Seller Articles

A small increase in what you charge for your goods and services can make a tremendous difference to your bottom line.  The fact is that many businesses could charge more for their goods and services than they do, but fail to do so.  Owners often do not realize the great value of charging just one-percent more.  In this article, we’ll explore how charging even slightly more can dramatically impact your business. Let’s consider a hypothetical example. ...

The simple fact is that most of us want to control our own fate.  This fact is especially true for entrepreneurs and business owners.  However, the truth of the matter is that for most business owners, their fate isn’t completely in their own hands.  For example, a variety of forces can prevent businesses from establishing their own prices.  Knowing whether or not your company has pricing power is essential and can influence a range of decisions...

John Warrilow is the founder of The Value Builder System and accomplished author.  While not a business broker himself, Warrilow has gathered considerable knowledge and expertise on the industry.  His previous book Built to Sell was listed as one of the best business books of 2011.  In this article, we will explore some of the key points in Warrilow’s latest book, which is entitled The Art of Selling Your Business: Winning Strategies and Secret Hacks...

No two companies are quite alike, and this also means that there are many reasons why companies can fall into trouble.  While the number of variables involved in operating a company are practically endless, there are a handful of reasons why companies can fall on hard times.  Let’s take a closer look. Lacking Focus Companies that lack focus can often run into considerable trouble.  Not understanding their customers and what they need or want can lead to...

Your time is your most valuable commodity.  The simple fact of the matter is that many “buyers” are not truly buyers.  In contrast, they are often window shopping or acting out a fantasy of buying a business.  In other cases, they would only plan to buy if they were to find the “deal of the century.”  The last thing you want to do is waste your time trying to work out deals with people who...

Mass Mutual Life Insurance produced an ownership transition survey back about a decade ago.  The survey results were based on feedback and answers from family-owned businesses.  It produced some very interesting results, and is worth examining even today.  While the survey at this point is quite outdated in terms of the timeline, there are still many valuable nuggets of information to be gleaned from it.  Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the...

Mass Mutual Life Insurance produced an ownership transition survey back about a decade ago.  The survey results were based on feedback and answers from family-owned businesses.  It produced some very interesting results, and is worth examining even today.  While the survey at this point is quite outdated in terms of the timeline, there are still many valuable nuggets of information to be gleaned from it.  Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the...

You shouldn’t expect to sell your company overnight.  For every company that sells quickly, there are a hundred that take many months or even years to sell.  Having the correct mindset and understanding of what you must do ahead of time to prepare for the sale of your company will help you avoid a range of headaches and dramatically increase your overall chances of success. First, and arguably most importantly, you must have the right frame...

When it comes to buying or selling a business, there is no replacement for a solid confidentiality agreement.  One of the key ways that business brokers and M&A advisors are able to help buyers and sellers alike is through their extensive knowledge of confidentiality agreements and how best to implement them.  In this article, we will provide you with an overview of what you should expect out of your confidentiality agreements. A confidentiality agreement is a...

The simple fact is that selling your business is likely to be the single most important financial decision you’ll ever make.  With this important fact in mind, it is essential that you prepare far in advance.  Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the key items you’ll want to check off your list before placing your business on the market. Think About Legalities When it comes to selling a business, legal issues should be...

Most business buyers and sellers are wondering what 2021 and beyond will bring.  BizBuySell and BizQuest President Bob House provided a range of insights stemming from BizBuySell’s 3rd Quarter Insight Report and a survey of over 2,300 business owners.  The simple fact is that the pandemic has most definitely had a major impact on the buying and selling of businesses.  This fact is obvious.  But diving deeper, there are a range of insights that can be...

Goodwill is a term that might cause a little confusion for some.  But at its heart, it is a relatively straight-forward concept.  Goodwill is generally viewed as a term that encapsulates everything from a business’s reputation to the goods, services and products it provides.  The key idea is that there is goodwill if the business is viewed as a true and functioning business that has longevity in the marketplace.  The Importance of Reputation It is important to...

For every reason that a pending sale of a business collapses, there is a positive reason why the sale closed successfully.  What does it take for the sale of a business to close successfully?  Certainly there are reasons that a sale might not close that are beyond anyone’s control.  A fire, for example, the death of a principal, or a natural disaster such as a hurricane or tornado.  There might be an environmental problem that...

There is a direct relationship between the asking price and the amount of cash on the table at the time of the sale.  Buyers and sellers alike should keep one fact in mind.  Most businesses involve some level of seller financing.  It is customary for both buyers and sellers to have concerns regarding this kind of financing; after all, sellers don’t want to take their businesses back from the buyer.  Buyers want to generate enough...

Only a small percentage of the population is able to go through life without using some form of financing at some point.  Most people have little choice but to finance everything from their home and car purchases to their college education.  Now, with that stated, most business owners would love to receive an all-cash offer for their business.  But the reality of the situation is quite different.  The facts are that owner financing is very...