It’s no fun to tell a songwriter his song is bad.  Telling a novelist her novel won’t sell takes nerves of steel.  Telling a new Mom her newborn is not the cutest child in the nursery, well that’s just downright dangerous!  Telling a business owner what his business is really worth is no way to make a friend, much less gain a client. Over two decades of buying and selling businesses, I have observed that most Read More

Business brokers always hear from people who say they are interested in buying a business. We love these calls, after all, we get paid when someone buys a business, so access to willing business buyers is a good thing, right? Well, not really, because most of the time these conversations are an utter waste of time. This doesn’t mean the person expressing interest in buying a business isn’t serious about buying a Read More

When you are starting a small business, you want to have a place that you can work. Setting up a place in your home where you can be productive takes some planning and intentionality, and can make a big difference in your ability to get your business off of the ground. What should every home office have? Computer. This is an essential item for any office, but most especially if you have a small business. This is an Read More

When you own a small business, you are responsible for every part of it. Yet it’s easy to focus on one area at the expense of another.  I love to engage in the marketing and sales process of my business, while I often pay insufficient attention to the details, the records.  Moreover, in working with scores (hundreds) of small business owners, I can categorically tell you I’ve seen situations when not having good Read More

Buying a small business can be stressful, so much that otherwise smart people can do stupid things.  With years of experience doing and watching business transactions, I’ve come across some common stupid things that can be avoided. -Don’t make the business seem more profitable than it is. Of course, the Seller wants to get as much as possible out of the business, so he/she will tell you lots of ways you can cut Read More

I meet with small business owners every day, and I am increasingly noticing that they are using their smartphone for more than just calls and texts.  Suffice it to say, the smartphone has become a full-fledge small business productivity tool. Smartphone apps can help a small business owner work better and smarter, and are essential to keeping them focused on their work and on building their business. There are Read More

Increasing your online sales for your small business is easier than you think. Here are three simple tips that will boost your online productivity and profit: 1.  Offer only one product or service on your home page. I once heard a guy describe it this way, “show the monkey where the banana is.”  A bit crass, indeed, but the point is made, make your main thing the easy thing.  While you may think that offering Read More

Social media is a buzz term these days, but you may not understand what it is, much less the impact it can have on your small business.  If you don’t know what it is, it’s time you learn because affordable marketing of your business is key to your success, and social media is, if nothing else, affordable. Way back when, my Dad ran a big ad in the local newspaper every Tuesday; that was the beginning and end of his Read More

There are a few well-known bloggers who swear by their belief that everything presented in a blog has to be reduced to numbered bullet points.  Here are four points I frequently hear when it comes to the logic of numbering your thoughts in a blog post: They say numbering your thoughts make you sound more professional, more like an expert. They say numbering your thoughts make your points easier to remember. Read More

A business broker in the state of Tennessee is not required to have any kind of license or training. Anybody can print a business card and call themselves a business broker. Crazy? Yes, it’s crazy. To appreciate just how crazy this is, realize that you can’t be a barber without special training and a license. You can’t operate a nail sale without a state license (which includes training). There’s a 12-week training Read More