The Rise of Recession-proof Businesses

The Rise of Recession-proof Businesses

During the last 25 years, the U.S. and the world experienced two major economic upheavals. First, the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009 took about ten years to recover from completely. Then there was the financial crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. As a result, the term “recession-proof” has become quite common — whether among those in busi

Understanding the Role of Technology in Modern Business Brokerage

Understanding the Role of Technology in Modern Business Brokerage

From the wheel to the steam engine to computers, technology continues to evolve and shift how we live our lives. The speed and power of computers have doubled about every two years over the last 60 years, which has enabled us to go from computers to go from weighing 30 tons and taking up 1,800 square feet of space to the world’s current smallest complete, operational computer that measures o

Timing the Market: When Is the Best Time to Sell Your Business?

Timing the Market: When Is the Best Time to Sell Your Business?

You’ve spent years building and growing your business. You’ve dedicated so much of your time and energy to ensuring its success, but it can be challenging to determine when the best time is to sell. People sell businesses for a variety of reasons. When preparing a plan for selling your business, it’s a good idea to be straightforward and honest about what it would take to prepare

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Small Business

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Small Business

You know how to operate your business, and you’ve built it into a very successful enterprise. Congratulations! However, the time has come to move on, whether it is for a new challenge or to kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. No matter the reason, you are ready to sell. However, too many small business owners mistake the knowledge they have accrued running their business as giving

Valuing Your Business: How Business Brokers Determine Worth

Valuing Your Business: How Business Brokers Determine Worth

When the decision has been made to sell your business, the next step is perhaps the most crucial of all: determining the value of your business. There are several ways this can be done, but it isn’t an exact science. For that reason, it is essential that you seek out a trained broker to help you determine how much your business is worth. But don’t expect that broker to tell you everyt

How to Reduce Owner Dependence When Selling

How to Reduce Owner Dependence When Selling

Many business owners may think that the tough part is over once they make the call to sell their business. While there’s no doubt that decision can be hard, there is still work to be done. Owners must adapt their business environment to continue running without them. Working with an experienced broker can make all the difference as a company shifts towards new leadership. Thinking Of Steppi

How to find the best advisor when selling your business

How to find the best advisor when selling your business

Do-it-yourself home repairs have definitely had their moment in the sun. But for anyone that has paid attention to that trend, it quickly became apparent that having an expert remodel a home offered a considerable advantage in terms of the quality of the work. The same holds true when it comes to other big tasks, such as selling your business. Sure, no one knows the ins and outs of your business b

Valuations in Small Companies: Why They're Important & How to Increase the Value of Your Business

Valuations in Small Companies: Why They're Important & How to Increase the Value of Your Business

To sell your small business, there are some very crucial steps to take before the listing. For one, it is very important to understand your business’s value in the marketplace. Obtaining a valuation allows you to thoroughly understand a business’s financials and their value in the marketplace, and give you an understanding of the price at which you should list your business for sale. B

2023 Main Street Market Report

2023 Main Street Market Report

Selling your business is a big decision. Equally important is finding the right business advisor to help you navigate the process. When you select Transworld our latest Market Report shows you’re choosing the best. Let’s dive into Transworld’s small business transaction activity for 2022 and learn more about what sets Transworld’s business advisors apart. Another historic

Who's Buying and Who's Selling in 2023

Who's Buying and Who's Selling in 2023

As the financial recovery from the pandemic continues, Transworld’s Main Street Market Report found that business acquisitions were up more than 32% from 2021 to 2022. This rebound is great news for buyers, but to fully understand the uptick, let’s drill down into who is currently looking to sell their businesses and which demographics are primed to make a purchase. Who’s Sellin

How to Choose the Best Deal for You and Your Business

How to Choose the Best Deal for You and Your Business

Anyone thinking of selling their business needs to be prepared to negotiate. Why? Because your goals and the buyer’s goals may be the same—to get the best deal—but that doesn’t mean the same thing for both parties. It will take time, and some give and take on both sides to arrive at an optimal deal for everyone involved. Ensuring that you are negotiating from a position of

Properly Package and Market Your Business

Properly Package and Market Your Business

How challenging can selling a business be? On the surface, the prospect appears simple. First, you have a business and want to sell it, then you share that information and wait for a buyer. But the reality is both more complicated and more nuanced. Using a broker takes the pressure off you so you can focus on your business operations. Few business owners understand everything involved in selling

Selling Your Business

Selling Your Business

As a business owner, you have likely spent hours, days, months or even longer agonizing over whether to sell your business. While in a perfect world the hard part would be over, the reality is making the decision to sell is simply the first step in a complicated process. Fortunately, there are ways to simplify the experience. To start, it’s a good idea to have a checklist of what steps to e

How to Identify Trustworthy Buyers

How to Identify Trustworthy Buyers

For many entrepreneurs, selling a business is about more than money—it’s about passing down a legacy. After years of hard work, it’s only natural to want to see your creation in the hands of someone who shares your passion. However, finding that perfect “someone” can be a challenge. Not everyone that can buy your business should buy your business. As veteran brokers,

5 Reasons to Work with a Business Broker

5 Reasons to Work with a Business Broker

Whether you’ve spent a lifetime operating your business or have just recently taken the reins, when it comes time to sell, you want the experience to go well. And by going well, people typically mean without a lot of headaches, and, of course, with a tidy profit. Achieving those goals becomes much easier when you enlist the aid and support of an experienced business broker or advisor. Trans

Thinking of Selling Your Restaurant? What You Need to Know

Thinking of Selling Your Restaurant? What You Need to Know

If you’ve been following the news over the last few years, you know that business sales are up—way up—for certain industries, including restaurants. And if you’re like many restaurant owners, you’ve been thinking about selling your business, too. It’s easy to see why. Record-setting sales (both in terms of speed and profit) in 2021 proved restaurants are in hig

3 Tips for First Time Business Sellers

3 Tips for First Time Business Sellers

You’ve made the decision to sell your business. Congrats! There’s no doubt that a lot of stress is wrapped up in deciding to sell, but there’s also a great deal of excitement. As a result, it can be very easy, especially for first-time sellers, to forget that selling a business is a multistep process, requiring careful planning to maximize your potential returns. We’ve got

Thinking of Selling Your Cleaning Service? What You Need to Know

Thinking of Selling Your Cleaning Service? What You Need to Know

Americans started 2021 by cleaning house—literally. The COVID-19 pandemic kick-started worldwide hygiene awareness and majorly boosted demand for cleaning businesses. It wasn’t just about safety—it was about peace of mind. Residential cleaners, maids, janitors, and other sanitation professionals suddenly found themselves booked solid, with no end in sight. Today cleaning services

Buying a Business: Is an SBA Loan Right for You?

Buying a Business: Is an SBA Loan Right for You?

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is an agency of the US government that supports entrepreneurs and small businesses. It is the duty of the SBA to “aid, counsel, assist and protect, insofar as is possible, the interests of small business concerns.” A major function of the SBA is partnering with banks, credit unions, and other lenders to provide loans for said entrepreneurs and sm

What's the Difference Between the Listing Price and the Selling Price?

What's the Difference Between the Listing Price and the Selling Price?

If you’ve ever bought a house, you know that the appraised value isn’t what the house typically sells for in the end. It isn’t even what the sellers will use as the listing price in most cases. Most houses sell for a price that is more (or less) than what the seller asked for it. The same holds true for a business being sold. Why aren’t the listing price and the selling pr

How Quickly Can I (or Should I) Sell My Business?

How Quickly Can I (or Should I) Sell My Business?

In a perfect world, every entrepreneur would have ample time to prepare their business for sale. It’s a long, often complex process that demands our full attention—and ideally, assistance from professional brokers. After all, there are many, many factors to consider: Why am I selling? Is the market ideal? Do I have my legal and financial ducks in a row? (And more.) That being said, th

Five Strategies To Lead Your Team Through A Successful Q4

Five Strategies To Lead Your Team Through A Successful Q4

FORBES -- Q4. The opportunity it presents can add a lot of pressure to an already hectic period — and for good reason. Q4 is instrumental to the success of your fiscal year and can fast-track your growth. But if you’re not prepared from a leadership perspective, things can go wrong. Fast. The higher the stakes, the busier and more stressed out your employees become. I’ve seen st

Business Trends to Look Out for in 2022

Business Trends to Look Out for in 2022

Thinking of selling your business in 2022? Give yourself an edge—read up on what we learned in 2021. 2021 was a year of unpredictable firsts for business owners and entrepreneurs. Nothing we learned in 2020 could have prepared America for pandemic shutdowns. Many small operations had to quickly pivot, improvise, and adapt to a world that changed overnight. But now, with a swiftly recoveri

How Long Does It Take to Sell a Business

How Long Does It Take to Sell a Business

Homebuyers are familiar with the mantra—location, location, location. Well for a business owner looking to sell their business, there’s an equally important phrase to remember—timing, timing, timing. But if you are looking into selling your business, what does that mean for you? And exactly how long will the process take?  A main street business can take more than six mo

Five Considerations For Potential Entrepreneurs

Five Considerations For Potential Entrepreneurs

From Forbes. If you've been working for someone else most of your life, you've probably had some introspective moments in which you've wondered whether there were a better way to maximize your personal and professional satisfaction. Maybe you've had a nagging feeling that one of the great ideas in the back of your mind could be an entrepreneurial gold mine, but you haven’t yet taken the plun

Thinking of Selling Your Beauty or Personal Care Business? What You Need to Know in 2022

Thinking of Selling Your Beauty or Personal Care Business? What You Need to Know in 2022

How people accessed many personal care experiences changed during the pandemic, but the industry adapted in many ways like by going online with their products or taking a more natural approach. The world has reopened, and beauty-based companies continue to rebound, so you may be asking—is now a good time to sell. Selling a beauty or personal care business is not very different than selling

Selling Your Business? Quiz Yourself First With These Must-Ask Questions

Selling Your Business? Quiz Yourself First With These Must-Ask Questions

From Forbes If you’ve reached a point where you’re considering selling your business, there is a lot to consider. You might already have some of your own concerns or questions jotted down—that’s great, and will help. Before even considering the sales process, let alone starting it, here are five questions that every business owner needs to ask. 1. Is the business ready f

6 Crucial Considerations Before You Buy a Business (as a Shortcut to Starting From Scratch)

6 Crucial Considerations Before You Buy a Business (as a Shortcut to Starting From Scratch)

From Entrepeneur Have you ever wondered if or wished there was a shortcut to launching a business without the months of trial-and-error that plague most entrepreneurs? What if you could become a CEO overnight for a real, thriving company? Believe it or not, with a little bit of capital, you can. This strategy is what I like to call being an "acqui-entrepreneur" — in other words, you're an

How Inflation Impacts the Sale of your Small Business

How Inflation Impacts the Sale of your Small Business

From the pandemic’s supply chain issues to the current worries over rising inflation, many small businesses have been struggling to adapt to the sudden shifts of today’s economy. With inflation in June hitting 9.1%, more than the Dow Jones estimate of 8.8% for the month, more and more businesses are worrying about how exactly inflation has and will impact their business, and if now is

Thinking of Selling Your Health Care Business or Practice? What You Need to Know

Thinking of Selling Your Health Care Business or Practice? What You Need to Know

Health care is an industry that is constantly growing and evolving as new technologies and discoveries change treatments and care. This reality is truer than ever as the world has seen during the recent COVID-19 health care crisis. If you are looking to sell your health care business, the conditions may be better than ever. Why? Well, health care is a fast-growing industry. The demand for health

Thinking of Selling Your Construction Business? What You Need to Know

Thinking of Selling Your Construction Business? What You Need to Know

After a bit of a tough turn during the pandemic, the construction industry has come roaring back to life. Demand is growing, with an increase of almost 9% anticipated for 2022 for this industry segment within the U.S. market. While supply chain disruptions and shortages of skilled workers may be continuing to cause hiccups for some, the overall outlook is very positive, particularly in terms of i

Pros and Cons of Selling your Business Without a Broker

Pros and Cons of Selling your Business Without a Broker

Are you ready to sell your business, but still on the fence about using a broker? You’re not alone. Many business owners, especially first-time sellers, feel compelled to DIY the process, thinking it will save them time and money. Selling your business can be a long process with many tedious steps. An experienced business brokerage (plus the valuable resources they bring to the table) can m

Is Buying a Business a Good Idea?

Is Buying a Business a Good Idea?

Yes! As an entrepreneur, you may romanticize the idea of being your own boss. The question is, how do you get there? The first thought is often starting your own business. Although that has numerous advantages, starting from scratch understandably comes with challenges. It is important to note that being an entrepreneur is not limited to starting a business from the floor up, in fact, th

5 Terms to Know Before Purchasing a Franchise

5 Terms to Know Before Purchasing a Franchise

Every industry has their own language and the industry of buying and selling franchise businesses is no different. Understanding the basic terminology can help get you started on the right foot. Transworld Business Advisors is here to help you every step of the way so let's start with a few commonly used terms. Franchising is a form of business by which the owner of a product or service expands or

Closing the Deal When You Buy a Business

Closing the Deal When You Buy a Business

The road to reach closing is a long and tedious one. As a seller, working with your broker, you have already gone through business pricing, organizing financial documents, and working on the offering package. After all of that, there is still the process of meeting and negotiating with potential buyers with your broker until you have found the right one. Likewise, as a buyer, you have had to work

What Does it Cost to Sell a Business

What Does it Cost to Sell a Business

When you sell your business, you expect to make money—not spend it. But as the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. The question is, how much? The answer isn’t always clear. However, most brokers agree that a certain amount of due diligence is necessary when preparing a business for sale. That means retaining qualified professionals to look over your books, guide you th

How to Identify Trustworthy Buyers

How to Identify Trustworthy Buyers

For many entrepreneurs, selling a business is about more than money—it’s about passing down a legacy. After years of hard work, it’s only natural to want to see your creation in the hands of someone who shares your passion. However, finding that perfect “someone” can be a challenge. Not everyone that can buy your business should buy your business. As veteran brokers,

Buy a Business with a Buyer Match Program

Buy a Business with a Buyer Match Program

Need help finding the right business to buy? Try Transworld's Buyer Match program! With our Buyer Match program, you receive an email as soon as a new listing that meets your personal business preferences hits the market. We add new listings to the marketplace daily and want to make sure you get notified immediately when the right business becomes available.  At the same time, we want to mak

How to Get the Best Price When Buying a Business

How to Get the Best Price When Buying a Business

The moment you have found the perfect business to buy, it is time to start the negotiation process. There are strategic steps to take to ensure you are getting the best price. With the guidance of your business broker, buying a business does not have to feel daunting. Consider these five ways to get the best price when buying a business. What are your requirements and limitations as a buyer and w

How to Franchise A Business

How to Franchise A Business

If your business is successful and there are customers who travel from near and far to visit it, then you may have considered franchising. With numerous benefits for you and aspiring entrepreneurs, it is a profitable and healthy next step for your growing business. At Transworld Business Advisors, we not only support your business endeavors but we have a dedicated program to assist you. The Franc

Buying a Franchise: Is it Right For You?

Buying a Franchise: Is it Right For You?

Owning a franchise presents an exciting opportunity for both new and experienced business owners. A franchise is a unique business model that differs in some key ways from independent business ownership. If you are thinking about purchasing a franchise, there are a few things to consider. Here are some ways to determine if owning a franchise is right for you, along with some considerations to help

About Transworld Business Advisors of Birmingham

About Transworld Business Advisors of Birmingham

Who We Are Lisa C. Stephens, President, Transworld Business Advisors of Birmingham Transworld Business Advisors is the world leader in the marketing and sales of businesses and franchises. Whether you represent an acquisition-minded corporation, or are personally interested in owning your own company, Transworld offers the professional services that successfully bring buyers and sellers together