Knowledge Base

Our experience has shown that the vast majority of business owners are too busy with the day to day operation to plan for the eventual sale of their business. The first step in preparing for your eventual exit and sale of the business is to work yourself out of a... Read More

Three ways to avoid paying taxes when selling your business.  1031 Exchange  In a 1031 exchange the seller of a business is required to buy another similar business after the sale of their current business. To meet the exchange rules the seller has to identify three potential new businesses within... Read More

Want to grow your business revenues and increase your business’s exit value? Here are five of the most important ways to building business value: 1. Differentiation from the Pack—Develop Your Unique Selling Proposition If low prices are your chief competitive advantage in a marketplace where prices are on the decline... Read More

If you are meeting with a Buyer to discuss the sale of your business be sure he has signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to protect your interest. When you meet with the Buyer only give them the information necessary for them to make a decision on a purchase. Customer names... Read More

Definition The pre-tax earnings of the business before non-cash expenses, one owner’s compensation, interest expense or income, as well as one-time and non-business related income and expense items. If there are additional owners working in the business, their compensation needs to be adjusted to market rates. What It Means Seller’s... Read More

We have done extensive research on the sales of private companies and compiled a list of 21 factors that affect the salability of your business. It should be no surprise to anyone that the financial results of the business ranks as the number one factor that affects the salability of... Read More

Over the last several years, the M&A markets in the U.S. have been fueled by an increased access to capital and improving economic conditions. In general deal multiples for small and mid-market companies have increased since the collapse of the financial markets in 2008. The wild swings seen in public... Read More

It is very common for a business owner to overestimate the value of his or her business. This is quite natural since we all want our businesses to be worth as much as possible—especially when it comes time to sell. Because of a Buyer’s need to capitalize the acquisition, typically... Read More

Many business brokers double end all of the client deals. What does this mean? They typically find a business owner that is willing to put his business for sale. Then after the client is signed to a listing agreement he discovers the Business Broker is also representing the buyers he... Read More

A question that occasionally comes up in our Business ProSell program is whether a seller can and should reveal to prospective buyers that the business produces extra income not reported on tax returns. The purpose, of course is to let the buyer know there is more income to be made... Read More

In this environment, it’s all about satisfying the customer. Do what you say you’ll do, meet client expectations, and your business will thrive, right? Not quite. According to Eric Gregg, managing partner of Inavero, a Portland, Ore.–based research firm specializing in satisfaction surveys for professional services firms, many companies get... Read More