Getting the Most from a Business SalePublished November 12, 2020 | By Frank Arcoleo, Vice PresidentMany small business owners are determined to sell their businesses on their own in order to avoid paying a commission. That’s understandable – sellers want as much money as possible from the sale of what is likely to be his or her biggest asset. They think they know one or more individuals t... [read more]
How to Best Acquire a BusinessPublished October 16, 2020 | By Karin Neumann, Managing DirectorBuying an existing business starts with choosing the right type of business. As a first step, the investor should choose an industry he/she is familiar with and which best matches existing skills and prior experience. This will shorten the learning curve after taking over from the previous owner. ... [read more]
Coronavirus – The Perfect Storm – Part 2Published May 10, 2020 | By Frank Arcoleo, Vice PresidentLast month’s blog by our CEO, Achim Neumann, President of A Neumann & Associates, LLC, a New Jersey based mergers & acquisitions and business brokerage firm, was probably the most widely read and discussed blog we’ve ever produced in the past fifteen years. A number of our readers aske... [read more]
Coronavirus – The Perfect StormPublished April 5, 2020 | By Achim Neumann, President In these times of great uncertainty, we would like to give our clients some guidance as to what we see in the mergers & acquisitions and business brokerage market going forward. Without stating the obvious, the arrival of the coronavirus, the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and an... [read more]
Be Ready for Due-Diligence!Published November 3, 2019 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentOne of the great “mysteries” in transferring a business is the due-diligence process. Whereas business owners often have a fairly clear concept of a buyer interview and the transfer process, it’s the due-diligence process that makes many of them cringe. “Business owners are somewhat concerne... [read more]
Smart Transition ManagementPublished May 12, 2019 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentMost entrepreneurs start a business because they know something about a particular industry, its practices, its products and services, and its customers. Generally, they believe they can do whatever it takes to match or beat competitors profitably and successfully. Many new businesses don’t su... [read more]
5 Essential Secrets In Selling A BusinessPublished April 7, 2019 | By Achim Neumann, President This month, we will touch upon five essential secrets to make a business sale to a new owner successful. “Needless to say, there are many ingredients for a smooth transfer, “says Achim Neumann, President, A Neumann & Associates LLC, a New Jersey based Mergers & Acquisitions advisory and... [read more]
Bad Documents To Sell A Privately Held BusinessPublished March 10, 2019 | By Achim Neumann, President Last month, we discussed the right timing to sell a business within the context of macro-economic cycles and the lifestyle preferences of the business owner, we want to focus this month on the right timing within a calendar year. “’Quite often, we see the New Year’s resolution put into... [read more]
What Drives Value Creation in a Turnaround SituationPublished July 15, 2018 | By Tom Hewlett, Managing DirectorIs your company facing a turnaround? To answer that question, perhaps we should first define a turnaround. According to Investopedia, “A turnaround is the financial recovery of a company that has been performing poorly for an extended period of time. To effect a turnaround, a company must ackn... [read more]
A Buyer’s Top Five Mistakes When Buying a BusinessPublished June 10, 2018 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentOver the years, we have seen certain buy-side mistakes that recur again and again. Here is a list of some of the more common problems seen over the years. #1 – Insufficient Information Verification Important information about the business should be verified, in particular as it relates to trend li... [read more]
Not A Penny More!Published May 13, 2018 | By Achim Neumann, President“Not a penny more” or “this is the percentage commission I’m willing to pay out, and not a point more!”- familiar words every business owner has heard in the past from one of the business’ customers. What do you do? Whereas this negotiation approach might be viable in an ongoing business... [read more]
Post-Closing Business Seller Liabilities When Transferring A CompanyPublished February 12, 2018 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentImage from Alpha Stock Images CC license Approximately 8 out of 10 businesses fail within the first 18 months; only 4% make it to $1M in revenue and only 0.4% to $10M, according to Forbes. Thus, for any business owner having succeeded among the 500,000+ businesses started each year and come to the p... [read more]
The Three Most Important Aspects Business Buyers SeekPublished October 9, 2017 | By Achim Neumann, President Assuming a particular industry has been pre-selected, there are several criteria that an investor is seeking when evaluating various businesses to purchase within that industry. “It is important for a business seller to know these criteria” says Achim Neumann, President, A Neumann & Associa... [read more]
Poor Legal & Accounting AdvicePublished September 11, 2017 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentPoor Legal & Accounting AdviceOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA A typical sale of a business is not simply facilitated by a business broker or M&A advisor. “As a matter of fact, a successful transfer is always a team approach” says Achim Neumann, President, A Neumann & Associates, LLC, a leading New Jersey-based mergers & a... [read more]
A Good Business Buyer IntroductionPublished October 9, 2016 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentRegardless of how successful a business is managed, business owners often express quite a bit of anxiety when meeting the first potential buyer for their business. “There is no question, these folks are quite nervous before the first meeting, as they don’t know what to expect,” says Achim Neum... [read more]
An Unsolicited Offer – What NOT to DoPublished January 11, 2016 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentIt takes planning to successfully sell a business, and one of the most “unplanned” events is an unsolicited offer. “As a matter of fact, we often experience business owners requiring our services due to an unexpected offer,” says Achim Neumann, President, A Neumann & Associates, LLC, a N... [read more]