Seller Articles

There’s No Business Quite Like a Family Business

By Steve Santens / February 21, 2018 / Comments Off on There’s No Business Quite Like a Family Business

The simple fact is that family businesses are different. After all, a family business means working with family and all the good and bad that comes with it. While an estimated 80% to 90% of all businesses are family owned, relatively few are properly planning for what happens when it comes time to sell. According…

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Around the Web: A Month in Summary

By Steve Santens / February 12, 2018 / Comments Off on Around the Web: A Month in Summary

A recent article posted by The National Law Review entitled “Thinking of Selling? Start Early, Build Your Team” explains the importance of putting together a good team of trusted advisors well in advance of selling your business. Your team should include an attorney, accountant, investment banker, and wealth manager. This team will help you with…

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The Difficult Issues Often Attached to Valuing a Business

By Steve Santens / January 30, 2018 / Comments Off on The Difficult Issues Often Attached to Valuing a Business

There is little doubt that valuing a business is often complex. In part, this complexity is due to the fact that business evaluation is subjective. The simple fact is that the value of a business is often left to the mercy of the person conducting the evaluation. Adding yet another level of complexity is the…

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What Do Buyers Want in a Company?

By Steve Santens / January 24, 2018 / Comments Off on What Do Buyers Want in a Company?

Selling your business doesn’t have to feel like online dating, but for many sellers this is exactly what it can feel like. Many sellers are left wondering, “What exactly do buyers want to see in order to buy my company?” Working with a business broker is an excellent way to take some of the mystery…

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A Short Story All Family-Owned Businesses Should Read

By Steve Santens / January 15, 2018 / Comments Off on A Short Story All Family-Owned Businesses Should Read

When it comes to selling a family-owned business there are no shortage of complicating factors, but one in particular pops up quite often. This article contains a true story about a popular family business that was built up from the ground up only to later meet a very sad ending. While this is just one…

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Around the Web: A Month in Summary

By Steve Santens / January 4, 2018 / Comments Off on Around the Web: A Month in Summary

A recent article from Divestopedia entitled “To Sell Your Business, Start with the End in Mind” explains the importance of planning your exit strategy in the early stages of your business. The article points out that emotion plays a big part in humans’ decision making process, and when a potential buyer perceives that the owner…

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Around the Web: A Month in Summary

By Steve Santens / December 19, 2017 / Comments Off on Around the Web: A Month in Summary

A recent article posted on BizJournals.com entitled “Top 5 rules on preparing your company for sale” explains how the best time to begin preparing your business for sale is right now. The article highlights these main rules to follow: Start auditing your financial statements now as these will be required by the purchaser. Keep appropriate,…

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When Two Million Dollars is Just Not Enough

By Steve Santens / December 6, 2017 / Comments Off on When Two Million Dollars is Just Not Enough

Not everyone wants to sell when they feel as though they have to sell. Life changes, such as divorce or illness, can trigger the sale of a business. Everything from declining business revenue to partnership problems and more can send business owners scrambling for the exit sign. However, selling isn’t always an option, especially for…

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Three Common Errors Caused by Inexperience

By Steve Santens / November 28, 2017 / Comments Off on Three Common Errors Caused by Inexperience

The old saying that “there is no replacement for experience” is a truism that has stood the test of time. The simple fact is that a lack of experience can dismantle your deal. Consider the following scenario – a business owner nearing retirement owns a multi-location retail operation that is doing several million in annual…

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Around the Web: A Month in Summary

By Steve Santens / November 14, 2017 / Comments Off on Around the Web: A Month in Summary

A recent article posted on Forbes.com entitled “Small Business Owners Are Retiring, And Millennials May Not Fill The Gap On America’s Main Street” uses the closing of a 235-year-old hardware store to prove a startling fact: the Millennial generation may not be suited to take over small business ownership like the generations before them. In…

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