Articles

Announcing the Sale of Your Business: Common Employee Questions and Concerns

Business For Sale For Sellers Sell a Business Selling

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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 ...
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How Getting Your Business Valued Shapes its Future

Business Business For Sale Business Information For Sellers General Business Valuation

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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 ...
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Common Challenges to Selling a Business: Business Owner Insights

Business For Sellers Selling a business

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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 ...
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Considering Selling Your Business in 2024?

Business Business For Sale For Sellers Sell a Business

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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 ...
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12 Ideas to Attract and Keep Employees

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The job market is very competitive and one of the more challenging tasks a business owner deals with. Finding and keeping the right employee takes time and ultimately, it’s costly. But the cost of not getting the right employee or losing the one you’ve recruited, trained, and invested in, is ...
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Hope is Not a Strategy…and Private Equity Isn’t Your Escape Route

Business Information General Business

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This job is riddled with hard conversations. Recently we talked with a business owner who was making decent money the last few years and this year the train came off the tracks. He blamed all kinds of macro-economic factors, but the reality is that he didn’t adjust his business strategy to acc ...
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How to Successfully Sell Your Business to an Employee

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Selling your business to an employee or a group of employees, often referred to as a management buyout, can be a mutually beneficial arrangement because the employee is familiar with the business and its operations already and they are a known quantity. This is also a great way to preserve the l ...
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How We Help

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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 ...
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The Rhythm of the Deal

Business Buy a Business Sell a Business

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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 ...
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Three Financial Reports You Need to Look at When Buying a Business

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The following article was originally written by Melanie Smollen for BizBuySell. When you buy an existing business vs. doing a start-up, it’s an exciting opportunity to leverage an established brand and pay yourself on day one, but how can you be sure you are buying a good business? There ar ...
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What to Investigate When Buying a Business

Buying a business For Buyers

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Buying an existing business is an exciting opportunity to leverage an already established brand and pay yourself on day one. It can also be less risky than starting a business from the ground up. But how can you be sure the business you want to buy is a good business? Doing your homework is esse ...
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7 Things You Need to do Now to Make Your Business Sellable

Business Information For Sellers

Posted by Melanie Smollen on

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 ...
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Save Now, Pay later – A Cautionary Tale on Running Personal Expenses Through Your Business

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Nobody likes to pay taxes. We get that and we don’t like to pay taxes either, but many business owners have been known to blur the lines of “business” and “personal” expenses to save money on taxes. No one talks about it, or likes to admit it, but it happens a lot. We see it all the ti ...
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2023: A Year to Get Creative

Business Buying a business Sell a Business

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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 ...
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Know Your Company’s Worth

Business Business For Sale Business Information For Sellers Valuation Valuing

Posted by Melanie Smollen on

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 ...
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5 Ways Businesses are Valued Incorrectly

Business Information For Sellers Sell Sell a Business Selling Selling a business Valuation Valuing

Posted by Jennifer Smith Broeckling on

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 ...
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Choosing the Right Advisors for Your Deal

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Selling your business represents more than just a significant financial event in your life. It’s the culmination of substantial time, resources, and years of sacrifice. To get maximum value for your business, you need the right people around you who will have your back and help you exit well. O ...
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Selecting a Broker

Business For Sale For Sellers Sell Sell a Business Selling Selling a business Small Business

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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 ...
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Killing a Deal

Posted by Jennifer Smith on

Last month, someone asked a great question on our Facebook page: “Have you ever had a businessperson pull out of a deal because they thought it wasn’t in the best interest of their clients for the potential buyer to take over?” Our answer was “Yes – and we fully supported that decision ...
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When is it Time to Sell?

Business Business For Sale Business Information For Sellers Sell Sell a Business Selling Selling a business

Posted by Jennifer Smith on

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 ...
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