“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
Why It Can Be Hard to Find the Right Business to Buy
Randy (not his real name) had been trying to buy a business in the Nashville area since early 2015. A few weeks ago, he called to ask if he could retain me to assist his search effort. Though he had met with about 10 business owners over the past two years, Randy had nothing to show for it. He was ready to be more professional and intentional about his search process. Randy was not a neophyte. He had run his Read More
How Can You Know Your Company’s Value?
“Cumbee, you don’t know what the heck you’re talking about, my company is worth way more than you're telling me.” Mike (not his real name) was about to tell me what to do with the valuation I prepared for his company, and he used a word other than heck. I could appreciate his frustration. Starting his company during the ‘08-’09 recession, Mike had done everything right to build his business to $9 million a year. He Read More
Does the Entrepreneur Know More Than the Corporate Titan?
“Who knows more about business, the corporate executive or the entrepreneur?” I didn’t expect to hear a question like this while in the Harvard Business School faculty dining room, but when Faith (not her real name) posed the question, I could tell she had a point to make. “Each role requires a unique skill set” I replied, “there are things a corporate CEO needs to know that isn’t necessary for an entrepreneur, yet Read More
