Business owners often have an idea in their head of the dollar figure it would take to sell their business. If a buyer offered the “right price,” the owner would consider turning over the keys. What many business owners don’t understand is that it doesn’t work that way. There is an established and proven valuation…

Entrepreneurs tend to try to think positively when creating their budgets. The key to success is to be realistic about your projections, and to prepare your projections six months to a year in advance. If there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you fear it may be a train, you need…

Banks have different appetites at different times. For example, while some banks are moving away from oil and gas ventures, others are stepping up for oil and gas infrastructure-related businesses. It’s a fluid market that can be hard to decipher. Unless you are familiar with each bank and its ever-changing policies, it can be difficult…

          Starting a business from nothing is a risky and challenging venture. Around 70% of start-ups end up failing, especially if the owner has never had his own business before. It’s a gamble, and like at the blackjack table, if you aren’t prepared to lose (and if your lifestyle will be…

It just might be the perfect time to buy. While the reason for selling for many people is either a failure to make money or an unwillingness to put the necessary work into the business, for baby boomers it is just time for them to retire. They have operated a successful enterprise, often for decades,…

So, you’ve decided to buy a business. It’s not as easy as you might think. You can’t just check the want ads for businesses for sale and make an offer. Finding the right fit is critical to future success, and it can be daunting to conduct the search alone. An advisory firm like ABX has…

Owning a business and being your own boss is the dream for many people. But it’s not for the faint of heart. While it can offer flexibility and a degree of control over your destiny, it also involves very long hours and steely nerves to weather the challenging times. As a business owner you have…

One of the greatest misconceptions a business owner has is that they sign the papers, hand over the keys to the new owner and just walk away. This is rarely the case. In reality, business owners stay on in a consultation capacity for on average 3 to 6 months. Some business owners see the benefit…

After brokering dozens of deals, we know what works when transitioning to a new owner and what doesn’t work. Assurances need to be given on both sides; the new owner needs to be assured that the staff won’t flee once you leave, and the staff needs to be assured that their jobs are secure and…

The staff is the most important asset that a business has during a sale. While most employees hear about a sale and fear a massive layoff like after big corporation mergers, the truth with small- and mid-sized businesses is the opposite. New owners know the staff’s value and want employees to stay on after a…