View all current San Francisco, California blog posts, discussions and podcast sessions by ProIntermediaries and ProAdvisors on BizBen.com that are associated with selling and buying San Francisco, California small businesses. Thanks.
Using an earn out can benefit both buyer & seller of a business purchase. A recent question by a buyer in the BizBen ProBuy Program about the best way to structure a business earn out prompted me to ask a panel of BizBen Resources how they would deal with the buyers question on earn out structures.
When selling and buying a business, it is almost always necessary to allocate the purchase price to various categories of assets for tax and accounting purposes, whether this is a transfer of all the assets of the business or an actual stock sale of the business entity. Broker Tim Cunha explains.
Trying to purchase a business with no money down is usually a waste of time if you want a good business. But leveraging into a business with a relatively small cash down payment can often be accomplished using some of these suggested strategies in this article on buying a business with limited cash.
When selling your small business, you'll be bombarded with questions - from the brilliant to the ridiculous. You need to be prepared. Here are some of the key questions you can expect to be asked. Tim Cunha (SF Bay Area Business Broker) reviews many of these possible questions from potential buyers.
The idea to buy a business with seller financing is clearly understood by most people whose career move is to purchase their own company. But not everyone knows how to structure a deal with the seller carrying back part of the price. Be prepared for three situations when negotiating your purchase.
To understand the pros and cons of diverting funds from your retirement funds towards the purchase of a business, it is first necessary to brush up on some investment basics. Before approaching the issue of using retirement funds to buy a business, let's take a quick look at stocks and bonds.
If inventory is an asset of the small business, why is it treated differently from other assets in setting the business value and conducting the transaction? Tim Cunha, San Francisco Bay Area Business Broker explores this topic about how the inventory amount affects a business valuation.
Recognizing that 70% of the California small and mid-market-sized businesses offered to buyers are never sold, and that some of the obvious reasons - over-pricing, inadequate records, insufficient lease - have been discussed in detail, it might be useful to point out lesser known problems.
Don't confuse a business opportunity with a going business for sale. In the broadest sense, an existing business being offered on the market is sometimes called a business opportunity. But for a buyer's purposes, seeking to invest in a business to own and operate, there are important differences.
Would you like to know what your business is worth? What's more, what it could be worth with a small amount of effort and investment? Business brokers have a variety of methods to determine value. Tim Cunha, JD a SF Bay Area Business Broker discusses his answers to this question about valuation.
Looking to buy a small business? There is good news regarding business purchase financing. More financial institutions are coming back into the market with business purchase financing. After years of being selective many lenders are more open to financing deals they would not have in the past years.
If you are planning to offer your small business for sale, you ought to learn about your chances of succeeding. The probability of making a sale depends largely on which of seven seller types describes you. Use this self-test to find out what kind of seller you are and determine if you'll succeed.
Our BizBen Panel of Experts was consulted on a problem posed by a visitor to our site, who asked what to do about selling her flower shop, considering that she has a manager who is interested in buying it and would be good at running it, but lacks the funds to make that happen.
Being an Entrepreneur has its perks, it can also be challenging. You need to make sure you're ready for the challenge. Here's a list of 10 important questions to get you started when buying a business. Peter Siegel, MBA (BizBen Founder) reviews this topic for business buyers of small businesses.
What are some ways a broker can prevent a buyer and seller from doing a deal behind their back and what to do about it if it happens? Joe Ranieri (Orange County Business Broker) discusses ways a business broker or agent can protect themselves from buyers and sellers trying to circumvent them.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Changing hands of business ownership can seem both exciting and daunting to all parties involved, but it's important that a smooth transition occurs to maintain or achieve success of the business. Here are some tips I recommend ensuring things go smoothly when buying a California small business.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Business buyers many times ask in my ProBuy consulting sessions - how long should I ask for due-diligence when buying a small business? The answer really depends on several factors. They include: type of business, demand for the business, complexity of the business. Advisors weigh in on this topic.
