A New York Times blogger writes about the sale of a business that ended in disaster. Despite all of the details provided, it’s hard to know exactly what went wrong and why. Regardless, it’s a great opportunity to try and learn from someone else’s experience and avoid repeating these three mistakes.
Category Archives: Building Value
7 things to do before signing a Letter of Intent
If you have ever promised your child a treat in return for good behavior, you know all about negotiating leverage. When selling an attractive business, you also have leverage — but only up to the point where you sign a letter of intent (LOI). Here are seven things you can do — before you even put your business up for sale, and before signing an LOI — to minimize the chances of your deal dragging on for months and becoming watered down.
Protecting the resale value of your business
How is that we’ve been trained to think of certain things like cars and homes in terms of resale value, but not our most valuable asset: our business? Even if you have no plans to sell today, or in the short term, or ever, it is good to get in the habit of protecting the resale value of your business.
Is a Knowledge-Based Business Sellable?
To grow a valuable business – one you can sell – you need to set up your company so that it is no longer reliant on you. This can be easier said than done, especially when, like a PR consultant or plumber, what you are selling is your expertise.
Four Ways to Protect Your Turf
Big companies lock out their competitors by out-slugging them in capital infrastructure investments, but smaller businesses have to be smarter about how they defend their turf. Here are four ways to deepen and widen the protective moat around your business.



