I sold several businesses after running them for many years. I now help other business owners find the right buyers for their companies. Finding the right buyer is a daunting process, not unlike finding love. I know a little something about that as well. I found myself single after 25 years of marriage and re-entered the dating marketplace. I found the perfect match after a lot of dates. There are some remarkable similarities between selling a business and looking for love. In both cases, you have to kiss a lot of frogs.

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#1 No Creative Addbacks

• Must be documented through IRS tax returns and/or interim financials.
• Allowable: nonworking friends and family on payroll if reported on W-2.
• Unusually high fees, legal or bad debt.
• Excessive owners compensation.
• Non-recurring expenses.
• Moving Costs.
• Product development expenses.

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Peter C. King, VR Business Brokers/Mergers & Acquisitions, CEO

Deals are being done in this today's M&A environment but due diligence is more stringent and buyers want to buy companies that do not bleed red ink. This is certainly a positive trend (shouldn't M&A be about making smart deals?) However, when buying a cash-flow positive company, it can quickly become a negative cash flow company. How? Of course, sloppy integration is the main culprit.

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Too many owners are so focused on growing their businesses that planning for retirement and succession is put on the back burner. According to the FPA/CNBC Business Owner Succession Planning Survey, 78% of small-business-owner clients plan to sell their businesses to fund their retirement, yet fewer than 30% of these owners actually have a written succession plan. We have personally worked with the families of owners who have become disabled or passed away unexpectedly, and have seen the struggle and stresses that they have to endure to ensure that their businesses do not liquidate for a fraction of their previous value.

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This is a thirty-year-old business with three distinctive profit centers which include manufacturing of material handling equipment for new construction, a retro-fit application repair and parts business that includes many repeat customers and an inspection/compliance/testing division to assist their clients in meeting annual requirements for OSHA compliance. 

Due to the company's focus on solving problems and providing excellent customer service their customer bases of 650 continues to grow. The business has a longstanding history of profitability with few competitors in a niche market. 

This precision CNC contracted manufacturer has been in business for over fifty years with a client base, primarily in the aerospace and semiconductor equipment market and recently sold for $1,100,000. Most of the company's business was based on repeat orders for component parts. The company was responsive to its' customers and adapted to changing industry needs to stay competitive. 

Congratulations to Jeff Swiggett on a successful transaction! 

Small businesses make up over 56% of the annual U.S. GDP and every year a large amount of them change hands. VR is the industry leader in facilitating such transactions. Click here for more information on how to join VR.