Tag Archive for: Vision

Decoding Business Sale Values: A Strategic Approach

Increasingly with the transition of the Baby Boomers into retirement, more and more business owners are considering the sale of their business. This is a very important event, as it allows them to unlock the investment which they have built up in their business over time and assists with funding their retirement. The key question is generally – “how much is it worth?”

We have appraised many businesses as part of our business brokering – so we know that there are many different “value” numbers in use in the market. They include;

  1. The wish value – the value
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Unlocking Business Value: Every Business is Saleable

Essentially every business is saleable; it’s simply the sale value and terms which vary. The issue faced by many business owners is that the sale value/terms available, are significantly lower than they had hoped for.

So if you are seeking a sale exit from your business – you really have the following options available;

  • Sale to the Open Market
  • Break up and sale of the components (essentially a liquidation of the business for its raw assets)
  • Sale to associated entities / employees

Each of these have merit, but come with different costs and benefits which need to be carefully considered … Read More

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Enhancing Business Efficiency in Small Enterprises

Improvement in efficiency has been an age old quest in business, as it has enabled either more to be achieved with less effort, or for the same amount of effort, but faster with more profit.

For many reading this article, the phone or tablet you are using provides you with a more effective use of your time – as you can read this on the run. Five years ago, you would have needed to be at a computer, 10-15 years ago you would have needed to go and buy a magazine.

Increased efficiency has a variety of potential benefits, including; … Read More

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Unveiling Business Trends & Patterns: A Simple Game or More?

Business trend analysis is a serious analytical technique used in countless different forms of analysis. Yet for most business owners, finding the time to complete a simple Sudoku puzzle is hard enough – let alone undertake any form of formal business review.

My point – and the point of this article, is that if you do have the time to complete a simple Sudoku puzzle, then you also have the ability to transfer some Sudoku disciplines into a more effective business management process.

Skeptical? – read on for a few minutes and then I’m happy for you to … Read More

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A 9-Point Test for Evaluating Viable Product Ideas

We have all had them, the “business epiphanies” or “golden ideas” which come to us over the weekend whilst swinging a golf club, doing laps in the pool or just mowing the grass. In the moment….. these new product or service ideas are the perfect combination of simplicity, profitability and marketing brilliance.

By Monday morning these moments of creative thinking have….started to tarnish….with some more considered thought seeing a gap or two appear. By Wednesday, most of these ideas have been discounted and by Friday, are all but forgotten.

Would we have been better off not having … Read More

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The 10 Commandments of Business: Guiding Principles for Success

Many business owners are time poor and simply don’t find the time to read the more comprehensive articles. So if you are looking for a bunch of potent tips for your business – then this short article is for you. 

Aptly named the 10 Commandments of Business, these are 10 activities which will add bottom line value to every business.

Thou shalt…

  1. … plan for the business. This should be aligned to a clear vision of what the business is seeking to achieve, along with its key strategies and measures to get there.
  2. … understand your cashflow. Cash is
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The Importance of Having a Business Plan: Avoiding Failure

“Fail to plan is planning to fail” – Winston Churchill.

Even though this well used line receives universal acceptance in conversation……. few businesses “walk the talk”.

If fact, based on a number of recent business reviews it’s obvious that more planning goes into an overseas holiday, than many business owners put into planning for the success of their business.

Few businesses were actively “not planning”, with the majority either not having the time or seeing it as a low yield activity. This finding did not just apply across business planning, but equally to marketing, employees, sales and cashflow … Read More

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The Factor of Time: Understanding its Role in Business Success

Time is a precious commodity and one not to be squandered. Often time…..is the critical factor between success and failure.

In prior blogs I have made references to how important time is in finance, and then more generally – to business viability. If your business is running tight – with losses or cashflow gaps starting to show, then this article will provide you 10 reasons to take corrective action now.

– Interest 

The greater the duration of a loan, the larger the interest cost to your business. Miss a payment or exceed your approved limited you only increase your interest … Read More

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Playing Business Decisions Forward Three Hands: A Strategic Approach

Many strategies and decisions are made “in the moment” – considering only todays issues with little thought given to the flow on effects or impacts.

Consider for a moment what this could look like in a practical business context;

Problem: Business is going well with a large volume of short term contracts driving the existing business resources very hard.

Solution: Hire some additional staff to do the excess work – problem solved!

At a high level the problem is solved, as the problem of having too much work for the existing staff has been covered by bringing … Read More

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