I sold several businesses after running them for many years. I now help other business owners find the right buyers for their companies. Finding the right buyer is a daunting process, not unlike finding love.… Read More »Selling a Business Is a Lot Like Looking for Love: You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs
According to some reports, as many as 500,000 businesses change hands each year. The number is expected to increase as the baby boomers retire and sell their companies. In fact, we are on the cusp of… Read More »Why I Can’t (or won’t) Sell Your Business
Last week I had a rather testy exchange with one of my clients. He’s a brilliant technologist and I’ve been trying to sell some software and other intellectual property he developed. It’s an asset sale,… Read More »Does a Business Broker Need to “Believe In” Your Business to Sell It?
Since I started to spend the majority of my time on mergers and acquisitions earlier this year, my use of non-disclosure agreements (NDA) has skyrocketed. I sign as many as 20 NDAs every day. The… Read More »I’ll Show You Mine If You’ll Show Me Yours: The Art of Sharing Confidential Information (when it matters)
The last few years have been banner years for M&A. More businesses are expected to be sold in the coming years than any previous period. The trend is global and across most sectors of the… Read More »Getting Ready to Sell Your Business
A friend called the other day, very frustrated. He has been looking for a good business to buy for the better part of a year. He concluded there were no good businesses for sale. He… Read More »If You are Buying or Selling a Business, You Need to Know How to Fish
In a world of consumerism and sameness, where just about everything is a commodity and plentiful, there is only one sure-fire strategy for selling your company, your product, or yourself: scarcity. It’s an easy strategy to comprehend,… Read More »Scarcity: The Most Effective Strategy for Selling Your Company, Your Product, or Yourself
There is no lack of startup business models. My friend and colleague, Dave Parker, writes about business models and their trade-offs. He taught me most of what I know about choosing the right model. In fact,… Read More »The Two Most Important Factors in Building a Sustainable Business and Maximizing Valuation at Exit
The number of small businesses being purchased each year continues to climb — and so has the average purchase price. That’s good for business owners thinking about selling. What’s buried in these growing statistics is… Read More »Selling Your Business: 15 Steps to a Successful Exit
According to the leading business multiple listing services, only about 30% of the businesses that go on the market each year complete a transaction. That’s a dismal success rate. Why do so few businesses sell… Read More »Sell Your Business on a Strong TTM Tailwind