A small increase in what you charge for your goods and services can make a tremendous difference to your bottom line. The fact is that many businesses could charge more for their goods and services than they do, but fail to do so. Owners often do not realize the great value of charging just one-percent more. In this article, we’ll explore how charging even slightly more can dramatically impact your business. Let’s consider a hypothetical example. A business owner tells a potential buyer that he or she could safely increase their prices by 1.5% and do so without the price increase causing any negative impact to sales or business disruption. The savvy buyer quickly realizes that the business, which has $70 million in sales, is leaving $1 million dollars on the table by not increasing its prices by 1.5%. A smart buyer realizes that after purchasing the business, all he or she has to do is institute this small price increase in order to achieve a sizable increase in profits. In his … [Read more...]
3 Steps for Achieving Pricing Power
The simple fact is that most of us want to control our own fate. This fact is especially true for entrepreneurs and business owners. However, the truth of the matter is that for most business owners, their fate isn’t completely in their own hands. For example, a variety of forces can prevent businesses from establishing their own prices. Knowing whether or not your company has pricing power is essential and can influence a range of decisions that you may make. Let’s take a closer look at what steps you can take to control your own pricing. What is Pricing Power? This economic term describes the effect of a change in a product price on the demanded quantity of said product. Your company’s pricing power is linked to the demand for your products or services. If you have a high level of pricing power, you can raise your prices over time and maintain your customers. Who Has the Greatest Pricing Power? It is no great secret that the Amazons, Apples, Wal-Marts and auto manufacturers … [Read more...]
John Warrilow’s The Art of Selling Your Business
John Warrilow is the founder of The Value Builder System and accomplished author. While not a business broker himself, Warrilow has gathered considerable knowledge and expertise on the industry. His previous book Built to Sell was listed as one of the best business books of 2011. In this article, we will explore some of the key points in Warrilow’s latest book, which is entitled The Art of Selling Your Business: Winning Strategies and Secret Hacks for Exiting on Top. This book was released on January 12th, 2021 and is proving to be invaluable for business owners. Selling When the Time is Right One key focal point of the book is that business owners should skip trying to find the perfect “magical time” to sell their business. Additionally, Warrilow notes, “I make the strong recommendation in the book that the best time to sell your company is not during some mysterious macroeconomic environment. It is when someone is willing to buy it and you get an offer. And that is because at … [Read more...]
Why Businesses Get Into Trouble
No two companies are quite alike, and this also means that there are many reasons why companies can fall into trouble. While the number of variables involved in operating a company are practically endless, there are a handful of reasons why companies can fall on hard times. Let’s take a closer look. Lacking Focus Companies that lack focus can often run into considerable trouble. Not understanding their customers and what they need or want can lead to endless problems. It is vital that companies frequently stop and assess who their customers are and whether or not they are properly servicing their needs. Management Problems Not too surprisingly, many companies can run into trouble because of poor management. Management problems are not one-dimensional, but instead take a variety of shapes. Management that isn’t focused, is incompetent, or simply doesn’t care about the business can translate into a business’s premature death. Under the umbrella of “management problems” also falls … [Read more...]
Maximizing Your Time by Rating Buyer Seriousness
Your time is your most valuable commodity. The simple fact of the matter is that many “buyers” are not truly buyers. In contrast, they are often window shopping or acting out a fantasy of buying a business. In other cases, they would only plan to buy if they were to find the “deal of the century.” The last thing you want to do is waste your time trying to work out deals with people who aren’t serious or qualified buyers. The Plus and Minus System The best way to find a serious buyer is to use a “plus and minus” system. This system will help you weed out the window-shoppers from buyers that are truly worth your time. First, let’s evaluate factors for which you’ll want to deduct points. If a buyer needed outside financing, then subtract 4 points. Likewise, if a buyer has been looking for 6 months or more, you’ll want to also subtract 4 points. If a buyer has no cash available, you should subtract 3 points. Additionally, if a buyer is currently working in the corporate world, … [Read more...]
Ownership Transition Survey Results on feedback and answers from family-owned businesses
Mass Mutual Life Insurance produced an ownership transition survey back about a decade ago. The survey results were based on feedback and answers from family-owned businesses. It produced some very interesting results, and is worth examining even today. While the survey at this point is quite outdated in terms of the timeline, there are still many valuable nuggets of information to be gleaned from it. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the numbers and what they can tell us for 2021 and beyond. While the Mass Mutual Life Insurance ownership transition survey had a range of important points, the one that leaps right off the page is the fact that a whopping 80% of family-owned businesses are still being controlled by their founders. A large percentage of those founders are Baby Boomers who will have little choice but to retire in the next few years. The survey indicated that 55% of CEOs over the age of 61 or older have yet to choose a successor. This fact serves to emphasize … [Read more...]
Ownership Transition Survey Results
Mass Mutual Life Insurance produced an ownership transition survey back about a decade ago. The survey results were based on feedback and answers from family-owned businesses. It produced some very interesting results, and is worth examining even today. While the survey at this point is quite outdated in terms of the timeline, there are still many valuable nuggets of information to be gleaned from it. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the numbers and what they can tell us for 2021 and beyond. While the Mass Mutual Life Insurance ownership transition survey had a range of important points, the one that leaps right off the page is the fact that a whopping 80% of family-owned businesses are still being controlled by their founders. A large percentage of those founders are Baby Boomers who will have little choice but to retire in the next few years. The survey indicated that 55% of CEOs over the age of 61 or older have yet to choose a successor. This fact serves to emphasize … [Read more...]
The Importance of Owner Flexibility
You shouldn’t expect to sell your company overnight. For every company that sells quickly, there are a hundred that take many months or even years to sell. Having the correct mindset and understanding of what you must do ahead of time to prepare for the sale of your company will help you avoid a range of headaches and dramatically increase your overall chances of success. First, and arguably most importantly, you must have the right frame of mind. Flexibility is a key attribute for any business owner looking to sell his or her business. There are many variables involved in selling a business, and that means much can go wrong. An inflexible owner can even irritate prospective buyers and inadvertently sabotage what could have otherwise been a workable deal. Be Flexible on Price A key part of being flexible is to be ready and willing to accept a lower price. There are many reasons why business owners may fail to achieve the price they want for their business. These factors range … [Read more...]
Getting the Most Out of Confidentiality Agreements
When it comes to buying or selling a business, there is no replacement for a solid confidentiality agreement. One of the key ways that business brokers and M&A advisors are able to help buyers and sellers alike is through their extensive knowledge of confidentiality agreements and how best to implement them. In this article, we will provide you with an overview of what you should expect out of your confidentiality agreements. A confidentiality agreement is a legal agreement that essentially forbids both buyers and sellers, as well as related parties such as agents, from disclosing information regarding the transition. It is a best practice to have a confidentiality agreement in place before discussing the business in any way and especially before divulging key information on the operation of the business or trade secrets. While a confidentiality agreement can be used to keep the fact that a business is for sale private, that is only a small aspect of what modern confidentiality … [Read more...]
How to Optimize Your Chances of Selling Your Business
The simple fact is that selling your business is likely to be the single most important financial decision you’ll ever make. With this important fact in mind, it is essential that you prepare far in advance. Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the key items you’ll want to check off your list before placing your business on the market. Think About Legalities When it comes to selling a business, legal issues should be at the forefront of your thoughts; after all, selling your business does involve the creation and execution of a complex and detailed legal agreement. There are many times in life where it is possible to cut corners, but hiring a good lawyer or law firm is not one of those times. Moreover, you’ll want to settle all litigation, environmental issues or other issues that could potentially derail a sale. Deal with Serious Buyers Working with a good business broker or M&A advisor is an essential part of the selling process, as these professionals will help you to … [Read more...]