The Business Transfer Newsletter

July 2014

Quick Links

CBB Main Website

M&A Website

Restaurant Website

Valuing Restaurants

How Much is Your Business Worth?

Done Deals

Free Value Assessment

Ask The Experts

We want to hear from you. Send in your questions, and we'll have your answers in our next newsletter.

Click Here

BUSINESS NEWS

When Your Business Can

Run Without You, Your

Odds Of Attracting A

Buyer Increases By 44%

7 Blogs & Newsletters

That Can Help You Sell A Business

Not Your Typical

"What's-Your-Business-Worth?" Article

8 Tips I Wished I Would

Have Known Back When

I Was Selling My Business

Why Now Is The Time
To Sell An O&G Business

"Time To Ax Problematic Texas State Franchise Tax"
Says, Arthur B. Laffer

Due Diligence

Checklist:

M & A

Increase Value Through Mergers, Acquisitions

Avoiding The Most Common Deal Breakers That Prevent Business Owners From Achieving The Perfect Exit

ARTICLES

Selling Texas Businesses

Since 1974

Selling Texas Companies Since 1974.

Our monthly newsletters provide information about buying or selling a business, current economic conditions, and highlight some of our newest business-for-sale opportunities. Our record of professionalism and reputation as a top firm in the nation has a lot to do with our people -- a knowledgeable long-term administrative staff and a very experienced team of professional brokers. We are headquartered in Houston and have offices in Austin.

Check Out our Archives, "The best library of articles about how to sell your business." - The New York Times

Businesses For Sale

Review All Listings Manufacturers For Sale

Wholesale / Distributors Service Businesses For Sale

Restaurants - Fast Food - Bars

* Featured Business Listing

* Featured Restaurant Listing

Focus On Value Drivers First When Planning To Sell

Low-risk, high-reward businesses earn their owners top dollar, says Divestopedia contributor, Rose Stabler. In "Master Ten Value Drivers to Sell Your Business at the Highest Price," she encourages sellers to assess their companies from the buyer's perspective, focusing on factors that indicate a business' transferable value. Those value drivers include:

Predictable cash flow from recurring revenue sources
Financial records that are correct, supportable, and complete
A broad customer base in which no clients represent a large percentage of sales
A capable, well-trained workforce that's willing to stay on long-term, despite the business' sale
A realistic, documented growth plan
Well-established and documented standard business procedures and systems
Organized, well-maintained facilities and equipment that can accommodate growth
Brand recognition, service or product reliability, and high customer satisfaction
Copyrights, trademarks, proprietary systems, and other protections that provide a competitive edge
A range of product or service offerings that diversifies revenue sources

"Each driver is a characteristic of a business that either reduces the risk associated with owning the business or enhances the prospect that the business will grow significantly in the future," Stabler says. "Simply put, the better your performance in these areas, the greater the selling price of your business."

Read The Rest Of The Article Here..

Sold

Meridian Calibration

Meridian Calibration is an ISO/IEC 17025 compliant, niche calibration lab that services the Texas oil and gas industry and specializes in calibration of pressure and temperature instruments.

The former owners, Clint and Jodi Williams, sold the business to spend time with their grandchild, as well as pursue some of their other loves - sailing and photography.

Clint will be working with the new owner for a period of time to transition the customer base and train new employees. The new owner requested that his name not be released. However, with his educational background with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, a M.B.A, and the owner of a Houston-area restaurant, he is well-suited to expand to other industry sectors and add additional services to Meridian's current operations.

Rose Stabler listed the business and Marcia Bowron sold it.

Sold

E-Document Services

E-Document Services is a Downtown Houston, niche market, commercial document Service Company that offers complete document copying, scanning, and binding services to the legal and business community. Their specialty is handling of litigation documents and voluminous case files. The Company also prepares trial and exhibit boards and provides electronic discovery computer forensic services where experts recover active, deleted, or temporary files from computer hard drives.

Two of the three former partnership owners will stay with the business as key players in the new owner's, Ganiu Longe, expansion plans for the business. Mr. Longe, a Hewlett Packard retiree, also owns a profitable Italian Restaurant he purchased through our firm in 2012. He has big plans for E-Document Services, which include adding software capability to increase product diversification, expand sales within Texas, to other states, and internationally using his existing multilingual staff. His immediate expansion will include two new offices, one in The Woodlands and one in the Energy Corridor. He also plans to expand specialization to other industries such as government digitization, medical records, and engineering. His three-year expansion plan includes moving to larger facilities.

Tom Pence listed and sold the business.

Sold

Houston Barbecue Company

Pictured left to right: Marcia Bowron-CBB Broker,

Kurt & Treca Craig-Sellers, Carl, Martha, & Joseph Dismuke-Buyers

This very popular BBQ restaurant is situated perfectly in the middle of the energy corridor. Local hotels and businesses have the restaurant on their recommended lists, which brings in about 15% of their revenues from catering and that's with no outside sales focus. They have an exclusive lease for BBQ in the upscale shopping center. The restaurant also sells its proprietary bottled BBQ sauce.

The Dismuke's, the buyers, plan on adding another revenue stream to the operation by taking advantage of the fully built-out bar and obtaining a beer/wine license and focus a lot on catering opportunities. Joseph Dismuke will be managing the business, as he has 13 years of restaurant management experience with big-name companies such as Olive Garden, Pappas, and Buffalo Wild Wings. The business was sold within four months of going to market.

Marcia Bowron listed the business and sold it.

Sold

Quiznos #706

Pictured left to right: Omar Medina-Seller,

Ryan DeGennaro-CBB Broker, Richard Williams-Buyer

Omar Medina, the seller, with a full-time career, couldn't effectively manage the store, which is why he elected to sell the business after four years of ownership.

The buyer, Richard Williams, is part of a large automotive group that was looking to expand their business holdings. The store's freeway frontage location and current management in place, were factors in the decision to purchase the business. The business was on the market for less than a month.

Ryan DeGennaro listed the business and sold it.

Ask The Experts Question Ask The Experts

Question:

I'm looking at a business to buy and the seller says that the business is making more money than what shows up on the books. How is this handled?

Answer:

This article, "Unreported Income Claims - What Should A Buyer Do?," gives feedback, tips, and opinions on this subject that you may find helpful.

Texas Economic News

We watch economic and market conditions compared to the rest of the country because these factors affect business value. The following articles were all published since our last newsletter.

Texas Takes 30 Spots In Forbes Best American Colleges List

Austin Homes Sell Faster Than Anywhere Else In The Country

All Eyes On Mexican Oil | The Texas Energy Boom May Be Going South - South Of The Border That Is

To Fix America, Copy Texas - Washington Times

5 Supreme Court Rulings That Will Change How America Does Business

Texas Mid-Size Firms Lead Nation In Revenue & Jobs

Texas Dominates Forbes List Of Best Cities For Job Growth - Austin #2, McAllen #3, Dallas #5, Houston #9, San Antonio #10

Report | 2014 Is On Pace To Set The Record For Biggest Year Ever For Number Of Businesses Sold

Not Your Father's Market | Selling A Business Today Is Quite Different Than It Was A Generation Ago

Another California Company, Omnitracs, A Software Firm Serving The US Trucking Industry, Moves HQ To TX

Will Texas Hit The California Wall?

Houston Is A Buyer's Market For Small Businesses | Buyers Getting More Bang For Their Buck