Columns

The Danger of Market Timing the Sale of Your Business

By John Warrilow The other day I was speaking with a successful CEO in his fifties who runs a heating and air conditioning company generating eight million dollars in revenue and over one million dollars in profit before tax. Even though he was tired and nearing burnout, he was planning to wait another five to seven years before selling his business because he “wanted to sell at the peak of the next economic cycle.” On the surface, his rationale seems to make sense. If you speak with mergers and acquisitions professionals, they’ll tell you that an economic cycle can impact … Read more

Investment Banker Turned Landscaper – An Acquisition Case Study

In early 2010, I received an email message asking for information about buying a landscape business. That is not an unusual request, and I responded with some of the resources we make available and had a follow-up call. I am always happy to talk with people interested in buying or selling green industry businesses and, over time, this networking process has been profitable for me. Most of these inquiries do not produce any short-term results. This one proved to be a little different, and I thought it would be interesting to share the story. This call came from Jorge Campos … Read more

Seven Reasons to Sell Out Now

In his new column from the Globe and Mail, John Warrilow outlines seven reasons to sell out now.  If they apply to you, it’s definitely something to think about.   Click here to read to the column. John is the author of Built to Sell – Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You.  His website is  www.builttosell.com.  We highly recommend it.

Old Habits Die Hard – Let’s Kill Them Anyway

From AllBusiness.com Small business owners can be their own worst enemies when they cling to outmoded — and unprofitable — ways if thinking. Bill Clinton is a vegan. This mind-boggling conversion —from a man who while president was infamous for his McDonald’s binges — shows that it is possible to change even the most entrenched behaviors. The same trait is vital today, especially for entrepreneurs. Read it all here at AllBusiness.com.  

Don’t Sell the Fix, Sell the Prevention

To scale up a knowledge-based business, it’s necessary to take yourself out of the equation. Here’s one solution for how to grow your business. By John Warrilow  John Warrillow has started and exited four companies and is the author of Built to Sell: Creating a Business Than Can Thrive Without You.   You can find his blog at www.builttosell.com. One of the most common questions I get from business owners comes from people who sell their expertise for a living. These lawyers, web designers, public relations consultants, and plumbers often make a decent living, but usually the business consists of just them … Read more