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The business owner’s dream, early retirement - In the end, almost every owner wants to sell his or her business.  Many want to sell it at a price that will pay them in retirement what they earned while working.  Few do.  One must plan way in advance to sell and earn the same.  Earning the same from merely the sale of the business is unlikely. I first ran into this [...]

A buyer and I were discussing a possible partnership with the selling business owner.  Because I am neither an accountant nor an attorney, I always demure from making structure recommendations but I certainly have opinion on things that should be included.  This is a quick list made for the buyer.   Perhaps you have other contributions. Quick notes:  These are things that I believe should always be in place in a [...]

Don’t you find that sometimes it is better to take the road of least resistance? My short and sweet example is a need to identify a gift for a client., Rainforestbaskets.com.  I had decided on an engraved garden stone with an image and text, using their fonts and images.  In the end the stone was to be cut with a laser. I could probably have created the artwork, though it [...]

We have all seen it happen.  A great business goes south.  The going south can be due to a number of situations – change in trends, economy, embezzlement  (way too much of this for sure,) illness, mismanagement of records, too little capital to support needs, not keeping one’s eye on the ball (aka business.) It is so easy to become too comfortable.  After all, it has always worked well. Particularly [...]

In two listings of businesses for sale this year, the owner(s) have consistently presented as very bright, operating not just any business but each a business with some unique features, though not necessarily complex.  Obviously complex is in the eyes of the beholder. As I worked with each business and a couple of buyers, it became evident that we needed to be careful to not ‘over sell.’ In this case, [...]

People have different styles for sure.  Adaptation, perhaps particularly for the anxious seller, could be a key for success. Overwhelming a buyer can push him away, thinking this business is too difficult for me or, if not too difficult, just way more than what I was interested in.  Among the roles a broker can have is to secure information, seller willing, when it is asked for; organizing information in a [...]

Included in the practice for my client buyer is interpreting their interest and capability for purchase; preparing a packet to represent the buyer to potential sellers; identifying prospects and securing their agreement to consider acquisition; investigating the selling firm’s condition and value for purpose of offer; preparing and presenting the offer; negotiating the offer for mutual agreement; formalizing changes in the agreement and ensuring communication to the neutral attorney regarding [...]

Recently I wrote about various business brokering practices.  This is a summary of my practice, as written for a selling client: My brokering practice is multifaceted and, at the same time, responsibly limited. Included in the practice for my client sellers is preparing a valuation based on successful New Mexico business sales, validated against the market and buyer perspective; preparing and executing a marketing plan, including writing a marketing document [...]

What exactly are the duties and practices of a business broker? My opinion: As with many other professions there are basics that must be met, physicians must ‘do no harm.’  Perhaps in business brokering, the basic is ‘fair and honest.’ Usually the broker has a specific duty to either the buyer or seller, whomever they represent.  However, the morality piece for me is being fair and honest must apply to [...]

Recently a business owner was asked directly by the buyer of the business for a current year cash flow.  The seller produced a cash flow and gave it to the buyer. The buyer was elated as it showed more cash flow than the profit and loss statement demonstrated. Unfortunately the business owner did not know about this particular form of cash flow and the buyer was misleading himself.   The term [...]

Always, if I can buy local, reasonably, I do. It happened that yesterday, while in Albuquerque, I needed to make a small purchase, $1.95. The purchase was of a miniature skein of yarn to repair the dreaded moth holes in my lovely sweater. I have never before been to the Yarn Store at Nob Hill.  The place was hopping.  The owner was taking care of my minor need.  If you [...]

Entrepreneurs come in the not-so-detailed, detailed, and everything in between definitions.  Just like the rest of the human race. One of my clients has an office in their house.  Each hard-copy document is neatly placed in just the right three-ring binder.  The documents range from every sale ever made, to photos of the inventory, the past umpteen years of financial performance.   The computer has sections for this and that and [...]