A Division of New Hampshire Business Sales, Inc.

By: John Howe & John Warrillow

Doctors in the developing world measure their progress not by the aggregate number of children who die in childbirth but by the infant mortality rate, a ratio of the number of births to deaths.

Similarly, baseball's leadoff batters measure their "on-base percentage" - the number of times they get on base as a percentage of the number of times they get the chance to try.

Acquirers also like tracking ratios and the more ratios you can provide a potential buyer, the more comfortable they will get with the idea of buying your business.

Better than the blunt measuring stick of an aggregate number, a ratio expresses the relationship between two numbers, which gives them their power.

If you're planning to sell your company one day, here's a list of seven ratios to start tracking in your business now:

By: John Howe & John Warrillow

It seems like we’re at a fork in the road: there are some positive signs that the economy is entering the earliest stages of a long term expansion, but at the same time, if we dare read the headlines, it seems we’re destined to repeat 2008.

It’s precisely because we’re at this inflection point that we see a lot of business owners thumbing the eject button. If you’ve been thinking of selling your business, here are seven reasons to get out now:

Ken Schaefer, CBI, deputy director of Business Transition Strategies (BTS) has been named the “Intermediary of the Year for 2011” by New Hampshire Business Sales, a designation presented to the top performing associate. 

The announcement was made by the co-owners of NHBS, Leon Parker, president, and John Howe, vice president, who cited Schaefer for his tenacity in tough times and initiative in using innovative marketing techniques during this difficult economic climate.

“Ken earned this honor because he didn’t allow the economic uncertainty to get in the way of making good things happen for his clients,” commented Parker. “This is our core philosophy and mission, to serve our clients with effective transactions and good transitions.”

 Schaefer is actively involved in professional organizations to advance his knowledge and to stay current with the newest trends in business transactions. He is a member of the International Business Brokers Association, M&A Source and Institute of Business Appraisers, and serves on the board of directors of the New England Business Brokers Association.

During the past year, Schaefer completed the lengthy course work and successfully passed a comprehensive examination to earn designation as a Certified Business Intermediary. He has also served as a presenter in NHBS’s “Buying and Selling a Business” seminars, and has worked tirelessly to better serve his clients and customers.  

Schaefer represents BTS throughout the state with an emphasis on the southern areas, as he lives in Manchester. He has worked with BTS on a variety of engagements this past year, including the sale of the state’s largest office furniture retailer and a child care operation covering Greater Manchester among other transactions. In addition, Schaefer, with the BTS team, has provided advisory services to business owners on company growth, succession, and exit planning.

Schaefer and the BTS team currently are marketing three manufacturing firms, with an additional manufacturer transacting this month and are working with three diverse companies guiding them towards an eventual transaction.

Is 2012 the Right Time to Sell?

By John Howe, CEPA

As another year winds down, many business owners are asking themselves whether now is the right time to sell.

The past few years have been sobering for most of us, filled with uncertainty and lots of surprises as we scramble to reshape our businesses after the economic tsunami of the past few years.

Some owners are making plans to hang in there to recover profits lost during this period. But that leaves the “big question” unanswered with no real landmark as the deciding point.

Those who were thinking about it in 2008 may wish they’d sold then rather than hold on for “better times” that surely were  ahead.

An article in the New York Times on Dec. 21 does a good job of exploring this subject and offers several key reasons why for many owners, 2012 will be the time to sell.

The move has taken place and we are getting settled in to our new offices at 5 Sheep Davis Road in Pembroke, NH 03275

New Phone number is 603-715-1097