In my last post we discussed quality of earnings audits from a revenue perspective. Customer concentration, marginal lines of business and contracts are the three most common revenue traps. If you are comfortable with your company’s strength and stability as … Continue reading →

The post Quality of Earnings Part 2: Hidden Expenses appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

What does a new political environment mean for business owners who are planning to transition their businesses? Should you accelerate your plans, or slow them down? As I’ve said many times in this space and elsewhere, the biggest single factor … Continue reading →

The post Exit Planning in a New Political Environment appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

How much will your exit timing be affected by the global economy? Most small businesses serve local markets. Their owners, if they have thought about it, plan to sell to a local individual.

The post Exit Timing and the Global Economy appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

When we start planning for the sale of a company, many owners ask me about sharing information with employees. They are naturally concerned that an ownership transfer will cause their workers to seek more secure positions elsewhere. This is true whether … Continue reading →

The post Ownership Transfer and Employee Security appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

According to a recent report from the Federal  Reserve Bank, over half (52%) of Americans could not pay for a $400 car repair without borrowing. We can assume that most of these folks would not be legitimate prospects to purchase … Continue reading →

The post How Can You Sell a Business to a Buyer Who’s Broke? appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a number of conversations with clients about key man insurance. Let me say at the outset that I don’t sell insurance, and have no financial stake in whether any client has coverage or … Continue reading →

The post Key Man Policies May Not Cover a Buy/Sell Agreement appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin Roosevelt’s inaugural address on March 4, 1933 was an early recognition of the power of consumer confidence in bolstering our economy. In 1933 The US GDP was falling to about … Continue reading →

The post 2014 Outlook: Are We There Yet? appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

I owe the idea for this column to my friend Tom Morton, whose Harrowgate blog  lends a considerable dose of dry Brit humor and keen business perspective to the issues of small business ownership. Give him a read. Sometimes the … Continue reading →

The post When Independence isn’t Freedom appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

The post What are We Afraid Of? appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

The post The Long Road Ahead appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

The post The Triple Threat: Phase II appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

The post Your Official Inflation Notice appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

The post If This Goes On… appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

The post Taking a 360 degree view appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.

The post Planning for the Strategic Triple Threat appeared first on Awake at 2 o'clock?.