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How to Answer THE Most Important Question (Why do you want to sell your business?)

By John Warrillow Planning to Sell? How to answer THE most important question Many business owners believe the act of selling their business is similar to passing the baton in a 400 meter relay: once you’re finished running, you get to relax.  In reality, buyers will insist that you stay on for a transition period – anywhere from six months to five years – during which time you continue to work in your business to help the buyer capitalize on the investment they’re making. THE Question At some point in the process of selling your business, a prospective buyer will … Read more

BizBuySell Reports Slight Dip in Business Sales for Second Quarter vs First Quarter

  BizBuySell.com’s Q2 2012 Insight Report reveals 1.6% dip in small business transactions in the second quarter of 2012 versus the same period last year. Year-to-date totals, however, remain on the rise suggesting that the small business transaction marketplace continues on its path of modest recovery. BizBuySell.com has released its latest economic data for the second quarter of 2012. The company’s data tracks trends in the sales of small business-for-sale and the latest data shows that business-for-sale transactions were down slightly in the second quarter of 2012 as compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date business sales for 2012, however, remain above … Read more

A Look at Growth Strategy in the Green Industry and How Acquisitions Fit In

It is a popular belief that businesses, including small businesses, must grow to thrive.  While many of our beliefs about business have been challenged over the past four years and only a few businesses have been able to sustain growth during the Great Recession, growth is a major objective for many if not most businesses.  There are multiple reasons for the “growth imperative”: Growth is often a factor in creating long-term value for the owners of the business. Sustained and projected growth is a major factor in creating a sellable business as part of an exit strategy. Growth can be … Read more

Four Ways to Protect Your Turf

Warren Buffett famously invests in businesses that have what he calls a protective “moat” around them – one that inoculates them from competition and allows them to control their pricing. Big companies lock out their competitors by out-slugging them in capital infrastructure investments, but smaller businesses have to be smarter about how they defend their turf. Here are four ways to deepen and widen the protective moat around your business: Get certified Is there a certification program that you could take to differentiate your business? A Canadian company that disposes of radioactive waste decided to get licensed by the Canadian … Read more