The Industry Specialist – A Poor ChoicePublished March 11, 2018 | By Achim Neumann, President“Only an industry specialist in the Mergers & Acquisition field can sell our company, nobody else,” – sentiments quite often expressed by business sellers. “Nothing can be further from the truth than such statements,” says Achim Neumann, President, A Neumann & Associates, LLC, ... [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]
Valuation On-Hand – What Does A Business Owner Need An Advisor For To Sell The Business?Published July 10, 2017 | By Achim Neumann, President“At times, after we have completed a business valuation, a business owner feels there is no need for an advisor anymore in selling his or her business,” says Achim Neumann, President, A Neumann & Associates, LLC, a leading New Jersey-based mergers & acquisitions and business brokerag... [read more]
Is Confidentiality Even Relevant in Selling a Business?Published April 10, 2017 | By Achim Neumann, PresidentTransactions in small to mid-sized businesses must be kept confidential. In particular, every effort must be undertaken to keep a pending sale unknown to competitors. But even the circle of employees in the need-to-know realm should be limited to an absolute minimum of the most trusted team member... [read more]
What Makes Business Buyers Walk – Out?Published March 13, 2017 | By Achim Neumann, President(Excerpt of the forthcoming book ‘The Road Beyond’) Recently, many buyers with strong résumés in the corporate environment have come into the business-buying market. These buyers often have significant IRA or 401k accounts that can be dissolved tax free under current IRS rules, with the funds ... [read more]
The ABCs Of Selling A BusinessPublished January 16, 2017 | By Glen Michalske, Managing DirectorAfter years of sweat equity, careful investments, fighting with banks and government regulations, you’ve built your business into a successful venture. However, for whatever reason, it is time to move on. There is a litany of methods to divest your business; however, the most popular way t... [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]
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]