For many professionals contemplating a career transition, the idea of owning a business is both exciting and daunting. A common obstacle is the lack of readily available liquid capital for a down payment, particularly when much of one’s savings is tied up in retirement accounts. Something many peo
READ MORE »Too often, business owners envision selling their business when they are ready to retire, travel, be with family, or pursue other interests. However, the best time to sell your business might not align with when you feel ready. You need to sell your business when it’s ready to be sold (not nec
READ MORE »A topic that continuously piques the interest of business owners (and something we enjoy talking about) is how to elevate the value and salability of your business. While most are adept at influencing financial statement line items like revenue and expenses, unraveling the complexities that genu
READ MORE »This article was originally written by Melanie for BizBuySell. If you’ve worked with a business broker before, you’re familiar with the process and what to expect. If not, here’s a brief synopsis of what that collaboration looks like: A business broker’s role is to assist both buyers and
READ MORE »We’ve looked at a few businesses recently where the past few years’ earnings are lower than normal. Whether it’s still a result of COVID, supply issues, not adjusting pricing properly, or a myriad of other things, this leads to lower valuations. Sellers know they have a great business and that
READ MORE »If you aren’t familiar with what a business broker does, they act as an intermediary between buyers and sellers of a privately owned business. Essentially, their job is to quarterback the entire deal from pinpointing your business's worth, marketing strategies to sell, vetting buyers, smoothin
READ MORE »The journey of business ownership is an adventure filled with ups and downs. To navigate this path with more ease and clarity, understanding the true value of your business is akin to having a reliable compass. This process isn't just about numbers; it's about making informed choices that shape your
READ MORE »Deciding to sell your business is a significant milestone that requires careful planning and is often accompanied by mixed emotions and challenging decisions. Having a clear understanding of the overall process and what will attract or turn away quality buyers is key. Let’s explore some of the
READ MORE »Selling your business is a significant decision that requires careful planning and execution. Too often, a business owner waits until they are ready to sell their business to start planning their exit. While it can be done on the fly, a lack of planning often leads to an unnecessary decrease in
READ MORE »August. Here in Southeast Missouri, that means sweltering heat and school starting back up. As families get back into a routine, we also see an uptick in business owners recommitting to their business goals. For some, that’s thinking about strategic growth. For others, it’s considering if it is
READ MORE »So much in our lives follows a natural rhythm – breathing, heart beating, asleep/awake, the rising and setting of the sun, the ocean tides, music. These rhythms are comforting – necessary even. They help us keep track of time. Occasionally they go completely wrong: We get short of breath
READ MORE »Despite some obvious challenges in the economy like inflation, rising interest rates, a looming recession, a bear market, soft staffing, and an ongoing war in Ukraine…deals are still taking place among main street and lower middle market companies. There was a dry period for buy/sell transacti
READ MORE »Most people know what a business valuation is (the process of figuring out what your company is worth), but not everyone knows the different reasons valuations are performed. Aside from the obvious need for a valuation when you’re ready to sell the business, valuations are preformed for many d
READ MORE »How do you know when it’s time to sell your business? To some it might seem like a silly question, but for a business owner (and particularly for a family-owned business), the decision can cause some sleepless nights. Since we work with a lot of sellers, here is a list of some of the tell-tale sig
READ MORE »We see a lot of businesses. And financial statements. And business models. And methodologies. Some good, some not-so-good. Because of that we’re often asked for recommendations and best practices to increase the value and sellability of a business. So, we thought we would dedicate this month’s n
READ MORE »A trend that we’re seeing in 2022 is an increased demand for strategic acquisition, initiated from the buy side. There have always been more buyers than sellers in the market, but buyers are now approaching their goals in a more targeted and intentional way. This brings us to an incredibly pre
READ MORE »Have you ever wondered HOW people sell their business when they’re done running it? You may know intuitively that it’s not like selling a car or a piece of real estate, but most people don’t know where to begin when they’re ready to sell their business. At Murphy Business of Cape, we gui
READ MORE »If we had a dime for every time a business owner who told us they wanted to get a million dollars for their business (or even five or ten million)…well, we’d have a LOT of dimes! While we would love to sell every small, main street business out there for this nice, round figure, often times t
READ MORE »Let’s talk more about 2020. Wait…stay with me here…I know we’re all sick of talking about the year that shut down the globe, but it’s one of the most often asked questions we receive these days: “How are you handling 2020 when valuing businesses?” So, let’s talk about it! Firs
READ MORE »“Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run…” Kenny Rogers may have been talking about gambling, but the lyrics work for business owners too. Over half of businesses in the US have been impacted by COVID this year to some degree and as we
READ MORE »If you’re a savvy business owner, you know that maintaining strict confidentiality is critical when selling your business. Only a handful of people should know you’re thinking of selling: your spouse, financial planner, accountant, and attorney. Often, this element alone will push a seller towar
READ MORE »Three quarters down and one quarter to go for 2020…we can do this! If you’re exhausted with running your business, think COVID is a dirty word, and you’re disenfranchised with all things related to our economy and this upcoming circus of a presidential election: You’re not alone. There i
READ MORE »One of the top questions we’re asked in this unprecedented COVID environment is “are you still selling businesses?” The answer is a resounding YES! The follow up question usually has something to do with how banks are supporting those transactions, so we thought we’d examine what we’re see
READ MORE »[embed]https://youtu.be/VQFHdUgdgTc[/embed] Coronavirus. Yep, we’re jumping on the bandwagon. Why on earth are we, business brokers, talking about Coronavirus?! It has nothing to do with buying or selling business, right? Hang with us for a minute… On March 3rd, the Federal Reserve cut int
READ MORE »Think about the key employees in your business. The ones who understand how everything works: employee roles, client preferences, supply chain, cash flow, compliance, etc. When they take a well-deserved vacation, you FEEL it and so does everyone else. They might be in sales, support, administration,
READ MORE »2019 is in the books. In general, people are feeling pretty good right now. The S&P 500 was up 28.9% and the Nasdaq was up 35.2%. Unemployment is crazy low at 3.5%, optimism is high, and although there has been lots of turmoil nationally and globally, it has mostly impacted a few specific sector
READ MORE »How much is your business worth? How much is it actually worth to a buyer if you were to sell it right now? Even if you’re not ready to sell at this moment, knowing this number is very important for a few reasons: Planning: We know that most business owners work with financial planners and ac
READ MORE »Non-competes. You’ve probably been exposed to them at some point. Perhaps you have employees sign them or maybe you have signed one yourself at some point. Non-competes are also a very important component of a business transfer. Imagine this: You bought a high-end restaurant. Since you struck a
READ MORE »In addition to eating a ridiculous amount of candy corn, with Halloween around the corner, we’ve been thinking about all things scary. Here are some things that can make an entrepreneurial leap a little more comfortable. If you’re a business owner looking to sell, take note of these things too a
READ MORE »With all of the online options at our fingertips these days, it is easier than ever to sell things. You can buy everything from a couch, to a car, to a house just by listing them online. In these days of the FSBO (For Sale By Owner) posts, wouldn’t it just be easier to try to sell your business th
READ MORE »The short answer: no. We have sellers all the time who ask us this and our answer is always the same: it’s a bad idea. Even if your team is small in number and a very tight knit group, we still recommend that you don’t take them along with you on the ride of selling a business. There are a few l
READ MORE »Obviously we think that having a business broker when buying or selling a business is important; that’s why we do what we do. But why do our clients love us? Our broker, Jennifer, and our team are great at getting results. Just read this testimonial from a client whose deal we closed last month:
READ MORE »You’ve probably received a few newsletters from us now that mention getting your business valued and why you should do that. Perhaps you’re wondering how we actually determine the value of your business. Below are the steps in our process. When we compare our valuations to actual sales prices, w
READ MORE »I recently attended the national Murphy Business conference in Palm Coast, Florida. The beach was nice (although it rained the whole time) and the opportunity to network with other business brokers across the country is a big draw, but the biggest benefit is staying up-to-date with all the lat
READ MORE »After nearly two decades of real estate/fixer-upper/curb appeal/garage sale picker reality television, it’s easy to think that there’s a buyer for everything. That may be true – just not at every price and certainly not at any time. We’ve had business owners approach us intending to have
READ MORE »How often do you find yourself looking for that important - yet somehow misplaced - piece of paper? Do you promise yourself that you're going to become better organized, but find the days, weeks and months slipping by with too much work to do and not enough time to start that new filing system o
READ MORE »Did you know that your small business is subject to the same regulations as a giant commercial entity? If you find this startling news, you're not alone; most entrepreneurs in the United States assume that laws apply only to much larger corporations. All companies – small, medium, large a
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