whiteraven

Part 5 After selling companies for over thirty years, I have found that it is near impossible to convince a business owner to sell until the business and personal reasons align. But once they do, no good ever comes from delaying a sale. Over the past few weeks, my blog posts have focused on signs it may be time to sell your business… from boredom and a changing market place to risk intolerance. Another good reason to consider selling is a plethora of motivated buyers. Sign #5 – It’s a... Read Full Story

Part 4 Entrepreneurs are successful because they are versatile and are unafraid to take on the challenge of doing what needs to be done at each stage in the life cycle of their company.  So it’s natural for company owners to want to take on the task of selling their company as one more personal challenge that they can do as well as an outside expert. As I have mentioned in my last few blog posts , some company owners chose to handle the process of selling their company themselves.  Some... Read Full Story

They say nothing’s certain but death and taxes…but I’m not quite sure how certain taxes really are.  Don’t get me wrong.  I know they’ll always exist.  But tax laws are constantly changing.  And, taxes become very relevant when we contemplate large life events – like selling one’s business . One of my colleagues, David DuWaldt , wrote a great piece about how taxes and M&A deal structure work hand in hand.  David does a great job explaining why the tax interests of the buyer and those of the... Read Full Story

Part 4 Selling your business , which is perhaps your largest asset, can be a difficult decision. It has been part of you and part of your family. It has been good to you like an old friend. You have loved it – you have cursed it – you have nurtured it, you have seen it from birth through the teen years and into maturity. Unlike us, it can live for generations – though the time will come when it must change hands. When the cycle of business and our personal circumstances begin to herald... Read Full Story

Part 3 Most private company owners are used to doing things for themselves.  Many founded the companies that they run, and they took care of sales, operations, and financing alone before their company grew large enough to have an organization to manage those functional areas.  Entrepreneurs are successful because they are versatile and are unafraid to take on the challenge of doing what needs to be done at each stage in the life cycle of their company.  So it’s natural for company owners to... Read Full Story

Risk vs. Reward May Signal The Time To Sell A Business Your business – it has been part of you and part of your family. It has been good to you like an old friend. You have loved it – you have cursed it – you have nurtured it, you have seen it from birth through the teen years and into maturity. Unlike us, it can live for generations – though the time will come when it must change hands and the decision to sell your business can be a difficult one to make. In this series of blog posts I... Read Full Story

Part 2 As I mentioned in my last blog post , some company owners choose to handle the process of selling their company themselves.  Some of these owners successfully sell their company for a high valuation.  Many of them successfully sell their company, but for a lower price or on weaker terms than they may have deserved.  And too many of them aren’t successful at selling at all. Company owners hire investment bankers to manage the process and represent their interests in the sale of... Read Full Story

Part Two Your business – it has been part of you and part of your family. It has been good to you like an old friend. You have loved it – you have cursed it – you have nurtured it, you have seen it from birth through the teen years and into maturity. Unlike us, it can live for generations – though the time will come when it must change hands  and the decision to sell your business can be a difficult one to make. When the cycle of business and our personal circumstances begin to herald the... Read Full Story

Part One Most private company owners are used to doing things for themselves.  Many founded the companies that they run, and they took care of sales, operations, and financing alone before their company grew large enough to have an organization to manage those functional areas.  Entrepreneurs are successful because they are versatile and are unafraid to take on the challenge of doing what needs to be done at each stage in the life cycle of their company.  So it’s natural for company owners... Read Full Story

Selling your business , which is perhaps your largest asset, can be a difficult decision. It has been part of you and part of your family. It has been good to you like an old friend. You have loved it – you have cursed it – you have nurtured it, you have seen it from birth through the teen years and into maturity. Unlike us, it can live for generations – though the time will come when it must change hands. When the cycle of business and our personal circumstances begin to herald the... Read Full Story