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.

Why Do People Go Into Business?

41% joined the family business;36% wanted more control over their future...

Why Do Deals Fall Apart?

In many cases, the buyer and seller reach a tentative agreement on the sale of the business, only to have it fall apart. There are reasons this happens, and, once understood, many of the worst deal-smashers can be avoided.

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.  Here are just a few of the reasons that buyers buy businesses:

What Is a Company Worth?

This question can only be answered by addressing other related questions, specifically: Who’s asking and for what purpose?

The Value of a Business: Get to the Heart of the Matter

To find the real value of a business, we must go to its very heart: the attitude, work habits, managerial style, customer/marketplace savvy, and community reputation of the person in charge.

Selling a Business: How Long Does It Take?

Why does it take so long to sell a business?  Price and terms are the biggest reasons.

Rating Today's Business Buyers

Once the decision to sell has been made, the business owner should be aware of the variety of possible business buyers. Just as small business itself has become more sophisticated, the people interested in buying them have also become more divergent and complex.

Creating Value in Privately Held Companies

Creating value in the privately held company makes sense whether the owner is considering selling the business, plans on continuing to operate the business, or hopes to have the company remain in the family. 

Buying a Franchise: What It's Worth to You

If you are considering entering the world of franchising, an important consideration is assessing the value of the business. All of the following factors either affect or help determine valuations of typical franchise operations.

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 sides have about buying and selling a business, the easier the process will become.

A Buyer's Quandary

Statistics reveal that out of about 15 would-be business buyers, only one will actually buy a business. It is important that potential sellers be knowledgeable on what buyers go through to actually become business owners. This is especially true for those who have started their own business or have forgotten what they went thorough prior to buying their business.

12 Ways to Increase the Value of Your Company

Keep in mind that the best time to consider selling is when business is good, the business is running profitably, and many of the above “value-adders” are in place.

You Want How Much for Your Business?

This is often a prospective buyer’s first response when given the price of a seller’s business. This is especially true today when many excellent and profitable businesses have few hard or physical assets.

You Can Help!

Try to put yourself in the place of a prospective purchaser of the business. What would you do to make the business more attractive or more saleable?

Why Your Company Needs a Physical

Many executives  think nothing of having their investments checked over at least once a year - probably more often. Yet, these same prudent executives never consider giving their company an annual physical, unless they are required to by company rules, ESOP regulations or some other necessary reason.

Why Your Business Won't Sell

What are the odds of your business actually selling once you have made the decision to sell? Well, if the annual sales of your business are $750,000 or less, research indicates that...

Why Use a Business Broker

A professional business broker can be helpful in many ways. They can provide you with a selection of different and, in many cases, unique businesses, including many that you would not be able to find on your own. Approximately 90 percent of those who buy businesses end up with something completely different from the business that they first inquired about.

Why Sellers Won't Sell

What is the seller’s biggest obstacle to selling the business? In other words, why do business owners who are considering selling fail to follow through? 

Why Seller Financing?

Many business owners would like to receive all-cash for their business when selling. And yet they are often told that this is really not possible. Why?

Why Deals Fall Apart -- Loss of Momentum

Deals fall apart for many reasons – some reasonable, others unreasonable. For example:

Why Deals Fall Apart

There are lots of reasons why the sale of a business falls apart. The reasons can be grouped into four major categories: those caused by the buyer; those caused by the seller; those caused by a third party; and those caused by “acts of fate”. (Anything that does not fit the first three categories can be lumped into this fourth category of things that just happen.)

Sellers

Some sellers really don’t a valid reason for selling. Without a strong commitment to selling, a deal is very difficult to hold together. Some sellers are just testing the waters. Others are holding out for a price that is just not supportable by the numbers. Sellers who didn’t check with their tax advisors or other outside advisors may be in for some surprises forcing them to withdraw from a pending sale.

Why Deals Fall Apart

A successful transaction usually requires overcoming a number of obstacles. Many of these are minor and can easily be resolved.

If the parties want the deal to work, talking it through can solve almost any routine problem that arises. Outside advisors can be a real advantage in these negotiations. However, there are more serious issues that can be fatal to the closing of the deal, such as some of the following:

Who Is Today's Buyer?

Many people dream about owning their own business, but when it gets right down to it, they just can’t make that leap of faith that is necessary to actually own one’s own business. 

Where Your Business Is Located Can Affect Its Price

The most recent editions of BizComps, the leading resource for comparable sales data (www.bizcomps.com ) has some interesting information on small business pricing based on the three major regions of the country – Eastern states, the Central states and the Western states.