We often talk about the importance of a business owner working to make their business less dependent on them. Let’s face it, the entrepreneurial personality is frequently very self-driven, and enjoys controlling their own destiny. In the beginning, often the business IS the owner. The owner wears numerous hats and takes on the majority ofRead More…
Selling to a Strategic Buyer
As you may have heard us say previously, every business has more than one value, depending upon who the buyer is. Different types of buyers are motivated differently based on what they could do with the business if they were to own it, as highlighted on our Buyer’s Chart. For example, some buyer types areRead More…
Isn’t Having a Large Customer A GOOD Thing?
You’ve heard that it’s risky to “put all of your eggs in one basket,” but did you know that the risk of having too few customers can actually translate into decreased business value How does Customer Concentration impact value? First, as a reminder, business valuation is based on both qualitative and quantitative factors that impactRead More…
Driving Workforce Engagement AND Business Value Through ESOPs
Having a trained, loyal workforce in place helps maintain a healthy, vibrant culture, which is considered an intangible asset in the world of business valuation. In fact, one of the 8 Key Value Drivers of a privately owned business is ‘Employees and Culture.’ In the simplest terms, a company whose team experiences low turnover andRead More…
Goodwill—What is it and How is it Measured?
Goodwill, or ‘blue sky,’ is probably the most misunderstood component of business valuation. Business owners are often curious about goodwill in their business and how it is valued, and they are also often confused.In their minds, the intangibles including renown of the business, the years of successful business operation, their client list, their trained staff,Read More…
Hot Topic for Your Next Client Meeting: Value Planning
This time of year many business owners spend an inordinate amount of time looking at their financial statements, especially related to tax planning for their business. Business owners are keen on using their financial statements to work on tax planning but fail to see how time spent on value planning can increase the value ofRead More…
Don’t let your clients throw their year-end financial statements in a drawer…
January means it’s time for year-end financials, and as business owners everywhere are looking at revenues and profit numbers from the prior year, there is an abundance of insight hidden in the financial statements that many business owners are missing. What if you offered a unique conversation with the business owner that illustrates how theRead More…
COVID’s Surprising Impact on Business Value
Something notable happened with many business owners while managing through COVID that could impact the value of their businesses. It doesn’t have anything to do with their financials, and it doesn’t get much attention in the news. We’re talking about delegation. Many business owners responded to COVID by putting delegation of business operation decisions andRead More…
This Week’s Featured Client Meeting
(based on actual client but details changed for privacy) We met recently with an experienced business owner to begin the process of valuing her business for purposes of transitioning her ownership. After our final meeting, as she prepared to leave she remarked that she enjoyed having a chance to look at her business from aRead More…
Time to Review These 10 Value Driving Activities
Nobody would argue 2020 has been an interesting year, but out of challenge can come opportunity. As we look back on the year, we thought it would be a good time for you to consider how you or your clients did on the list of value drivers we shared earlier this year in our 2-partRead More…