The simple fact is that without employees, you don’t have a business.  Given the tremendous importance of your employees, it is important to step back and reflect on the value associated with keeping those employees happy. There is a direct relationship between happy employees and happy customers.  A happy employee takes steps to ensure that […]

Owners often neglect understanding their leases and this can be problematic.  If your business is location-sensitive, then the status of your lease could be of paramount importance.  Restaurants and retail businesses, for example, are usually location-dependent and need to pay special attention to their leases.  But with that stated, every business should understand in detail […]

Having a letter of intent signed by both the buyer and the seller can be a very good feeling.  Everything can seem as though it is moving along just fine, but the due diligence process must still be completed.  It is during due diligence that a seller decides whether he or she is going to […]

Far too many prospective business buyers and sellers overlook just how important negotiations can be.  But they can also be tricky. In general, there are three approaches to negotiations. Thinking through your negotiation strategies well before the time to buy or sell is a savvy and prudent move. Negotiation Tactic #1  Take It or Just […]

If you are an independent business owner, you are most likely also an independent business seller–if not now, you will be somewhere down the road.  The Small Business Administration reports that three to five years is a long enough stretch for many business owners and that one in every three plans to sell, many of […]

Selling your business doesn’t have to feel like online dating, but for many sellers this is exactly what it can feel like.  Many sellers are left wondering, “What exactly do buyers want to see in order to buy my company?”  Working with a business broker is an excellent way to take some of the mystery […]

“Independent business owner” is a phrase with two meanings.  Of course, it means being the owner of an independent business.  But another way to look at “independent business owner” is to let this phrase define the very personality of the person at the helm.  Independent.  Confident. Self-assured.  Strong-willed.  These are vital entrepreneurial attributes, but, ironically, […]