Category: Negotiating & Structuring The Deal

I have told the following story hundreds of times during seminars I used to conduct about strategies to use when buying a business. I was representing a seller in a transaction. He was highly motivated to sell due to a…

I always find it odd when a seller tells me that an offer they received is “insulting”. Unless they have specifically told a buyer their exact bottom-line and non-negotiable purchase price, terms, deal structures and contingencies, why or how can…

I have heard it a thousand times from sellers: "if word gets out that my business is for sale I am doomed". True? Not necessarily. Sure there are some highly sensitive industries where it can cause a problem but it's…

The thought of buying a business and investing what is for most people their life’s savings to do so can obviously be a very scary thought. It is so important for a seller to keep this in mind when dealing…

In every potential business sale, sellers and buyers always have an issue or two that for them is a "deal-breaker". Sometimes, these issues are not that significant or even logical to the opposite party, yet, they can easily become deal…

In many small businesses, the owner is often the truly key employee responsible for driving the sales and profits. In fact, a quandary many buyers face is with situations where the owner is “the business” however, there are situations where…

In every business for sale transaction, regardless of the size of the business, there is a long list of items that require negotiation between the parties. These include deal pricing and terms, lease assignments, deal structure, valuation, financial components, non-compete…

There was a very interesting political event last week which serves as a great lesson for the negotiation stage when buying a business. In case you missed it, President Obama hosted the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The day prior,…

In a recent blog post I had a bullet point that indicated everything is negotiable when buying a business. It still amazes me how many deals fail to get done simply because the parties lack negotiating experience. Often, inexperienced business…

Recent blog posts elicited some very interesting comments as I have been touching upon the current market to buy a business. Besides the usual concerns expressed by buyers, brokers and sellers about the economy’s overall impact on the business for…