Noted Economist to Speak to GABB on March 29
Noted Georgia economist Roger Tutterow, a Kennesaw State University Professor of Economics, will speak March 29 to the Georgia Association of Business Brokers.
The GABB, the state’s only professional association dedicating to buying and selling businesses and franchises, will meet at 10:30 a.m. on March 29 at the South Terraces Conference Center. The meeting is preceded at 9:45 a.m. by a free light breakfast and networking session, sponsored by Kim Eells, Vice President and Business Development Officer of the Brand Bank. The South Terraces Conference Center is at 115 Perimeter Center Place, Atlanta, near Perimeter Mall. The meeting is open to the public at no charge.
Dr. Tutterow’s analysis of the economic, business and political environments have been featured frequently in a variety of national and state media. He has served as a consultant on financial economics and statistical modeling for corporate clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to closely held businesses.
In addition to his professorship, Dr. Tutterow also serves as Director of the Econometric Center, an applied research center affiliated in KSU’s Coles College of Business. He also serves as Chief Economic Advisor for the Henssler Financial Group, an Atlanta-based investment advisory firm and as a strategic advisor to Georgia Oak Partners, a Georgia-focused private equity firm. He has provided expert testimony on economic, financial and statistical matters in state and federal court, before the Georgia General Assembly and before the Georgia Public Service Commission. Dr. Tutterow has given several hundred speeches to professional groups in over 30 states and Canada on topics in the economic, business and political arenas.
For the last four years, Georgia Trend magazine has named Dr. Tutterow as a “notable Georgian.” In 2003, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Dr. Tutterow to serve on the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, a capacity that he continues to serve in for current Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. In 2010, he was named to the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians which conducted a comprehensive review of Georgia’s Tax Code.
In addition, Dr. Tutterow has served on the Georgia Child Support Commission, on the Board of Trustees of Berry College, the Board of Directors of Vinings Bank, the Southern Region Board of Directors for the American Red Cross Blood Services and the Board of Directors for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Atlanta.
A Georgia native, Dr. Tutterow holds a B.S. in Decision Science from Berry College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Georgia State University. Prior to rejoining Kennesaw State University, Dr. Tutterow held faculty and administrative appointments at West Virginia University, Georgia State University and Mercer University. He has also served as a visiting professor at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and at the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea.
The Georgia Association of Business Brokers (GABB) maintains a website that lists hundreds of businesses and franchises for sale throughout Georgia in a variety of fields, including automotive, business services, child care, cleaning, construction, electronics equipment, fitness, flooring, floral, food, gas stations, landscaping, manufacturing, medical, shipping, restaurants, retail, security, signs, and businesses related to the internet.
According to GABB President Greg DeFoor, selling a business is a complicated process with multiple steps and a lot of moving pieces. “Our broker members are licensed business brokers, whereas everyone in the industry may not be properly licensed,” said DeFoor, who owns DeFoor Business Services, Inc. “GABB members benefit from continuing education, networking, promotion of professionalism and ethics in the industry, research tools, and forms prepared by a team of attorneys specifically for our association.”
“We are the go-to organization for business sales and acquisitions as a result of our dedication to the profession and our members being among the best in the state at what we do,” said DeFoor. “Our members have represented probably over a thousand transactions, and we have a dedicated membership of business brokers, lenders, attorneys and other professionals to assist business buyers and sellers at every step of the process. We work behind the scenes and go mostly unnoticed, but we’re an integral part of Georgia’s business community.”
For more information about GABB, email georgiabusinessbrokers@gmail.com or call 404-374-3990.
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Common Seller Questions
How long does it take to sell my business?
It generally takes, on average, between five to eight months to sell most businesses. Keep in mind that an average is just that. Some businesses will take longer to sell, while others will sell in a shorter period of time. The sooner you have all the information needed to begin the marketing process, the shorter the time period should be. It is also important that the business be priced properly right from the start. Some sellers, operating under the premise that they can always come down in price, overprice their business. This theory often backfires, because buyers often will refuse to look at an overpriced business. It has been shown that the amount of the down payment may be the key ingredient to a quick sale. The lower the down payment (generally 40 percent of the asking price or less), the shorter the time to a successful sale. A reasonable down payment also tells a potential buyer that the seller has confidence in the business’s ability to make the payments.
What Happens When There is a Buyer for My Business?
When a buyer is sufficiently interested in your business, he or she will, or should, submit an offer in writing. This offer or proposal may have one or more contingencies. Usually, they concern a detailed review of your financial records and may also include a review of your lease arrangements, franchise agreement (if there is one) or other pertinent details of the business. You may accept the terms of the offer or you may make a counter-proposal. You should understand, however, that if you do not accept the buyer’s proposal, the buyer can withdraw it at any time.
At first review, you may not be pleased with a particular offer; however, it is important to look at it carefully. It may be lacking in some areas, but it might also have some positives to seriously consider. There is an old adage that says, “The first offer is generally the best one the seller will receive.” This does not mean that you should accept the first, or any offer — just that all offers should be looked at carefully.
When you and the buyer are in agreement, both of you should work to satisfy and remove the contingencies in the offer. It is important that you cooperate fully in this process. You don’t want the buyer to think that you are hiding anything. The buyer may, at this point, bring in outside advisors to help them review the information. When all the conditions have been met, final papers will be drawn and signed. Once the closing has been completed, money will be distributed and the new owner will take possession of the business.
What Can I Do To Help Sell My Business?
A buyer will want up-to-date financial information. If you use accountants, you can work with them on making current information available. If you are using an attorney, make sure he or she is familiar with the business closing process and the laws of your particular state. You might also ask if their schedule will allow them to participate in the closing on very short notice. If you and the buyer want to close the sale quickly, usually within a few weeks (unless there is an alcohol license or other license involved that might delay things), you don’t want to wait until the attorney can make the time to prepare the documents or attend the closing. Time is of the essence in any business sale transaction. The failure to close on schedule permits the buyer to reconsider or make changes in the original proposal.
What Can Business Brokers Do – And, What Can’t They Do?
Business brokers are the professionals who will facilitate the successful sale of your business. It is important that you understand just what a professional business broker can do — as well as what they can’t. They can help you decide how to price your business and how to structure the sale so it makes sense for everyone — you and the buyer. They can find the right buyer for your business, work with you and the buyer in negotiating, and work with you both every step of the way until the transaction is successfully closed. They can also help the buyer in all the details of the business buying process.
A business broker is not, however, a magician who can sell an overpriced business. Most businesses are saleable if priced and structured properly. You should understand that only the marketplace can determine what a business will sell for. The amount of the down payment you are willing to accept, along with the terms of the seller financing, can greatly influence not only the ultimate selling price, but also the success of the sale itself.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
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