Archives for January 2021

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

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  While the survey at this point is quite outdated in terms of the timeline, there are still many valuable nuggets of information to be gleaned from it.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...]