Why Does It Take So Long to Sell My Business?
The bad news for business owners who are ready to sell their company and retire is that it takes much longer than you might anticipate to close the deal. According to the Pepperdine 2014 Private Capital Markets Project, only 25% of deals close in less than six months. So why does it take so long? […]

Harpoon Brewery: What’s Beer Got To Do With M&A?
Well, not much, really, except that Charlie Storey, President, and Warren Dibble, the CFO of Harpoon Brewery completed an ESOP of the company last summer. They’re coming to this year’s XPX Summit on March 19th at the Waltham Woods Conference Center to tell their story. Check out their video to get a taste. Oh – […]

If Google Steps In It Regarding Independent Contractor vs. Employee, How Can You Protect Yourself?
If Google, a publicly-traded company with about $40 billion in annual revenue, can’t figure out if someone is an independent contractor or an employee, what does this mean for you? An article from Reuters last week, notes that Google is being sued by a former contractor, Jacob McPherson, alleging violation of federal labor standards, and that […]

Advice to Ski Area Operators: Gather Your Data
Several years ago, Stratton Mountain commissioned a study that recommended he raise the price of a Stratton lift ticket. Stratton knew that by doing so it would be losing a number of weekend ski clubs, but Stratton also realized that losing the buses would result in a better experience for the rest of Stratton’s guests […]

What should business owners learn from Friday’s ruling against RBC Capital Markets?
Background: RBC Capital Markets LLC, the investment banking arm of Royal Bank of Canada, was representing Rural/Metro Corp. in the sale of their business. Another team at the bank was trying to get the financing work from one of the buyers, Warburg Pincus LLC, a private equity firm. According to a recent article in […]

Liquidity Planning and Mirus’ Maturity Model
In the current business environment, where volatility is the new normal, preparedness for both unexpected and significantly impactful strategic events can make the difference between meaningful wealth creation or destruction. Mirus has witnessed how this “new normal” has inhibited liquidity for the unprepared but has also created windfalls for companies that were prepared to exploit […]

Resort M&A Market Update
1. Real estate speculation may be making a bit of a rebound. Based upon the bidders who were interested in purchasing Moonlight Basin in Montana, it appears that distressed land at ski resorts, with the potential to attract affluent recreation home buyers, has piqued interest at shops with capital to invest. Add to that the […]

Ramp Sports And The Intuit Small Business Competition
For some days now, the refrain on the news has been, “I’m ashamed of (or embarrassed by) our government.” Sometimes it was “our country”, sometimes it was “to be an American”. Challenging times. Read on for an encouraging story, unfolding as I write this, spearheaded by an American entrepreneur, with American investors, American workers, and […]
