Planning to Sell Your Business?

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This article appeared in Forbes Magazine 8/28/2015 – by Bob House

Selling a business can be a challenging process. However, like many challenges in life, business owners who take the time to properly prepare will fare much better than those that jump right in.

This is the real life lesson learned by one couple that successfully sold their North Carolina cafe after 18 years of devoted ownership. Their story is an example of how a little prep work can ease the selling process and perhaps more importantly, lead to a higher sales price. For every small business owner, whether planning to sell now or much farther down the road, these lessons apply. Continue reading

DECISION

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At the moment of every day I must decide what I am going to do the next moment; and no one can make this decision for me, or take my place in this.

                Jose Ortega Y Gasset, Philosopher and Essayist

Given options, sometimes clients have a hard time deciding what to do. I found the following essay on making decisions in Josh Kaufman’s The Personal MBA – Master the Art of Business. Continue reading

What Do We Do?

Logo resaved Have you ever been so busy with the work of your business that you felt like it was time to stop and take stock of what it is you do?

Bonnie reminded me that it’s probably time we do just that. I thought I would share with you what I came up with. Continue reading

5 Quotes on Business… from Signers of the Declaration of Independence

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This 4th of July, the United States celebrated its 239th birthday.  Hopefully you’re reading this with memories of a holiday weekend filled with fun and relaxation with family and friends.

In honor of our founding fathers, I share a few quotes that apply to business, from some of the more notable men who signed one of the greatest documents ever drafted.  It’s amazing that these concepts hold as true today as they did over 200 years ago. Continue reading

Entrepreneurship in American History

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John Steele Gordon

The following is adapted from a speech delivered in San Diego, California, on November 15, 2013, at a Hillsdale College Free Market Forum on the topic “Markets, Government, and the Common Good.”

The word “entrepreneur”—one who undertakes, manages, and assumes the risk of a new enterprise—comes from the French, where it literally means “undertaker.” The word was borrowed into English in the mid-19th century­—perhaps the golden age of the entrepreneur—when the number of new economic niches was exploding. The activity of entrepreneurship, of course, is much older, going back to ancient times. As for America, our nation was founded, quite literally, by entrepreneurs. Continue reading

Marketing

Marketing business sales Offering value is not enough. If no one knows (or cares) about what you have to offer, it doesn’t matter how much value you create. Without Marketing, no business can survive – people who don’t know you exist can’t purchase what you have to offer, and people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer won’t become paying customers. Continue reading

5 Reasons You Should Pay Someone to do Your Accounting

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Many small business owners start out thinking they will do everything they possibly can in their business to keep costs low, including doing their own accounting.  Some have learned the hard way that small errors can add up to a big mess. Continue reading

$1,423,400 and Counting!

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We just filed a report with the Economic Development Administration (EDA) on the impact the Cumberland Business Incubator has had since February, 2013. Our number for Private Investment Generated came to $1,423,400! This is money that our clients have spent in their businesses on real estate, building expansion, equipment, rent and build out. Continue reading

3 Reasons to Apply to a Business Accelerator Program

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From Forbes by Ryan Frankel

Technology, access to capital and tremendous desire to start a business has made launching a new venture easier than ever. The growth in new businesses has been met by a proliferation in business accelerator programs designed to help entrepreneurs launch and scale their pursuits through carefully designed programs and access to mentors, talent and capital. Continue reading

3 Myths & Productivity

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Ask almost any business owner or professional how they are and the most likely answer you’ll get is “Busy”.  The problem with ‘busy’ is that it doesn’t equate to productive (as in getting the most important things done) – it generally just translates to busy.

Busy makes you feel like you’re getting a lot done. Busy makes it look like you’re getting a lot done. Busy makes you work longer hours…according to a recent Gallup study the average work week is now 47 hours and almost 40% of workers are working more than 50 hours a week (despite the fact that the data clearly shows that longer hours don’t equate to more productivity). Continue reading