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Six Reasons to Consider Acquiring a Design-Build Landscape Company

Design-build companies are often the step-children  in the merger and acquisition marketplace.  The main reasons for this are pretty straight-forward.  In most cases, they have little, if any, of the “recurring revenue” which is so highly prized in acquisitions.  In addition, because they are construction-related, they are, at least conceptually, very susceptible to economic cycles and down-turns.  The Great Recession made this painfully apparent for most (but not all) design-build companies. That being said, there are some very good reasons to consider acquiring a design-build company.  Here are six: One:  Valuations can be very attractive.  Because valuations are so low, … Read more

Is NOW the Time to Sell Your Business? Six Things to Think About

Have you been thinking about selling your business,  but just can’t decide if now is the best time?  Do you find yourself repeatedly analyzing the economic situation and wishing you had a crystal ball? There are positive signs and there are negative signs…. If you’re still up in the air and can’t quite decide whether or not to hit the eject button, here are six reasons you might want to consider getting out now. 1. You’re less interested in fighting the good fight A lot of business owners took the Great Recession in the teeth. If you’ve got your business … Read more

The C Word and Seven Other Words to Avoid

By John Warrillow The majority of businesses in America today started out as service companies. If you want to own a web design firm, you don’t need a lot of money, just a technical knack. Enterprising professionals who know how to get the media’s attention can start their own pubic relations firms without much more than a mobile phone. No capital required. But if you want to build a valuable company – one you can sell – you’ll want to stop presenting yourself as a service firm. Consultancies are not usually valuable businesses, because acquirers generally view them as a … Read more

Prevention is Better Than Cure

By John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell:  Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You To grow a valuable business – one you can sell – you need to set up your company so that it is no longer reliant on you. This can be easier said than done, especially when, like a PR consultant or plumber, what you are selling is your expertise. To scale up a knowledge-based business, you first have to figure out how to impart your knowledge to your employees, so that they can deliver the goods. However it can be difficult to condense years … Read more

Five Things Your Accountant May Not Have Told You, But a Business Buyer Will

By Ron Edmonds The majority of small business owners in the green industry do not have a particularly strong relationship with their outside accountants.  They usually look to them for tax return preparation, keeping out of tax trouble and helping them deal with it if they do find themselves in tax trouble.  In some cases, they get involved with tax planning, and that is often about it. There is so much more benefit that a business owner can get from a closer relationship with his or her accountant.  Accountants Toowong and many other experts will welcome the opportunity for a … Read more