Related Real Estate Management Blogs & Discussions

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.

Peter Siegel, MBA Founder of BizBen and the BizBen ProBuy, ProSell Programs discusses interpreting reported earnings from sellers through tax returns, financial statements and other means when buying a small to mid-sized California small business.

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.

A problem owners encounter when offering a California business for sale is that not all so-called buyers are qualified to make the purchase. It's frustrating and costly to waste time showing non-qualified buyers the business. Here are ways to identify time wasters so the focus is on real buyers.

If you are buying a small business, you probably have really good ideas about changes you would like to implement and ideas to sell more, be more efficient and more organized. Christina Lazuric an Orange County business broker chats about business buyers and their decision making processes.

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.

Peter Siegel, MBA discusses buyers who want to buy a business or franchise know about asking the seller to provide part of the financing with a carry-back note. Many business buyers need some cash to help fund the down payment and for working capital. Here are four ideas about how to get that money.

Successful sellers of small businesses need a game plan to sell their California small business for maximum price and for the best terms. Peter Siegel, MBA discusses these seller strategies with BizBen Blog readers based on his experience as the lead Advisor with the ProSell Program on BizBen.com.

To start a business or try something new, starting a franchise business is a great option. In this blog, we'll break down everything you need to know about buying a franchise in simple, easy-to-understand terms. This guide is for business owners, whether experienced or new.

The latest BizBen.com survey of Business Brokers and Agents outlined what it takes to be a top ten percent performer in the business brokerage industry. From good communication to utilizing your resources, these traits are something to take note of and put into practice to be successful.

Cash flow is the lifeblood of any small business. "Cash is king." It's the constant flow of funds in and out of your business that ensures you can meet your financial obligations, pay employees, suppliers, and operating costs, and invest in growth.

Lee Petsas a Southern California business broker writes about his experiences relating to when to tell employees the business is for sale or has been sold.

One of the most difficult challenges when purchasing a small business is expressed by this prospective buyer of a liquor store who is told by the seller that there is more money being made than shows up on the books. Should the buyer accept that statement by the seller & go ahead with the purchase?

A business buyer in our ProBuy Program searching to buy a business asked me to sum up what I though the biggest mistakes business buyers make when they search for and bought a small business. I asked ProIntermediaries on BizBen their thoughts on the matter and received a diverse response.

There are a lot of misconceptions about what enhances the value of a business. The following factors in this Discussion are aspects of a business that really drives its value and pricing. A business owner asked me this question today so I wanted to get others view points as well in this Discussion.

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.

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.

Just had a discussion with a owner/seller about non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality agreements when selling a business. Here was her question: "I am selling my business and I have heard I should have potential buyers sign a NDA. What items of information should I have on my NDA?"

When considering buying a business that is losing money one has to be very careful. There are reasons that the business could be losing money that aren't fatal or extremely difficult to fix and there are other reasons that should send you running in the other direction. Peter Siegel, MBA explains.

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?

When selling a small to mid-sized business, owners should have their paperwork and financial information ready to go! They should also have a short business plan of past history, current operations, and potential for the future. In this BizBen Discussion several advisors and intermediaries weigh in.

It can take months, sometimes longer to sell a small business. Here are 6 questions plus other information from myself plus other BizBen Users to ask yourself to help you determine why your small to mid-sized California business isn't selling. You might be surprised what those reasons are!

What are the Pros & Cons of selling a business yourself? I get asked this question all the time and would like to share with other Intermediaries on BizBen all the angles of business owners taking the initiative and selling their own 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.

As the year winds down, it's tempting for business brokers to go through their old files and throw them out to make room for new client's folders, but that would be foolish. Joe Ranieri (Orange County Business broker) discusses strategies for saving files - a key annual strategy for brokers/agents.

Every business broker knows that a listing taken is not a listing sold, in fact the ratio of listed vs. sold could be discouraging if you really thought about it. Joe Ranieri (Orange County Business Broker) discusses what you should do if you finally have to close the doors and call it quits.

For those who don't know, a non-compete agreement is a contract between a buyer and seller of a business, which after the sale, prohibits the seller from engaging in direct competition with the business they previously sold. Joe Ranieri (Business Broker) adds this topic to a BizBen Discussion Post.

Being prepared when potential buyers contact you about your business for sale is a good idea. Too many sellers (and brokers) are unprepared & miss good opportunities or get involved with unqualified buyers. This Discussion post and answers from ProIntermediaries on BizBen assist with this issue.