at about the same time as he or she first opens the door for business. Great advice, but it rarely happens. Most sale…
October 8, 2014
Do You Know Your Customers?
It’s always nice, when eating at a nice restaurant, for the owner to come up and ask how everything was. That personal contact goes a long way in keeping customers happy – and returning. It seems th…
October 8, 2014
A Listing Agreement is More than Just a Piece of Paper
In order to sell one’s business using the services of a business broker, a listing agreement is almost always required. For the owner of the business, signing the agreement legally authorizes the sale…
July 18, 2014
What a Buyer May Really Be Looking At
Buyers, as part of their due diligence, usually employ accountants to check the numbers and attorneys to both look at legal issues and draft or review documents. Buyers may also bring in other profess…
July 17, 2014
A “Pig in a Poke”
Once a buyer has negotiated a deal and secured the necessary financing, he or she is ready for the due diligence phase of the sale. The serious buyer will have retained an accounting firm to verify in…
May 28, 2014