Regardless of the type of business you have, there are fundamental issues that business owners will confront.  This article addresses those issues.

When considering the sale of your business, it is important to make your business as attractive as possible in order to increase the value.  This article outlines the key indicators that establish value in your business.

Experienced intermediaries list several key factors from the buyer’s side, most of which are necessary for a successful closing.

When one sells their house, the best deal is usually the highest price. When one decides to sell their business, there may be other factors to consider. Many buyers are similar to the “overlooked” buyer described below, serious and qualified; and most sales of businesses are win-win transactions. However, there are a few exceptions, and sellers should consider them carefully, balancing their prerequisites to the goals of the buyer.

Health insurance is, by far, the No. 1 benefit college graduates are looking for when considering employment. Enclosed are the rankings from a study by the Employee Research Institute and Matthew Greenwald & Associates.

The key factors outlined in this article not only build value, but they also increase the bottom line. If you are considering selling your company at some point, these key issues will come back many-fold in the selling price.

The median sales of a company going public has gone from an average $15 million in 1999 and 2000 to $164 million in 2004. Smaller companies have decided not to go public as often as in years past, and reap the quick – and cheap – money as a result of that decision. The question is why.

Every company has weaknesses; the trick is to fix them. There is a saying that the test of a good company president or CEO is what happens to the company when he or she leaves. Some companies--on paper--may look the same, but one may be much more valuable due to weaknesses in the other. Not all problems or weaknesses can be resolved or fixed, but most can be mitigated.

Acquiring companies often rely on the experience and knowledge of the acquired business's executives.  Sellers, therefore, can make their business more attractive to buyers by providing incentives for key managers to "buy in" to the sale and stay with the company.  Phantom stock options and nonqualified deferred compensation are two such incentives.

When owners decide to sell their business, the company is rarely prepared for intense buyer scrutiny.  This article highlights some of the best methods of getting a business into sell-shape, including updating marketing materials, reviewing contracts, cleaning up facilities and weeding out marginal managers.

Financial and legal aspects of an acquisition often get all the attention, letting operational due diligence fall by the wayside.  If performed properly, however, a thorough operations review can result in significant savings of time and money - preventing a bad acquisition and helping to facilitate post-merger integration.  Areas focus should include the target's management team, customers, vendors, inventory and processes and procedures.

Many negotiations end with a winner and loser, and at least one party leave the table feeling the resolution has failed to meet his or her needs.  In contrast, a principled negotiation benefits both parties, producing a "win-win" result.  This article explains how to conduct a principled merger or acquisition deal negotiation following such guidelines as focusing on interests, not positions, and insisting on objective criteria.

Articles in the Summer 2005 issue include:

Key Succession Planning Considerations for Family Business Owners
Easing the Squeeze on Employees During Due Diligence
Adjust the Frame
How to Achieve Post Merger Success

Articles from the Winter 2006 issue include:

Both Sides Win in Principled Deal Negotiation
Don't Skip Your Homework
Start Preparing Your Business For Buyer Scrutiny Now
Compensations Plans: A Less Obvious But Important Acquisition Issue

Articles from the Fall 2005 issue are as follows:

Due Diligence - Do It Now
What is Your Company Really Worth?
Is Your Company Hiding an "Orphan"?

Articles from the Summer 2005 issue as as follows:

What are Your Company's Weaknesses? 
Small Company Growth Trends 
Keys to Improving the Value of Your Company

Editor’s Comments: Growing from business brokerage to selling companies in the middle market requires a different methodology of transacting deals. Whether you are a buyer or a seller or an M&A intermediary, it is important to understand the difference especially when it involves valuation and structuring issues.

This article is about Carpenter Hawke & Co., which was founded in 1992 as a business brokerage company in Boston selling companies on average for less than a million dollars. Now, twelve years later, they have successfully transitioned their M&A practice selling companies with revenue range between $2 to $20 million. Further, this article is about the differences between the brokerage and middle market M&A practices and specifically how Carpenter Hawke & Co. made the respective changes for their larger clientele.

The article "What's it worth to get the right valuation for your firm?"  published by Boston Business Journal features Brace Carpenter of Carpenter Hawke & Co.

Articles from the Winter 2005 Issue include:

What Sellers Don't Expect When Selling Their Companies 
Choose Outside Advisors Carefully 
When is a Company in Trouble? 
The Offering Memorandum
A Board of Advisors

Articles in this issue include:

Simplifying the Valuation
Checklist for the Valuation
Learn the Dynamics and Save the Deal
Expediting Change Post Closing