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As a business owner, you know what it’s like to lie awake at 2 a.m. Maybe it has happened when you are excited and full of new ideas for your business. More often, it’s because you are worried about issues you will face the next day. Sometimes, it’s because you just woke up with the solution to a problem. I’ve experienced all those emotions about my businesses over the years. Awake at 2 o’clock? is where I share them with you, and hopefully help with answers that will let you sleep.
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Tag Archives: selling a business
2 Responses to Is Your Business in the “Neutral Zone?”
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Companies Sell for a Multiple of…What?
Last week we discussed the difference between Main Street and Mid-market companies regarding their prospects for finding a buyer. You can read it here, but the short analysis is that the market is tightening for Main Street businesses, while the … Continue reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Exit Planning
Tagged Baby Boomers, Boomer Bust, business ownership, business planning, business strategy, employee performance, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, exit planning, exit strategies, financial, leadership, management, selling a business, small business advice
5 Comments
5 Responses to Companies Sell for a Multiple of…What?
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Right on target. Thanks for the article. Thought: The experts who have never bought oe sold a business,,, are they experts?
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Hi John.
If I am representing a buyer, we would look at the discounted cash flow of four year projected earnings, plus a terminal value, particularly if the buyer is using some debt to make the acquisition.
David. -
Good article. The truth is that a business, any business, is not worth what the owner think is worth, and is not worth what the buyer think is worth; it is somewhere in between, but how do you convince both parties of that?
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One Response to Owners Live in Two Different Worlds
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There is no question about the difficulty in the Main Street market. Another strategy besides fading into the night is to find someone to pass it on to. That likely means finding someone years in advance, nurturing them and at some point starting to share equity. Having said that, I fully recognize that many small businesses are not in a market where a successor is easy to find. While I own a small software company, it is not so easy to find someone willing to start work at 3 AM so there are fresh bagels ready by 6 AM. Thank goodness there are such folks.
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3 Responses to Selling Your Business in a Buyer’s Market
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Great blog of course! I am a Baby Boomer and fortunately and unfortunately I started my business 5 years ago, taught myself and like some of us “I have a unique chocolate business” that I am finding out non too soon that 1) I am my own worst enemy because I designed my company to fit only me 2) like John said, I cannot find someone interested in buying my company because they don’t want to work as hard, spend 24/7 building the business etc. I know I am not alone and for me this again is a real nightmare wake-up call. However, I still am very excited in steering the company in a different direction in the next 5 years hopefully and like a lot of business owners, I will be able to sell the company or the equipment to the highest(?) bidder. Thanks for the great blogs!!
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Your article is one of the most realistic on the topic. Hopefully buyers and sellers (and their advisors) are paying attention.
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Does Investment Capital Make Sense for Your Business?
In the business acquisition world, deals where a seller keeps some equity for a future round of merger or acquisition activity is generally known as getting a “second bite of the apple.” Private Equity Groups (PEG), of which some 5,000 currently operate … Continue reading






Thanks John. Interesting what the future will hold for these businesses…Buying businesses for millions of dollars seems like pie in the sky for most of us Xers or Millennials. I totally agree with the “hire a buyer” future. When I told my boomer boss that I may be interested in opportunity for buying I think he woke up a bit and has started me on an upper mgmt ladder. I call this Intrapreneurship and have even started a community at http://www.IntrapreneurOnline.com where we IPRs can share our wins, grow and help each other. Maybe it will even turn into a place for nurturing these “hire a buyer”s.
Thanks again,
Clint.
Great article, thanks for sharing! We\’ve written a blog post on why 2017 is the perfect time for baby boomers to consider selling their businesses. Read it here: https://www.tkomiller.com/blog/baby-boomers-and-business-owners-2017-is-your-year