-
-
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
-
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?
-
-
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
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
5 Responses to Companies Sell for a Multiple of…What?
Leave a Reply
One Response to Owners Live in Two Different Worlds
-
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.
Leave a Reply
Ageing Boomer Entrepreneurs: Fearful or Smart?
Do we become more cautious with age? Startups are usually associated with younger entrepreneurs. By the time they reach their 50s or 60s business owners tend to tackle fewer big new ideas. Those that do tend to be successful enough that they … Continue reading
One Response to Ageing Boomer Entrepreneurs: Fearful or Smart?
-
Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” or “Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions.”
I agree with both of these. I really enjoy your blogs! I was forced into inventing a “new self employed start up” at 62. I have no regrets but with my “experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want” is an ongoing goal as well.
Leave a Reply
3 Responses to Selling Your Business in a Buyer’s Market
-
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!!
-
Your article is one of the most realistic on the topic. Hopefully buyers and sellers (and their advisors) are paying attention.
Right on target. Thanks for the article. Thought: The experts who have never bought oe sold a business,,, are they experts?
Good point, Jon. Some believe that their technical expertise in analyzing financial statements or drafting contracts is sufficient to handle a transaction. Too bad so many owners find out too late that isn’t the case.
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.
David,
NPV of future cash flows is a reasonable way of calculating ROI for a buyer, but it would still translate into a number that needs to be compared against the industry data calculated in the more standard way.
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?