Finding the Best Business for You
Owning a business and owning the right kind of business for you are, of course, two wildly different things. Owning the wrong kind of business can make you absolutely miserable. So if you are considering buying a business, it is prudent that you invest the time and effort into determining the best kind of business for your needs and your personality. In a recent Forbes...Read More
Preparing Your Business to Sell: Ten Questions
Loren Marc Schmerler By Loren Marc Schmerler, President and Founder of Bottom Line Management, Inc., an Atlanta-based business brokerage, M & A and consulting firm. 1. Do You WANT to Sell? Make sure you really “want” to sell. Ask yourself if you are bored, burned out, ill, have a new child, have aging parents that need your assistance, etc. Or are you simply unhappy with how much money you...Read More
Compiling an Offering Memorandum: What Buyers Look For
Steve Mariani spoke to the GABB on Feb. 19, 2020. Photo by Roger Easley. Stephen “Steve” Mariani, owner of Diamond Financial Services and a board member of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), spoke to business brokers this week about compiling a listing or offering memorandum. In a lively talk, which you can hear online, Mariani talked about the top things that buyers look...Read More
The Confidential Process of Marketing a Business
Selling a Business and the Role of a Business Broker By Greg Younts, CMAI, GABB Broker A unique challenge of selling your business is that you cannot advertise certain confidential details about the business, and yet you have to target and attract the attention of the right buyers. Specific details about the business such as business name, exact location and unique products or services offered...Read More
Tackling Growth Delusions When Buying a Business
It’s exciting to buy a new business. However, it’s very important to be realistic about future growth. In most cases, if a business is poised to quickly grow substantially, the seller would be far less interested in selling. When evaluating a business and talking to the owner, many buyers come away with a sense that enormous growth is just “sitting there” waiting to...Read More
Buying and Selling Businesses Better By Keeping the Pipeline Full
Scott Ward Entrepreneur Scott Ward has been on both sides of the negotiating table, both as a business buyer and a business seller. He discussed better ways to work with prospective business sellers, to prepare a business to sell and other insights at the Sept. 24 meeting of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers. Ward said business brokers “enable people to succeed and bring in...Read More
Great Tips To Help Find a Buyer for Your Business
No one keeps a business forever. At some point, you’ll either want to sell your business or have to retire. When you’re ready to sell, it is important to streamline the process, minimize the stress, and also receive top dollar. In a recent Forbes magazine article, “How to Find a Buyer for Your Business,”serial entrepreneur Alejandro Cremades explores the most...Read More
Where Did the Cash Go? Add-Backs to Consider When Buying a Business
C. David Chambless, president of Abraxas Business Services and a former GABB president. By C. David Chambless, president of Abraxas Business Services Evaluating the earnings potential of a small-to-medium sized business, particularly one with a single owner, is challenging. Often, a primary objective of these entrepreneurs is to make as much money as they can, while paying as little in...Read More
Business Buying Scams to Avoid
By Linda Collett, J.D., GABB Affiliate If a potential client comes to you with something that sounds fishy or too good to be true, trust your gut. Here are some red flags: 1. They want you to hold money in your escrow account (usually a large dollar amount so the deal is attractive). The risk is that the deal or client requires you to transfer some or all of the money...Read More