Business Meeting Notes

What will be the most likely exit scenario from your business when the time comes? If you own a small business, what will your last day at work be like? What is your exit strategy? The answer hinges on whether your exit will be by design or by default. To exit your business by design […]

Sudden wealth can be a life-changing experience that can improve your life and the lives of those around you, but only if you keep it. Those with more assets are bigger targets for lawsuits. Don’t let your sudden wealth suddenly get stripped from you. Protect your assets before you get the windfall and you will […]

Finger Pressing Button on Calculator

There are three main strategies business owners can (and should) use in order to maximize the amount of money they put in their pockets when they sell their companies. Your business is your livelihood. It may also be your family’s source of revenue. So if you are planning to sell the business, you will want […]

printing calculator

“There are things you can do to minimize—or with the right set of facts—eliminate taxes,” says Timothy Jessell, a tax lawyer with Greenberg Traurig in Tysons Corner, VA whose client base is people buying and selling companies. In one case, a client who is selling his consulting company will save $3.8 million in taxes “simply […]

colorful art

All too often, an entrepreneur convinces himself no one will notice these issues and, once the sale is finalized, they all will be resolved. But as deals are negotiated between buyers and sellers, these top five truths surface over and over again. If you are a business owner and thinking of selling … are you ready? […]

Senior Couple on Computer

There any many reasons why patriarchs and matriarchs often have great difficulty letting go of the power and ownership of the family business. These may include (as with Queen Elizabeth) a fierce sense of duty, intense popularity, deep familiarity with the business, a desire to complete the heroic mission, and, not uncommonly, an unconscious fear […]

Business Handshake

Every year, I used to get together with a client who was a business owner, and every year I would ask him, “Bruce, have you told your guys that you want them to buy the business?” He had a plan that he would eventually sell his contracting business to his senior executives, but he had […]

Dunce Holding Paper Money

Failure isn’t something that most people plan for and that’s a serious mistake. Small business owners know more than anyone about the realities of bankruptcy, either in the form or near-misses or through personal experience. Consequently, no one needs to protect their assets quite as thoroughly or understand bankruptcy like a small business owner. If […]

Two women having a discussion and sharing information during a business meeting. Shallow depth of field.

If selling your business is any part of your retirement plan, Mr. Gerber said, it is essential to know what your business is worth. And it is important to start tracking its value long before you plan to sell. As a business owner, your business and your life are pretty hard to separate. The odds […]

Woman taking a picture of themselves

There’s never a good or easy time to talk with older parents about their finances and estate plans. But taking advantage of a relaxing moment –well before problems arise – can improve the odds of success. If you are heading out for vacation with your elderly loves ones, you may picture some relaxing time by […]