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Each day, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 62. Around this age, Americans, many of which are small business owners, start to think about their exit strategy from the workforce. For a small business owner, the process can be complex and their decision to retire has an impact on many others.

Determining the right time to sell a private business is as much an art as a science, because there are so many factors at play and each business is unique. The timing of a business sale is critical. Christina Lazuric, CBI, Orange County Business Broker discusses this topic on this BizBen Blog post.

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.

Knowing how to advertise a business for sale without revealing too much is an important skill for anyone who wants to find a buyer for a small or mid-sized California business at a good price. One caution about giving too much detail is that it might identify the company and ruin confidentiality.

Lee Petsas, a Southern California business broker explores: How much consideration should I give as deposit? Are Deposits refundable and when? Cashing deposits & opening escrow, Return of deposit to buyer, Why do we take a deposit from buyers when preparing & executing a purchase agreement contract?

Buying a California business involves reviewing due diligence checklists so buyers can learn enough to determine whether to proceed with a deal. Here's a due diligence checklist of the items a buyer should request for review, and sellers should plan to make available for a serious purchaser.

There are companies who specialize in purchasing Business Notes (of course at a discount). You can sell all or part of your note. Peter Siegel, MBA BizBen Founder and ProBuy & ProSell Lead discusses this entire process in his latest article on selling your business note after you sell your business.

Peter Siegel, MBA - BizBen Founder & Director of the ProBuy/ProSell Programs explores why earnest money deposits when opening escrow (and bulk sale) serve several important purposes when buying or selling a small business in California. For Buyers not offering a realistic deposit may be a problem.

A micro business is a type of small business that typically has fewer than five employees or as many as ten. It is often a one-person operation or a very small team, and it operates on a small scale.

Unlike a traditional brick and mortar business, selling a home business requires more finesse on the part of the seller. You really need to do your due diligence and prepare the business to be sold in order to make it attractive to a buyer. Here are my tips to achieving a successful sale.

Selling or buying a small to mid-sized business is serious business so BizBen took a recent survey about three groups important to the process of buying/selling a business: small business owners/sellers, business buyers, and business brokers & agents.

You've found your dream business. You've called/emailed/texted the broker or owner; you've tried to reach out again via phone/email/text. However you're not getting a response and it's getting frustrating. How to get brokers/owners to return your calls/emails/texts - what key strategies to utilize.

Telling potential business buyers about unreported income could come back and bite you if not careful. It's best to be honest when dealing with business buyers but you should also highlight what's reported in the tax returns and what cash may be seen "between the lines".

While they are exposed to many businesses and recognize how others handle their customers, certified business brokers don't always remember that rules for excellent customer service also apply to them. Five suggestions are offered to make sure business intermediaries serve clients well.

Many business buyers complain to me about business intermediaries not getting any financial information about the business they may be interested in purchasing. There are multiple reasons for this but I agree that financial information should be readily be available to interested buyers upfront.

Asking the seller straightforward questions and getting straightforward answers in return is an important part of the buying and due diligence process. In this Discussion, both ProIntermediaries and Advisors offer thorough questions you should be asking during your meeting with a business seller.

Should small business owners/sellers or brokers/agents give potential buyers direct access to past company tax returns and financials (profit & loss statements) either before or pre the due diligence process? Multiple ProIntermediaries and ProAdvisors discuss this topic on this BizBen Discussion.

Valuing a small business is not guess work. It's not what some other businesses of the same type may have or may not have been sold for, it's not even what a business owner "feels" they want or deserve. It is a formula based on many factors. Peter Siegel, MBA from BizBen & others discuss this topic.

I often get asked by owners who are looking to sell their business about what type of buyers they should expect to encounter during the sales process. The answer depends on the type of business being sold, but in general there are several different types of buyers that could be encountered.

A seller just posed this question to me in a BizBen ProSell session. Any feedback for this business owner, potential seller? I would like to hear some feedback from my fellow BBNers on this topic. Make sure you're comfortable with the person with whom you are dealing.

Was just asked the question from a business owner what the "typical commission" amount is for a broker and if upfront fees are common? Thought this might be a great Discussion topic on BizBen for both business owner/sellers and potentially for business buyers (buyer representation).

We all understand the idea of paying too much for a small business. But is there such a thing as not paying enough? That seems like an odd notion, but I'm familiar with situations in which a buyer acquired a small business for a figure substantially under what probably was market value.

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.

Can a seller of a small business back out of an ongoing escrow? Probably, yes, it all depends how far along the escrow is, which will dictate how messy things will get for both owner & buyer. Joe Ranieri (Southern California Business Broker) gives his feedback with others on this BizBen Discussion.

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

At What Point Do You Show Key Marketing Info And Materials To Buyers? Robb Hartman, Business Broker at BizBen discusses this topic with others on this BizBen Discussion.

Buying a small business is hard enough when there is no competition, so how might a buyer navigate the process when there is additional competition from other buyers? Peter Siegel, MBA (BizBen ProBuy Program) and others explain a few of the ways that a buyer can beat out other buyers.

In our BizBen.com June 2021 Monthly Report the top ProIntermediaries and ProAdvisors on BizBen offer their thoughts about the current status of the business for sale marketplace with trends and predictions for Business Buyers, Owner/Sellers, Business Brokers, Agents, Advisors in the near future.