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If you are considering selling your small to midsize business, you may already know that extensive financial information goes into constructing a deal. Appraisal and fair market values are two of these figures, which are fundamental in getting the most money for the company you have worked hard to build. Although these two numbers should ideally be the same, fluctuations in the market coupled with more subjective factors not found on paper often mean that it is different.
Why do people say cash is king when selling a business? And what does it really mean? “Cash is king” in the context of selling a business emphasizes the importance of cash flow and liquidity in determining the value and attractiveness of the company to potential buyers. Here are a few key reasons why cash is king when selling a business: 1.
Born and raised in Parkland, Florida, Jacob Middleton learned very early on the sacrifices a family will make for their business. Jacob lost his mother at a young age, just after his father opened his small optometry practice in Boca Raton. From then on, Jacob saw firsthand the challenges a parent can face to pursue successful business entrepreneurship for their family.
Reed Kelly’s journey from a small town in Tennessee to a Senior Advisor at Viking M&A is an inspiring one. He has navigated various challenges and changes in his career and emerged as a successful leader in the financial services and M&A industry. His story is a prime example of how hard work and a willingness to adapt can lead to success in any industry.
As an e-commerce business owner, you have likely noticed things run differently than in a traditional, brick-and-mortar organization. Lower overhead costs often mean increased profits, which the e-commerce sector has demonstrated with its substantial growth in recent years. However, you may wish to move on to a new opportunity or new field altogether, which means you want to sell your e-commerce business as painlessly as possible.
Deciding to sell your small business can be a complex journey. So, when it’s time to exit the organization that you put time and effort into growing, you want the process to be as smooth as possible. While no two business sales will look the same, any business owner can benefit from these practical steps to help find the right buyer and secure the best deal possible.
We wanted to share some important changes that the SBA has issued and what that means for both Buyers and Sellers. The SBA changed the conditions for a Seller Note to be considered part of the Buyers Equity Injection (aka Down Payment). Under the former guidelines, the seller note must be on Full Standby (no principle or interest payments) until the SBA Loan was paid in full.
We are committed to helping business owners achieve their desired exit. And we are committed enough to tell a client, “It is not the right time yet.” When working with an owner who wants to list their business with us, we are willing to recommend waiting. Why wouldn’t it be the right time to sell? There could be several reasons. That’s why we work with our sellers over the long term to identify areas where they can better maximize their business value and achieve their go
Along with his seven siblings, Jimmy Span watched his father work hard every day at a steady job to provide for the family. As a result, he learned the value of consistency, staying the course, and avoiding risk. Meanwhile, he saw his dad’s brother approach the world quite differently. Jimmy’s uncle was a lifelong risk-taker who became a Navy fighter pilot and, later, a successful investor.
Every year, millions of Americans give up their jobs in Corporate America to pursue the dream of owning a business. Deciding to buy and grow an existing business is a huge step for most entrepreneurs, and it can be incredibly gratifying. However, buying a business can take time and effort to navigate, especially for first-time entrepreneurs new to the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
Today’s small business owners face a challenging business landscape characterized by economic uncertainty and rapidly shifting political dynamics. Yet, despite these obstacles, new business owners are successfully paving their way to success by starting a new franchise, acquiring an existing business, or launching a venture from scratch. According to a Guidant Financial study , 33% of small business owners purchased an existing independent business, capitalizing on an established business
Everyone has heard the saying, “the best defense is a good offense.” It’s a mantra that can be applied to a variety of life experiences and has served many people well when using preemptive action to ensure long-term success. While selling a business probably isn’t the first scenario that comes to mind when you hear the phrase, it is definitely an appropriate mindset to have.
The best way to ensure a smooth business sale is to anticipate potential business deal breakers or deal killers and address them before it is time to close the deal. Our 5-part M&A Deal Killers series digs into the top business deal breakers in business sales and how you can identify, prevent, and resolve them. Today’s focus is Deal Killer #2: Unresolved Issues.
Financials, forecasts, and client concentrations are all critical components to facilitating a successful M&A transaction and showing buyers a business is a low-risk investment. In addition to these obvious factors, there are some lesser-known items that are just as important – and if not carefully curated prior to the deal closing, could sabotage a transaction or scare off the perfect buyer.
Deciding to move forward with selling your business can be tough – but also incredibly exciting! After years of building and growing your company, the time has come to begin working on an exit strategy that will benefit you, your business, and your future lifestyle. While exploring different exit options may feel daunting, rest assured that you are not alone, and this is a normal phase in the business owning life cycle.
Having a deal fall apart at the last minute is every business owner’s nightmare. But if you take the time to anticipate what could go wrong, you can have time to address and resolve potential issues. If you are not sure what to look for, know that you’re not alone. Most owners are just like you; they don’t know exactly what does or does not need to be done from a financial perspective to prepare to sell their business.
Growing the value of a business is a critical concern for any entrepreneur or business owner. Entrepreneurs commonly hear that a company will be worth 3-5x (or some other range of multiples) of the EBITDA or other financial indicators. But what differentiates earning the high end of that range from the low? And how can you move your business from 3x to 5x to 7x?
Mergers and acquisitions are generally most common in the technology, healthcare, financial services, and retail sectors. But some industries — including manufacturing and finance — saw more M&A action in 2022 than others. This shift resulted in a slight shuffling among the most sought-after business sectors in 2023. As the economy slowed, the end of 2022 saw reduced M&A activity across all industries compared to the final quarter of the previous six years.
At Viking Mergers & Acquisitions, we help people all over the Southeast as they prepare to exit a business or acquire a new one. Whether you’re looking for a business or a buyer, the Charleston, South Carolina, area should be on your shortlist. Last year’s 2022 Top States for Doing Business report from Area Development ranked South Carolina #3 overall.
Whether you’re buying or selling a business, it’s worth considering what’s happening in Richmond, VA, and across the Central and Southeastern Virginia regions. Many stellar colleges and universities in the area produce an incredible talent pool. The region also offers exceptional business development incentives for nearly every industry — some of the lowest rates for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance and a low state corporate tax rate of 6%, which hasn’t changed since 1972.
There is still time to take advantage of these tax credits on your 2022 filing. It is tax season, and as small business owners, we know what that means – how can we save some cash without raising red flags with the IRS? Every year, the IRS collects over $4.9 trillion in taxes; in 2021, $419 million came from businesses. At 35%, America has the highest corporate tax rates in the world’s economies.
The U.S. tax code can be dense and confusing, especially for businesses. There are many rules about which expenses you can write off and which don’t qualify. On top of that, only some expenses are fully deductible, while others are partially deductible. Although we cannot advise on your taxes, Viking Mergers & Acquisitions can connect you with a qualified tax professional.
As a former college basketball coach and the CFO of a small business, Jackson Payne has always had a passion for helping others achieve their goals. This passion has led him to his current role as a Senior Advisor at Viking M&A in Greenville, SC, where he specializes in helping small business owners navigate the complex world of selling a business.
Greenville, South Carolina, has one of the Southeast’s most thriving economies thanks to its improvements and innovations in the healthcare, education, and sustainability sectors. But there are a few primary business industries that are becoming extremely successful in the Greenville-Spartanburg area. Viking Mergers & Acquisitions is here to represent business owners moving into this diverse business city as well as owners looking to sell a business in one of Greenville’s most prosperous ind
Very early in his career, Eric McKeehan developed a passion for working with small businesses and entrepreneurs. Today, he lives out that passion as an Advisor with Viking Mergers & Acquisitions in Asheville, NC, driven by values learned through a decade of working with small to midsize businesses. Eric began his professional career working in business development with a growing wholesale distribution business in Asheville, NC.
Born and raised in Florida, Robert Lugo grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. After obtaining degrees in both Finance and Accounting, he went on to earn his Master of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of South Florida. Throughout his career, Robert has been deeply involved in all aspects of a business from operations to finance, HR, and business development and has a record of leading organizations to unprecedented growth.
Timing is critical when planning an exit strategy, and business owners must consider several factors. In our 26+ years of assisting business owners in their exit planning, “when is the right time to sell?” is a question we hear all the time. But from an owner’s standpoint, this could be tricky to predict. Is it when you are near retirement age? Or is it when you have found a good person to step into your shoes?
At Viking Mergers & Acquisitions, we provide personalized and professional business brokerage services to buyers and sellers. Selling a business takes a great deal of consideration and research to avoid leaving money on the table at closing. That’s why we encourage our business owners to think like a buyer throughout the selling process. When a business owner considers the perspective of a potential buyer, the owner can better recognize the priorities a buyer looks for.
Do you like to handle projects around the house on your own? Do you only call in the pros for the really tough stuff? Or maybe you draw the line at electrical or plumbing, where the risk of failure can be much more costly? If that sounds like you, I can certainly relate. I learned a lot while holding that flashlight for Dad over all those years, to the point that I’m willing to take on almost any home improvement project.
In order to sell your business for top dollar, you must demonstrate its value. That value is based on a lot of numbers and calculations, but it also includes factors that can be harder to capture on paper. The reality is, conducting a thorough and accurate business valuation is both an art and a science. Most buyers focus on the same key elements of a business to determine how much they’re willing to pay.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Ken Massey, owner of Autumnwood Designs , to discuss his experience as a business owner. In 2021, Ken ventured into the world of “acquisition entrepreneurship” – and joined the ranks of a growing number of success stories. There is a great deal of insight to glean from Ken’s journey, which he generously shared with us.
At age 14, Devak Patel began working for his father. Their family owned multiple Dairy Queen franchises, and Devak recalls the high expectations that came with working with his dad. While challenging, it also afforded him the opportunity to learn, not just from an employee perspective but also from his dad’s experience as the business owner. Devak developed an interest in business & finance, and his role in the family DQ businesses shifted to the finance & business side.
Whether you’re buying or selling a business, it’s worth considering what’s happening in Richmond, VA, and across the Central and Southeastern Virginia regions. Many stellar colleges and universities in the area produce an incredible talent pool. The region also offers exceptional business development incentives for nearly every industry — some of the lowest rates for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance and a low state corporate tax rate of 6%, which hasn’t changed since 1972.
Have you decided it’s time to sell your healthcare business? Perhaps you own a medical or specialized practice, an imaging center, a rehab clinic, a medical device or pharmaceutical sales business, or a physical/occupational therapy practice. Regardless of your specialization (or your reasons for exiting), there are unique factors to consider when selling any medical practice or healthcare business.
The closest thing most small business owners have to a business valuation is a speculation. If that sounds like you, you are far from alone. A recent bank survey revealed that 98% of small businesses can’t put a figure on their company’s value. If the majority of your personal net worth is invested in your company (which is the case for the majority of business owners) that means your business is your most valuable asset – which makes it worthwhile to know its fair value.
Kyle Valentine leads Viking’s efforts in the East Tennessee market and brings with him more than a decade of business development and recruiting experience. Kyle has partnered with some of the most respected companies in American business to provide talent across all departments. With this experience, Kyle brings a valuable perspective when guiding and assisting East Tennessee entrepreneurs with the most important financial decision of their life – selling their business.
I speak regularly these days with business owners and buyers who have concerns about the market, and specifically, about how their business might fare in a potential recession. I have many examples I can share with them about the businesses Viking is currently selling and what makes them recession-resistant; but in addition to that, I can share from my own experience.
At Viking Mergers & Acquisitions, we help people all over the Southeast as they prepare to exit a business or acquire a new one. Whether you’re looking for a business or a buyer, the Charleston, South Carolina, area should be on your shortlist. The 2022 Top States for Doing Business report from Area Development ranks South Carolina. #3 overall. And for the second year in a row, South Carolina is #1 for its easy-to-navigate regulations.
When it comes to buying a business for the first time, most people realize that there is a lot that goes into it. Shaun Jacobson had a long and successful career in the nuclear power industry. He was looking for a change of pace and he and his wife had always dreamt of buying and running their own business. Buying a business can be one of the biggest decisions you ever make.
We were extremely fortunate to have Conrad Nelsen spend three months with the Viking Mergers & Acquisitions team in Charlotte, NC. Conrad was our Spring 2020 recipient of the Viking Entrepreneur Endorsement Scholarship. He is working towards a double major at Appalachian State University in Finance & Banking and Risk Management & Insurance, along with a minor in Accounting.
More than 75 million Baby Boomers are poised to retire (part of what has been dubbed the “Silver Tsunami”). Early studies indicated mass exodus of Boomers from the workforce would happen steadily over the next 20 years. Back in 2020, however, I shared my opinion that the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for many Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) who realized being at home wasn’t too bad and that life is too short to work until the very end.
If you are a business owner, I am willing to bet that you have asked yourself this question: “When should I sell my business?” The thought may even keep you up at night. If it does, you are not alone. No matter the size, industry, or location of a business, owners worry themselves sick about finding the best time to sell a business. I know because I have been there, and my clients have been there.
Here at Viking Mergers & Acquisitions, we strive to provide the best professional and confidential services to our clients located throughout the Southeast United States. Our markets focus on cities that embrace entrepreneurship and the surrounding areas where business is thriving. Right now, Middle Tennessee is booming with business and entrepreneurship and is an ideal place to start, grow, or buy a business.
With a father in the United States Air Force, Ian Schinelli moved around a lot as a kid. After growing up all over the US, Ian enrolled at Belmont University, right here in Nashville. While earning his Accounting degree, Ian played for the Belmont men’s soccer team throughout his college career. When graduation arrived, Ian faced a choice: continue on the path toward a professional soccer career or become an accountant.
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