By Harry Haigley, Business Value Center, Inc I used to be a business broker specializing in the sale of small businesses.  I soon learned that two-thirds of all businesses listed for sale never sell. Why?  The business owner is motivated. …

Working with another client recently I was struck once again by the importance of analyzing and recasting – and possibly even restructuring – your company’s financial statements as the first step in getting your business ready for sale.  Over a…

A sell-side client of mine recently had the following email exchange with a buy-side broker: Buy-Side Broker to Target: “Good afternoon,  Our brokerage is working closely with a buyer who is seeking to acquire an existing business in the industrial…

Selling a business, you’ve spent most of your working life to build is one of the most important personal and financial decisions most business owners will ever make, and for that reason, it’s important not to wait too long. The…

For many business owners now is the time to reflect on this past year’s achievements and to set goals for the year ahead. Most business owners will set goals to hit certain revenue or profit objectives.  But if your goal…

While the decision to sell your business should be based on a careful analysis of many factors, there are several reasons why the next 12 – 18 months may be a particularly good time to sell. US personal tax rates…

A business owner who is thinking about selling his business sometime in the next few years recently asked me:  “How soon should I begin working with an M&A advisor?”  My response was: “Probably a lot sooner than you think!”  The…

In many cases the answer is “No.”  There is no legal requirement that a business must be sold through an intermediary, and indeed, many thousands of businesses are sold every year without one. If the buyer is a family member…

Last month we sought to debunk some of the top ESOP fables. This month we seek to provide some of the issues which you might encounter.  Here is a link to last month’s article debunking the top 10 fables about…

Since 1974 when Congress first created the tax incentives for employees to become shareholders with the creation of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP), nearly 14 million employees own stock in over 7,000 companies through ESOPs.  It ranges from companies as…