Professor Bentley (not his real name) was one of the most revered yet feared professors at Harvard Business School. Every time he entered the classroom, you knew you were in the presence of genius. But with one question, he could make you look or feel like the village dunce. I didn't learn the principle of supply and demand at Harvard, I knew that a long time before I got there. However, in the rigorous case study Read More
Considering Selling Your Business? Four Questions to Ask Yourself First
For most owners, their business is a huge part of their life. They have put their blood, sweat, and tears into making the company work. They are passionate about what they do and will go to extensive lengths to ensure that their business succeeds. So it comes as no surprise that when it’s time to move on from the company (whether for retirement, health, or financial reasons), the separation process can be difficult. Read More
Are You Guilty of The Wimpy Effect?
“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” If you are 60 or older, you probably recognize that comment frequently spoken by J. Wellington Wimpy. This character from the Popeye cartoon series seemed to be a successful businessman (after all, he wore a suit and tie). But curiously, Wimpy never had money in his pocket to buy his favorite lunch. He seemed to always be saying “you can trust me, I’ll have it in Read More
One Dumb Comment Cost Him $35 Million
Don (not his real name) was smart, but his dumb comment cost him $35 million. In just 12 years, he had built his company to be the largest in his industry. Don was a rock star, and his company’s future was bright. But Don had taken the company as far as he wanted to take it. Though just 44 years old, he was ready to sell the company and realize his life’s ambition to play golf on all six continents (since there are Read More
Earn Your Way to a Better Exit
When Mayor Johnson (not his real name or title) asked me to meet, I assumed he wanted me to sponsor a table at his next fundraiser. He ushered me into his office, and after looking at pictures on the wall of him with nationally prominent politicians, he got to the point. “I’m not here to talk politics, Jim, I want to talk about selling my business. I know you can help me.” Mayor Johnson has lived in his community Read More
5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Boost the Future Value of Your Business
Imagine you are selling your car. After receiving estimates of the current worth, you take small steps to increase the resell value—change the tires, get a new paint job, have a professional do a full tune-up—and these small steps result in a significant boost to the value of your car, allowing you to receive more money for the sale. The same idea applies to boosting the future value of your business. By taking Read More
The A of Valuation ABCs
It’s no fun telling a songwriter his song is bad. Telling an author her novel won't sell takes nerves of steel. Telling a business owner his business is overvalued is no way to make a friend, much less gain a client. Marvin (not his real name) was flat P-O’ed at me. When I told him how a buyer would look at his business, he told me in no uncertain terms he was not going to hire me because I didn’t know the market Read More
It’s Worth Pennies and You Expected Dollars
“I’m glad I’m not a doctor, I hate delivering bad news.” I said this to Larry (not his real name) as we met to discuss his interest in selling his business. I was about to deliver some bad news. Larry had been in the business for 15 years. Though it was technically owned by his father, Larry was the main man in making things happen. But when it came time to make a decision about the future of the business, well, Read More
The Danger of an LOI
“Let's have a celebration dinner, I want to thank the team for getting us here.” Hugh (not his real name) was rightfully excited. He had just signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to sell his company for enough cash to take care of his children's children. But I put a stop to the idea of celebrating too soon. I said, “Hugh, signing the LOI is great, and I know it’s taken you a long time to get to this point, but the next Read More
When Buying a Business is Like Being Taken to the Cleaners
“My boss wants to sell the business unit I run. He says he’ll give me a good deal if I can pull the capital together.” Cal (not his real name) was confident as we talked over an expensive lunch at one of Nashville’s finest restaurants. Cal had run the business unit for six years, but his boss, the company’s CEO, decided to exit that vertical. He had approached Cal on the idea of selling it to him. “He tells me he’ll Read More
