Articles
Categories: Planning to Sell | Ready to Sell | Valuation
Middle Market M&A Link Roundup: Issue #12
Saddle up! We’ve been riding the Interwebs on your behalf, searching for golden nuggets of small-business wisdom to share. All kidding aside, following are some of the best articles we’ve run across on selling a business, buying a business, business valuation,...
Show Your Business Some Love: Get A Valuation
We're big fans of spreading the love when it comes to arming business owners with useful information. We do this at Allan Taylor not only by creating original content on our blog, but also by sharing great articles about M&A and business valuation written by...
3 Lessons Learned From A Decade In M&A
There’s something about the ten-year mark that makes one pause and look inward. I’m not sure the exact day I set foot in the M&A industry. Perhaps it was the day in 2005, when Chris and I started talking about selling our own business. Or maybe it was the day in...
Why M&A People Make Me Cranky [Interview]
I first met Josh Patrick in 2009 when I was writing a blog for the New York Times. We quickly connected based on our shared attitudes around small business -- namely the need for owners to create a business with transferrable value, and to be more proactive about...
8 Frightening Things Every Business Owner Has Survived
Owning a business comes with several rites of passage. Some milestones arrive with a sense of pride and euphoria. It feels amazing to land your first big customer, break a sales record, earn recognition in your industry or the press. During these moments you’re on top...
The Real Reason Entrepreneurs Don’t Take Vacations
Between 2003 and 2008 my husband Chris and I did the following: moved halfway across the country, had two children, started three businesses and sold one of them. Those years were a blur, but I don't remember taking a vacation longer than three days. By the time we...
4 Stubborn Myths About Selling Your Business
On a good day the cloud of misinformation surrounding the process of selling your business is irritating. On a bad day it is infuriating. I was recently helping a business owner prepare his business for an eventual sale. The first exercise we went through was...
3 Principles Of Timing The Sale Of Your Business
There are a lot of messages out there about selling your business, some of them accurate, some laughable and others dangerous. One of my least favorite messages -- often employed by business brokers trying to get listings -- is the “we get you top dollar” promise....
Middle Market M&A Link Roundup: Issue #11
Following are some of the best articles we've run across on selling a business, buying a business, business valuation, building value in your business, and other helpful advice on middle market M&A. Enjoy! Investment bankers don’t have magic words Beware of any...
How to “Wow” Buyers with Budgets and Forecasts
Occasionally we ask an expert to share their insights on a specific topic that contributes to business value and sellability. Today we’re fortunate to have Ian Smith -- founder of The Portfolio Partnership and author of Fulfilling the Potential of Your Business: Big...
Why 1Q is the Perfect Time for a Business Valuation
Does the following scenario sound familiar? Once a year you get a statement in the mail. You eagerly anticipate its arrival. The contents of this envelope will tell you if your biggest investment -- your business -- has increased in value over the past twelve months....
Book Review: Finish Big by Bo Burlingham
If you’ve ever perused Amazon.com or your local bookstore looking for information on how to exit your business, you’ve probably come up with a short list of resources. While there are countless titles about starting and running a business, there are precious few that...