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]
Badly Overpriced BusinessesPublished September 11, 2016 | By Achim Neumann, President Some sellers prefer a strategy of initiallyoverpricing a business, then backing down the pricing curve until the market responds to a given asking price. “Everybody is familiar with the saying ‘We can always reduce the price but can never go up,’” says Achim Neumann, President, A Neu... [read more]
Deals That Fall ApartPublished August 8, 2016 | By Achim Neumann, President Once an investor has reviewed the prospectus and met with the business owner, and both parties have agreed upon an offer to purchase, the deal is 90% done, right? Wrong! “We frequently see business owners and business buyers feeling somewhat relieved once an offer has been agreed upon,” ... [read more]
The Acquisition Lender – The Party With Most Impact On A Business SalePublished June 12, 2016 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentThere are many situations in which a business buyer and business owner reach an agreement to transfer a business, but ultimately fail to have the proper acquisition funding in place to actually close the deal. “We frequently experience scenarios where a business buyer is motivated to move f... [read more]
Save The Commissions – Forget the Advisor!Published March 8, 2016 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentNot surprisingly, the value of an M&A Advisor or business broker is often questioned. The intuitive reaction of a business owner is to question the commissions involved in selling a business and to try to avoid such “cost items.” “Rarely, though, does a business owner take into account t... [read more]
A Breach Of Confidentiality Could Spell DisasterPublished February 9, 2016 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentUndoubtedly, maintaining confidentiality throughout the process of selling a business is one of the most important aspects of a business transaction. Some contend that confidentiality is THE most important aspect, often even exceeding the value determination. Why so? “Simply stated,” says Fran... [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]
The Business Seller’s ChecklistPublished December 8, 2015 | By Gary Herviou, Vice PresidentSuccessfully selling a business is a unique and challenging project to say the least. A business owner must have many things in place in order to have a high probability of an efficient transfer and exit from their own company. According to Achim Neumann, President of A Neumann & Associates, LLC... [read more]
Increase Transaction Value When Selling A BusinessPublished November 9, 2015 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentBy Achim Neumann A significant portion of our efforts have been to develop “Strategic Business Valuations” for owners. “In other words,” says Achim Neumann, President A Neumann & Associates, LLC, a full-service M&A advisor and business brokerage firm based in Atlantic Highlands, New... [read more]
The Hidden Wall Street Impact on Main Street TransactionsPublished October 12, 2015 | By Achim Neumann, President By Achim Neumann Frequently, we see business owners attempting to “time” the sale of their businesses, motivated by factors like personal lifestyle, tax considerations, business seasonality, or a desire to finish a project before selling. “Over and over, we have cautioned business owners... [read more]
Asking Price Premiums with a Business BrokerPublished September 7, 2015 | By Frank Arcoleo, Managing Director Two months ago, I talked about how our biggest competitor in business transitions turns out to be the owner’s kids. Last month, I let everybody know that our second-biggest competitor is “nobody.” Many small business owners are determined to sell a businesses on their own in order to avo... [read more]
Helping Out Our Biggest Competitors – the Kids!Published July 13, 2015 | By Frank Arcoleo, Managing DirectorBy Frank Arcoleo, one of Neumann and Associates premier M&A Advisors I’m often asked who our competition is. There are other M&A advisors out there, some smaller and some larger. And although I’ve met a few of them, I’ve rarely, if ever, run across any of them in dealings with pro... [read more]
A Failed Direct Deal?Published April 8, 2014 | By Achim Neumann, President Quite often our firm is hired to establish a value for a company through an independent accredited fair market valuation, but then we find the company’s owner attempting to sell the company on his own. “The concept of ’doing a deal‘ directly might be enticing and perceived as a good way to ... [read more]
The Top 5 Mistakes In Selling A BusinessPublished October 8, 2013 | By Achim Neumann, President Quite often, business owners attempt to sell their company “on their own” once they are ready to retire. However, the process of selling a business is fraught with unknowns that make it so difficult – often with far reaching negative impact. “There is no question that it appears tempting to... [read more]
Optimism On Main Street?Published September 10, 2013 | By Achim Neumann, President “The overall economic outlook is unexceptional, but Main Street is more confident about the future than it has been in years” concludes a recent Wall Street Journal Article [WSJ August 29, 2013]. These findings are supported by a WSJ/Vistage survey as well as a Wells Fargo/Gallup poll, which in... [read more]
Selling Your Business to Fund RetirementPublished August 5, 2013 | By Michael Gersten, Managing Director Many business owners plan to use their current business as their future retirement account. What we mean by that is that most of a business owner’s net worth is usually tied up in the business and when it comes time to actually retire, one simply coverts that business value to a retirement inco... [read more]