When it comes to buying, owning, or selling a business
You want to be in the 10% that get it rightYou only get one shot at a million-dollar investment.
Owning a small business can be very lucrative and very rewarding personally. It is also a great platform to achieve your real goals: family, community, life interests.
But if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
This site provides resources to help you learn more about what makes a business valuable and enjoyable (and some cautionary tales of how to avoid turning it into an endless nightmare).
DISCLAIMER: This site provides business advisory services prior to taking action to actually buy or sell a business. I conduct business brokerage activities through Transworld Business Advisors. If you want to make sure you know what you are getting into with those critical transactions, this site provides resources to help you find out. When you ARE ready to buy and sell, I will refer you to Transworld (or you are free to engage a broker of your choice).
Welcome to Business Value Booster LLC !
I’m Douglas Brown
I’m a business advisor, appraiser, and broker.
My mission is to help you
-
Buy the right business for you
-
Operate a business that you can enjoy and earn enough to meet your objectives, and
-
Become one of the 6% of owners who are able to sell when they want or need to
Buying a Business
Owning a solid small business can be profitable and psychically rewarding. But if it isn’t a good fit for you, it can be soul-sucking and leave you deeply in debt. Are you cut out for this?
It’s also the largest investment you’ll even make. It’s probably a good idea to know what you are getting into.
Owning a Business
Do you own your business, or does it own you?
(Clue: If you’re working over 48 hours per week, or haven’t been able to take a 4-week vacation, it owns you.)
You can turn that around without turning the business upside down. More profitable, more enjoyable. Why would you wait?
Selling Your Business
Someday will come, usually long before you expect. An astonishing 87 percent of owners will be unable to sell and must simply close up shop, because they just aren’t ready.
Avoid joining that 87% Club! Be in the 6 percent that get a fair or great price.
Valuing a Business
Lenders and attorneys may require a certified appraisal of the business, much more demanding (and expensive) than a one-hour automated Broker Opinion. Find out which one meets your need.
Why Pay For Help?
-
- Isn’t everything on the internet free?
- No. and what is free is often garbage. Not a good way to start of a million-dollar investment.
- Coaches and brokers don’t work for free. Nor do you!
- If you do, that business isn’t going to be worth much. Maybe we should start by helping with that.
- Here are some reasons why you might want to get some help
- Isn’t everything on the internet free?
Even the top performers in the world have coaches.
Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan had coaches. 50% of Fortune 500 CEOs have coaches. A coach helps you see what you missed while you were immersed in playing the game, and helps keep you on task to do what you know is needed (but not urgent or not always fun)
You're not the next Steve Jobs
Sorry, but you’re not that 1 in a million person for whom things just turn out magically. You’re going to need help to make things work out the way you want (and BTW, Jobs had a coach too).
You only get one shot
Very few people buy, own, and sell more than one business. You need your one choice to be the right choice. A neutral observer who does know what they are doing can help you make sure that your one and only move is the best possible move.
You've never done this before
You didn’t think buying or selling a multimillion dollar investment was simple? There are a lot of steps you must get right, several legal requirements, and there’s a lot of money involved. You don’t want to try flying this by the seat of your pants.
Most (over 80%) of buyers and sellers fail
It’s a scary market. Most people who want to buy business cannot, because they aren’t realistic (many of those who buy one anyway end up in deep trouble). Most owners who want to sell their businesses cannot do so, because the business wasn’t prepared, and now it is too late. Actually, it isn’t that hard to succeed – if you know how.
What You Should Know About Me
At West Point, the most important trait you can have is absolute honesty. When you have your life savings on the line, you need someone who is going to tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear.
For over 25 years, I’ve helped executives improve their organizations and their results. I’ve been a business broker on both buyer and seller side in over 100 transactions. I’ve also owned and sold my own business. I’ve walked your mile, and I’ve also learned a few tricks along the way.
I strive for quality, not volume. I don’t take on more clients than I can handle, and I only work with those who are serious about their goals or their businesses. If that’s you, choose one of the action buttons above and let’s see if I’m the right person to help you set and meet your goals!
Success Stories
The owner of a brewery had lost money for years; it was worth nothing but what the equipment would fetch at auction. We worked to find a way to generate added revenue from the customers who came in, and to improve the direction and results of the marketing efforts. Eventually the owner chose to decline an offer to purchase for $200,000 because, on top of now making money, the business had started to be fun again!
A consulting company owner went through cycles of fast growth followed by burnout. She wanted to sell but the company was worth very little. She worked with me to qualify additional staff to deliver the programs and to shift her focus to building new customer relationships. Today the business would sell for $1 million – but now she doesn’t want to!
The owner of a very small tour guide company was literally carrying the business to the dumpster. Instead, we worked to solidify the roles of the team so as not to depend on the owner to operate, which then allowed additional sales of related items. It didn’t turn into a Fortune 500 company, but it did provide a nice check at closing – way better than throwing it all in the dumpster!
We Wrote The Book
You can buy these on Amazon if you like. Or you can download them from this site as PDFs. Whatever works for you.
The Business Value Booster Method
How to earn more profit, get more time for yourself, and make it more valuable when you do decide to sell.
You Only Get One Shot
Selling a small business is not simple or easy. Learn the many steps you’ll need to know, and decide for yourself whether to risk everything by going it alone, or whether to get some help from someone who knows what they are doing.
The Goldmine on the Corner
You’re about to invest maybe $1 million but you don’t know how to do it or evaluate the investment. What could go wrong? Find out whether you’re a good candidate to own a business, and how to decide which particular busines is right for you.