What is Investor Ready?

What is investor ready?

I had a conversation with someone today and actually asked me what this means even though he intuitively knew what it entails – or thought so……

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Live and Die by the Numbers

Business owners looking to raise capital for their businesses, that DON’T live and die by numbers – and it is more often than you would think – will be marginalised by investors.

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One way to Improve the Value of your Business

Getting your business valued today is one sure fire way to put rocket fuel up your proverbial to improve your business valuation. This is your baseline. Your starting line. The basis of measuring how far off you are today from where you want to be tomorrow – whenever that might be.

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Adding a Premium to Your Value at Exit

It will become increasingly difficult to extract higher prices from buyers  in the coming years as the boomers retire in their droves and buyers remain largely a constant. Buyers will become more discerning and “picky” as a result. So, differentiating your business from others will be critical to ensure that you stand out from the crowd just as you constantly think about when you are marketing your services and products to your customers. Read more…

Are you Motivated to Sell your Business?

One of the biggest issues facing SME owners in the coming decade is fighting their way through the myriad of business coming up for sale is how, when and what to do around the question of preparing themselves for sale. There is simple logic around this looming issue. Read more…

Too Late for Borders

I have always been perplexed how Borders Books could survive without at least the means to buy its books online. I made all sorts of rationalisations over the course of the last 15 years observing its relentless expansion across the globe. Then I heard there were issues in the UK and then Australia, selling out to competitors. Today they filed for bankruptcy in the US.

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Happy New Year

An entrepreneurs lesson from the Ashes

If you are not a cricket enthusiast then you are welcome to ignore this post! Entrepreneurs will all know one of the most important qualities you must demonstrate is persistence and unwavering belief in one’s vision for the future.
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Over work and Under Play……

I was reminded of one of my own rules today that relates to exercise, and provides us a little lesson for business too.

I used to run triathlons and whilst I considered myself “fit” and able to endure long periods of exercise without stopping, I frequently got injured. In fact my coach amongst other things, used to call me a “bag of bones”. I wasn’t alone – the other guys were frequently coming down with flu and colds as well as similar injuries.
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Cover the Downside Rule

Managing risk in certain respects can be as easy as Donald Trump makes it out to be.

But even he forgot his golden rule – and openly admits it, when he went bankrupt in 1990.

Trump asks himself when selecting new business ventures, and there would be many, ”could I handle the situation if things went unexpectedly bad”. He says even if you pause when asking yourself this question, you shouldn’t do the deal. Read more…