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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.
John F. Dini, CExP, CEPA
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Small business owners are the Hunters of the 21st century. We are 3% of the US population, and yet we create over half of all American jobs. As Hunters, we may not be inclined to manage by the numbers or stick to systems. Are you a Hunter or a Farmer?
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How prepared are you to exit your company?
The Assessment breaks down the four major categories of exit readiness; Finance, Planning, Operations and Revenue/Profit.
Tag Archives: Boomer Bust
Bah Humbug! Remembering Mr. Fezziwig
To celebrate the holiday, I’m reprinting a post from 2012 about the underappreciated boss of A Christmas Carol, Mr. Fezziwig. I hope that you enjoy it. Merry Christmas! Last week was the 170th anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens’ … Continue reading
2 Responses to Bah Humbug! Remembering Mr. Fezziwig
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Protecting Your Best Asset
If you are planning your exit from the business, what is the best asset that you have to sell? Unless you have patented product, exclusive rights, or long-term customer contracts, you answer was likely “Our people.” Even if you have … Continue reading
3 Responses to Protecting Your Best Asset
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John, You are spot on about the importance of being able to get your staff to support the transition. The process starts by finding out as much as you can about the buyer’s intentions for your employees. With that information you can plan for incentives that give employees who you believe are likely to be retained, a reason to make the transition work,and offer reasonable compensation to those who are likely to be terminated. The retained employees have a better attitude if they believe that the seller cared about those who did not fit the new owner’s plans. In one acquisition situation we debated how much money was appropriate and how it should be distributed. Our decision was that the employees had exceeded normal commitments to the company, particularly in the early stages and they deserved financial reward. We voted and arrived at 5% of the capital gain on the sale. These funds were allocated on a pro-rata basis of the employee’s accumulated base salary without allowance for bonuses. On this basis a secretary who had worked for 5 years at $30,000 per year and earned a total of $150,000 received the same amount as a VP of Sales who had worked 1 year and earned $150,000. Those employees who were retained in the transition were subject to vesting requirements. Those who were released were paid a month after termination. We considered a longer delay after termination to discourage defection to get a quick cash bonus, but the conditions offered by the buyer made it unlikely that retained employees would quit. This arrangement resulted in a smooth transition.
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The easiest thing to do is to share the profits of the company with your employees and to give them ownership before the sale. I was not planning to sell my company, but when the right offer came in I sold and my employees shared over a half a million dollars among 35 employees. 25 years later most still remain with the company..
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Exit Timing and the Global Economy
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. If the local market is healthy, why … Continue reading
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One Response to Business Buyers: The “Buy Now, Pay Later” Generation
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This is one of the most realistic articles I’ve read on the topic. Sellers would be wise to listen to their advisors, and be advised earlier than they think they should.
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Time Bankruptcy and Communications Technology
A friend says that she hasn’t been able to tackle any new projects because she is in “time bankruptcy.” It expresses very well how she feels about her ability to control her schedule, but she has been claiming bankruptcy for … Continue reading
4 Responses to Time Bankruptcy and Communications Technology
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Does calendaring every minute of the day help?
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To solution may come in the difference between management and leadership. “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.”Management’s purpose is to accomplish work efficiently. The phone can help this, but it also makes us spend more time ‘reacting’ to greatly increased stimuli. Leadership is responsible for setting direction and getting the things done that are most important to success. If we can get back more time to spend thinking, planning and acting strategically in a changing world we could accomplish more important things.
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Time bankruptcy – I lovge it. So true. Technology is one thing our behaviours another. Someone said to me once “What about if Bill Gates came before Alexander Bell. We are sending everything through email and Bell comes along and says; Don’t worry I’ve got this! I have invented a phone, you can get through to people straight away” Yeah right!
Thank you John!
Old Fezziwig has been a role model for me for years because of the way Scrooge explains to the ghost why Fezziwig was beloved. “He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil….The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.”
What a privilege it is to give happiness to others!
Well said, Javier. “…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”