Related Cafe Restaurants Blogs & Discussions

Selling a business online, while often effective for finding the right buyer, is a strategy sellers need to execute correctly in order to be successful. That means avoiding the six common mistakes made by sellers. Peter Siegel, BizBen Founder talks about what it takes to effectively sell a business.

Any deal when selling a business tends to have a life of its own. Joe Ranieri discusses a restaurant deal in Orange County that has had many twists and turns. This article shows what types of issues can and do come up when selling a business or in this case a restaurant.

For starters, a pop-up restaurant is a short-lived dining experience in a temporary location, most found in abandoned factories or warehouses, rooftops, barns, or an already existing restaurant location, so basically anywhere done legally and safely. They exist for a few days, weeks or a few months.

Nothing can be more exciting, and a little daunting for a new owner than finally being handed over the keys to their newly owned restaurant. Many buyers, especially those who have never been business owners before are much too eager to make the restaurant "their own". Overspending can take place.

When selling a California business, owners should use our salability checklist to determine whether the effort will be successful. Ten factors must be considered to properly prepare a business for sale. Three of the factors account for more than 50% probability of achieving success in selling!

A business plan is a living document that should serve several purposes for your business. When you are buying a small business, a business plan will assist you in obtaining business purchase financing by showing lenders and investors how you plan to repay their loan by running a profitable company.

Many California small business investors want to buy a restaurant. People always need to eat; there should be plenty of business. And some buyers think there is prestige to owning a popular eating establishment. But it isn't an easy purchase. Here's what not to do when planning to buy a restaurant.

To be successful in buying a small business you must be able to look objectively at the company and determine whether or not it is a business that will be able to grow into the future. The key to long term survival is when a business is able to change and grow along with the needs of their consumer.

In The New Economy that we are buying and selling and businesses in, finding funding can be the most challenging part of a sale. Many buyers will have limited funding and need to finance a good portion of the sale but what happens when a buyer has NO money? Peter Siegel with BizBen explains how.

Start-up costs are typically so high to build a restaurant from scratch that many current owners prefer to look for an existing restaurant that isn't doing so well and customize it as their own - second location. Joe Ranieri gives tips to restaurant owners buying a second location to expand.

This live FREE workshop by Cheryl Maloney (San Francisco Business Broker Specialist) is designed for San Francisco restaurant owners who are thinking of selling and would like to know how much their restaurant or bar is worth and how to get it sold successfully. Limited seats, please RSVP via phone.

This question is bound to come up from a seller to a business broker at one point in their relationship. The truth may discourage a seller who desperately needs to sell, because in all honestly, many times in can take months. All restaurants are different - Joe Ranieri, Business Broker explains.

Owners often ask agents to sell business offerings for them. It's usually more difficult than selling houses when working to find a buyer for a business, to satisfy contingencies and close escrow. Business sales intermediaries either agents or brokers may want large fees, but often are worth it.

Looking to buy restaurant businesses? Check out these tips first to avoid getting blindsided when you buy restaurants. Peter Siegel, MBA with BizBen.com discusses this topic.

When should the training of the new buyer of the business actually begin? Before escrow, during escrow, or only after the keys of the business are handed over to the new owner of the business. Joe Ranieri (Orange County Business Broker - Restaurant Specialist at 714-292-5448) starts this Discussion.

Buying a seasonal small business restaurant can be challenging, but Joe Ranieri a business broker restaurant specialist and others in this BizBen Discussion review multiple ways to offset these factors and still get the most from buying and operating a small to mid-sized seasonal restaurant.

A point of back ground, back in 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law an increase to the state minimum wage from $10 to $15 per hour. The increase is gradual and goes up about a dollar a year and maxes out at $15 an hour in 2022. Here is some advice in handling this new increase.

Was chatting with a potential buyer of a restaurant in our BizBen ProBuy Program and he asked me what he should look for in due diligence when he finally did find a restaurant he was interested in. Peter Siegel, MBA with BizBen and others on BizBen explore this topic.

Joe Ranieri, (Orange County Business Broker) discusses how to convert restaurants: buy an existing inexpensive restaurant and then converting it to another concept. He discusses finding the right location, working with the landlord, notifying existing clients, and observing restaurant trends.

Buying a small to mid-sized restaurant can have many pitfalls, and potential restaurant buyers should know how to avoid getting burned! Several restaurant advisors weigh in with (Peter Siegel, MBA at BizBen) and discuss tips for buying a restaurant in California.

Applying for a business acquisition loan can be challenging for someone who hasn't been through that process in the past. If one has a mortgage one knows that the value of the property being pledged has to at least equal the amount of the loan, SBA loans to buy a small business are very different.

Many factors determine whether inventory is included in the asking price. Among them are: the standard for that particular industry or type of business, the quality and age of the inventory, whether the inventory levels are cyclical, whether the inventory is the normal amount, etc. BizBen Discussion

We're hearing more and more about "crowd funding" through sites like gofundme and kickstarter as a possible way to raise the cash needed to buy a small business. This method of collecting funds has proven successful in other kinds of situations. Could this strategy work when buying a small business?

Can business buyers actually get full representation from a broker? With 70% of all California brokers not cooperating with each other it may be a good idea to have someone on your side representing your interests. Is buyer representation a reality? ProIntermediaries discuss this topic on BizBen.

A huge part of any exit strategy is properly planning for that moment in time when employees find out the business is for sale or, preferably, has been sold. Your workers have been kept in the dark for as long as possible. Some won't be a bit surprised. Others may be devastated.

Recently a business owner asked me on the phone, "Why do you keep the sale of a business confidential? How do you keep the sale confidential - any good tips?" Would like to hear from other Members - what would be your answer to this business owner? ProIntermediaries on BizBen discuss this topic.

Negotiating the terms of a business deal is a delicate process, where one wrong move can cost you the business that you wanted to purchase. Peter Siegel, MBA (BizBen ProBuy Program) discusses the ins and outs of negotiations, and how to work well with the seller to get a deal done.

What qualities should you look for in a escrow and bulk sale service when buying/selling a business? I often get asked this question by other brokers and business sellers. See what I tell others and what other BizBen Advisors have to say on this topic in this Discussion.