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 »When selling most things (including a business) there’s a universal truth: A buyer wants to depress the final sale price and the seller wants to maximize it. The buyer wants the lowest price and the most favorable terms possible. The seller wants the highest price and to protect themselves w
READ MORE »If you own a business, at some point you’ll need to know what it’s worth: whether for estate planning, a significant life change, or potential sale. Without expert guidance in how a business is valued accurately, it can lead to pitfalls that might not only skew your expectations but could al
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 have been part of selling a business in the past, you understand the delicacy of good communication and keeping the news confidential until the time is right. Mishandling communication can lead to a host of problems: valued employees might leave, morale could plummet, and the company's op
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 »Announcing the sale of your business to employees can be a delicate matter that requires good communication and keeping the news confidential until the sale is definite. Mishandling communication can lead to a host of unwanted problems that can easily be avoided with some preparation. Before you
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 »Someday you will sell or transfer ownership of your business so you can move into the next chapter of your life. Too often, a business owner waits until they are ready to sell their business to start planning their exit. Unfortunately, this can lead to a decrease in value. Here are some best pra
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 »Most business owners have no idea what their business is actually worth. The reasons that business owners typically seek out a valuation are: 1) They are working on a financial plan with their financial planner; 2) they are going though a major life event (divorce, illness, etc.); 3) they are
READ MORE »You’ve decided you are ready to talk with a business broker about buying or selling your business. It wasn’t an easy decision; there is a lot to consider! You’re a little nervous about making the call and starting the process, but you’re even MORE nervous about making sure you select the rig
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 »One of our favorite things to talk about is how to increase the value of small and mid-sized businesses. Most business owners know how to impact line items on their financial statements (i.e. revenue, salaries, bank balances, etc.), but we find that driving the actual value of the business
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 »It’s a new year! And while it may not feel that much different than the challenging one we left behind, it’s still traditionally a time to assess our current situation and make a resolution to change things that need to be changed. Often, we try to look at ourselves objectively and determine if
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 »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 »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 »In an academic setting, a discounted cash flow model sounds like a completely reasonable form of valuing a business. You project out the anticipated cash flows for 5-10 years, use a discount rate and look at what those future cash flows are in present day dollars. The formula for this i
READ MORE »Do you know what your business is worth? I mean, really know? Most business owners think they have a good idea what their business is worth, but often it is only an unrealistic expectation. Sometimes they shortchange themselves, other times they tend to think it’s worth more
READ MORE »Let’s say that the last few years haven’t been kind to the earnings of your business. Sellers know they have a great business and that it will rebound in the coming years. Buyers get that vision, but aren’t willing to pay for it up front. Therein lays the “v
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 »My husband is, among many things, a trained classical musician and he’s often asked to explain the difference between a violin and a fiddle. “It depends on whether you’re buying it or selling it,” he says - and he’s not wrong. A buyer wants to depress the fi
READ MORE »One of questions I’m asked most often is: How does one go about selling a business? The short answer is this: Carefully, and with help from several places. The starting point for selling any business is to engage a trained business broker who will examine and value your
READ MORE »Change hurts. Changing our businesses with the times is difficult and we can be forgiven for wanting to avoid anything that’s both difficult and painful. Still, the ways in which businesses connect with their customers has changed and is continuing to do so because those customers&
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
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