Business Buying Scams to Avoid
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 out of your account before you bank has time to verify the funds are legit and can cover the transfer. This actually happened to a Georgia attorney awhile back and it was in the AJC. Talk about bad publicity for the attorney who got suckered; he was very embarrassed.
2. The transaction involves an overseas or out-of-state company wanting to do a deal with either an individual or a business in located Georgia, and they need a Georgia attorney or other professional to represent them.
Embracing Technology to Boost Your Business
Technology can help business owners get top dollar when selling their business, according to Keith Gregg, Chairman/CEO of Chalice Wealth Partners, a San Diego-based wealth tech member organization for independent wealth advisors.
Gregg, in February 8, 2019 article in Forbes, “Using Tech to Enhance and Sell a Business,” says some small business owners limit their search for a potential buyer to their professional network or rely on an appraisal service to determine what their business is worth. He writes that the right technology can help avoid these pitfalls. He explains how important it is to address three important areas before placing your business on the market.
Upgrading Systems
Before looking for a buyer, Gregg recommends upgrading aging software and hardware. Upgrading systems can be particularly important for attracting younger buyers. It is common for businesses to be successful without proprietary technology or procedures, but that doesn’t mean that technology should be ignored.
Important information should be digitized, as this data will be vital for the new owner to grow the business over the long haul. Incorporating software that can track and analyze data across the business is likewise valuable. Using software, such as customer relationship management and financial management software, will showcase that your business has been modernized.
Business Valuations
Determining the value of your business can be tricky and laborious. Gregg recommends opting for a professional business valuation, as he feels, “business valuation calculations can remove much of the guesswork from the process.”
You should expect a business valuation calculator to include everything from verified data on comparable business deals, including gross income and cash flow figures and more. There are even industry-specific calculations that can be used as well. The main point that Gregg wants to convey is that business owners should use tangible and proven data to sell their businesses. Like upgrading systems appeals to younger buyers, the same holds true for using verified data to sell.
Take Advantage of the Digital Marketplace
Gregg’s view is that perhaps the single greatest technology for business owners to leverage is that of the digital marketplace. Sites that link businesses with prospective buyers can help to streamline and expedite the sales process. Through such sites, it is possible to go deeper than a specific industry and even explore sub-sectors, thus enhancing the chances of finding the right buyer.
Technology can be used to help sell businesses in a variety of ways. An experienced and proven business broker will leverage a whole range of tools to assist business owners when selling their businesses. When you opt for a proven business broker, you can expect to receive offers from serious and vetted buyers and, in the process, save a great deal of time while maintaining confidentiality.
Copyright: Business Brokerage Press, Inc.
Powered by WPeMatico
Read MoreMarketing Strategist to Speak Aug. 21
Find out how you can harness a marketing strategy to grow your business when internationally known author, marketing and business strategist Diane Conklin speaks on Wednesday, Aug. 21, to the Georgia Association of Business Brokers. The GABB is the state’s largest association of professionals dedicated to buying and selling businesses and franchises.
The GABB meets at the Georgia Association of Realtors at 6065 Barfield Road, Sandy Springs, GA, 30328, and the meeting will last from 10:30 a.m. to noon preceded by a free light breakfast networking session at 9:45 a.m. Rob Tamburri, CPA PFS, managing partner of Balog + Tamburri, CPAs, is the sponsor of the meeting.
Diane is a direct response marketing expert who specializes in showing business owners how to turn their businesses into money making machines using rapid profit acceleration, leveraged business growth and strategic implementation by integrating their online and offline marketing strategies, media and methods, to get maximum results from their marketing dollars with Complete Marketing Systems.
For more than 25 years Diane has been leading small businesses to bigger profits through her coaching, consulting, marketing funnels, systems, live events and by providing done-for-you services to clients all over the world. As the founder of Complete Marketing Systems, Diane has been involved in many campaigns grossing over $1,000,000.00 several times in her career, and she routinely helps people grow businesses to six figures, and beyond. Diane was voted Glazer-Kennedy Marketer of the Year for her innovative marketing strategies and campaigns and was nominated for Atlanta Business Woman of the Year.
The monthly meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. and is preceded at 9:45 a.m. by a free light breakfast and networking session. There is networking with coffee and pastries from about 9:45 to 10:30 and the meeting will last from about 10:30 to somewhere between 11:30 and noon.
The GABB is the state’s largest and oldest association of professionals who specialize in brokering the purchase and sale of businesses and franchises. Broker members help owners determine the asking price of their business, create marketing plans and strategies for selling their business, identify and qualify buyers, and have the knowledge, experience and skills needed to help maintain the confidential nature of the process. The professionals of GABB relentlessly pursue professional development so they can provide superior, ethical services for all customers and clients. Affiliate members include bankers, lawyers, appraisers, insurers and other professionals who work closely with brokers to help owners and buyers get to the closing table.
For more information about GABB, please contact GABB President Dean Burnette at 912-247-3209 or dean@b3brokers.com, or GABB Executive Director Diane Loupe at diane@gabb.org or 404-374-3990.
Gearing Up for the U.S. Economic Census
Every five years, the U.S. Census Bureau collects extensive statistics about businesses that are essential to understanding the American economy. This official count, better known as the Economic Census, serves as the foundation for the measurement of U.S. businesses and their economic impact.
This is free data you can use for your business.
As part of the Census Bureau’s mission to provide timely information on the health of the U.S. economy, this “business” census serves as the most extensive collection of data related to business activity. Nearly 4 million businesses, large, medium and small, covering most industries and all geographic areas of the United States will receive surveys tailored to their primary business activity.
The data produced from the Economic Census are important for your industry, your community and your business:
- Statistics from the Economic Census provide policymakers with the evidence based information used to make sound programmatic decisions.
- Federal agencies rely on the data as the basis for key measures of economic activity, such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), National Income and Product Accounts (NIPAs), and the Producer Price Index (PPI).
- Trade and Business associations, along with Chambers of Commerce, rely on Economic Census data to measure key business facts they can use to gauge organizational structure and product trends.
- Individual businesses use the data from the Economic Census to make decisions about operating sites, capital investments, and product development.
The extensive and comprehensive data products include over 950 detailed industries across 18 industrial sectors classified using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Geographic Area Series reports containing general statistics will be produced for nearly 21,000 geographic areas including the U.S. Territories. Additionally, over 7900 goods and services products will be released for the first time on the new North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) basis.
The key statistics produced for the Economic Census include Total Number of Establishments; Value of Sales, Shipments, Receipts, Revenue; Primary Business Activity; Total Number of Employees; Total Annual Payroll; Total First Quarter Payroll; and industry specific statistics.
Starting with this Economic Census, respondents will use an online, secure portal to respond making filing easier while at the same time improving data quality and reducing costs. Small companies located in the U.S. territories will have a paper option available, including a Spanish version for Puerto Rico.
To find out more about the Economic Census and how you can use Census data for your business, visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s Economic Census page.
GABB Fall Conference 2016: Mobile Technology Boot Camp
Business has gone mobile. The top producers in business are those who have identified and use an organized mobile office system to stay productive, in communication and are responsive to clients’ needs.
Join the GABB on Sept. 27 for a Mobile Technology Boot Camp and explore some of the best and most effective ways mobile professionals can use their smartphones and tablets for efficiency worldwide.
The GABB Fall Conference will consist of a morning and afternoon session, each awarding three hours of C.E. credit. Attendees may sign up for the whole day, at $100 for members; $150 for non-members; or just one session for $50 for members, $75 for non-members. Registration will close on Sept. 23, so please register early to secure your space.
Breakfast 8:30-9 a.m. Provided by Kim Eells, Vice President, Business Development Officer of Brand Bank.
9-12 noon: Productivity, Social Media and the Mobile, Global Office
Learn about Cloud Apps, Social Media, managing listing photos for marketing and distribution with Google Multimedia, mobile calendar and document applications, and sharing data with Drive, OneDrive & Dropbox.
Lunch: Noon-1 p.m. Provided by GABB Platinum Sponsor Sarah S. Wheeler, Esq. of Moore & Reese, LLC
1-4 p.m. Time Management and Customer Relationships
This class will teach brokers how to effectively build and maintain a client relationship management (CRM) system as a process to attract, maintain and retain communications with consumers. Attendees will learn about how mobile technology and the cloud computing can help them become more effective at managing clients.
Instructor: G. William James (above) is one of the leading training professionals for handheld computing and mobile technology in the United States for retail, medicine, sales, business and real estate. A sales trainer and seminar presenter since 1986, thousands have heard his enthusiastic yet real-life approach to time management and sales excellence. James was an early user of PDAs, is devoted to handheld computing and has built his career on the technology. In 2003 he began teaching smartphones as well, and today teaches all platforms and devices on the Android, Apple iPad and iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile operating systems.
Read More