Often when a serious buyer gets ready to make an offer to acquire a business, he/she begins to question just how low of an offer can they make and still succeed. Certainly, every buyer is entitled to negotiate the best…

Introduction Thousands of people own corporations for the purpose of conducting business while limiting liability.  What many people don’t realize is that the limited liability is effective only if certain requirements are met.  One of the requirements to avoid losing…

Almost without exception, all business sellers would prefer to get 100% of their selling price in cash at closing – and for some very good reasons.  Most sellers have heard horror stories about other sellers who sold their business for…

Thousands of small- to medium-sized businesses sell privately every year, so why use a professional M&A Advisor?  There are several reasons, but in my experience most of my clients say they chose me to help them get the best possible…

A nightmare scenario for most business owners is to learn that rumors are spreading among their employees, customers, vendors, bankers and competitors that their business is for sale. It’s only human nature for most people to suspect the worst until…

Due diligence is a critical phase in the sale of any business when the buyer and his/her trusted advisors perform several kinds of audits to: (1) Confirm everything the seller has represented about the business is true and (2) Make…

It’s been estimated that the owner of a typical small- to medium-sized business has up to 90% of their personal net worth tied to their business.  Their retirement plan is simple:  Sell the business for a whole lot of money…

The Current Window of Opportunity  Some experts have observed that several trends have converged to create a uniquely attractive window of opportunity for those business owners who would like to sell their business. First, they note that about 250,000 businesses…