Episode 118 – Live with The Entrepreneurs Alliance

Welcome to an exciting episode of the Apex Business Advisors Podcast, hosted by Andy Cavanaugh and the president of Apex Doug Hubler. Recorded live at an Entrepreneurs Alliance networking event, this special edition explores common but costly mistakes sellers often make from the perspective of experienced business advisors. The hosts discuss errors such as running personal expenses through a business and the complexities of ad backs, highlighting the fine line between creativity and tax evasion.

In the second half, the focus shifts to the pitfalls of a DIY approach when selling a business, emphasizing the hidden disadvantages and benefits of professional guidance. Through humor and real-life experiences, Andy and Doug illustrate the importance of avoiding governance and transaction missteps, using examples of sellers and buyers who faced unfavorable outcomes by going solo. This episode offers entrepreneurs and potential buyers invaluable insights, covering risks like tax evasion, staff layoffs, and financial mishandling that can complicate or derail deals. Join us to learn how to navigate these challenges effectively.

Episode 117 – Buying a Business: Why Scrutiny is Necessary

In this episode of the Apex Business Advisors Podcast, Andy Cavanaugh and Doug Hubler explore business acquisitions, discussing strategic alignment, qualified buyers, and the importance of professional assistance. They highlight the value of rigorous vetting processes, caution against rushing meetings, and emphasize the significance of NDAs in maintaining confidentiality. The episode underscores the importance of organization and market understanding for potential buyers and concludes with Apex’s commitment to educating participants for more efficient transactions.

Episode 116 – The Best of The Apex Business Advisors Podcast: Value Discounters

We’re at the IBBA Conference this week and unable to connect, so we wanted to bring you one of our favorite episodes from the vault.

We’re talking all about Value Discounters in this episode. We dissect industry trends and real-world scenarios to illustrate how factors like organizational structure and customer concentration can affect your business’s value. Gain insights into industry multiples, sole proprietor businesses, and other key considerations that can influence your business’s worth. We discuss the importance of maintaining clean financial records, understanding seller motivations, and fostering honest relationships with clients.

Don’t miss this compelling discussion! Tune in for actionable insights to help shield your business from potential value discounters. Whether you’re a buyer, seller, or simply curious about the business transition landscape, this episode offers invaluable tips for you.

Episode 115 – The IBBA Conference

The Apex Business Advisors Podcast presents an engaging episode with host Andy Cavanaugh and company president Doug Hubler. They share insights from their recent attendance at two major industry events: the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) conference and the M&A Source Conference.

The episode highlights the invaluable benefits of industry conferences, focusing on networking, learning opportunities, and lead generation. Andy offers a glimpse into his upcoming conference presentation, “How to Create Your Own Playbook,” while Doug discusses the challenges faced by newer brokers and the importance of learning from experienced colleagues.

The discussion explores vendor events, the evolving business environment, and the role of conferences in enhancing business operations and marketing strategies. The hosts also share office rules, memorable networking experiences, and humorous anecdotes from their conference attendance.

Tune in for valuable tips for future conference attendees and a preview of the upcoming IBBA conference.

Episode 114 – Selling a Business: Bad Behaving Attorneys

In this episode, we share the story of a deal that faced potential derailment due to an attorney’s intervention. This highlights the critical role of attorneys in the deal-making process and the importance of careful selection and collaboration with brokers and sellers.

We stress the significance of time in deals and discuss pitfalls that arise when attorneys adopt an adversarial stance, risking the deal’s closure. Additionally, we explore how banks evaluate deals and how changes in business revenue and cash flow impact financing decisions and sale prices.

Tune in as we provide insights into selecting the right attorney and share tips for navigating the deal-making process successfully. With the right team and approach, overcoming obstacles and closing deals is achievable. Stay tuned for more insights from our experience in business brokerage.

Episode 113 – Buying a Business: Tell Your Lender Everything… and we mean EVERYTHING

In this episode of the Apex Business Advisors podcast, Andy and Doug discuss the critical importance of honesty between lenders and borrowers when securing business loans. They examine a recent transaction failure resulting from undisclosed financial issues, highlighting the need for transparency.

The episode delves into potential pitfalls in filling out SBA loan forms and securing commercial financing, citing real-life scenarios such as bankruptcy cases and undisclosed felonies. They also explore how banks scrutinize loan information and interpret profitability matters.

Additionally, the discussion covers types of businesses ineligible for SBA funding and the risks associated with borrowing before closing. They emphasize the importance of viewing the bank as a business partner and fostering trustworthy relationships.

This episode serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking to secure a business loan, emphasizing the importance of full financial disclosure.

Episode 112 – Buying a Business: The Dos and Don’ts for a Productive Buyer Seller Meeting

Andy and Doug share amusing anecdotes from memorable buyer-seller meetings. From unexpected attire choices to mismatched buyers and sellers, they entertain listeners while offering valuable insights into effective communication, preparation, and broker involvement in successful business deals. This episode is a must-listen if you’re in the market to buy or sell a business or simply enjoy lighthearted business stories. Tune in to laugh, learn, and gain new perspectives on the world of business transactions.

Episode 111 – Buying a Business: Navigating Business Acquisition in Changing Times

In this episode of the Apex Business Advisors Podcast, host Andy Cavanaugh and Doug Hubler chat with Jason Moxness, a seasoned expert on Small Business Association (SBA) loans. They discuss recent changes in the SBA landscape and their impact on business acquisitions, covering updates on loan application processes, criteria, and qualifying factors. The conversation also explores essential advice on loan approval and investment decisions, including rising interest rates and equity requirements for buyers.

New opportunities, such as using SBA funds to buy into a business and reduced down payment requirements, are highlighted, along with provisions for business growth through acquisition. The episode ends with a focus on being a “strong borrower” and seizing new provisions to maximize benefits. This resource is invaluable for those navigating SBA loans for business acquisition or expanding existing ventures.

Episode 110 – Selling a Business: Owner’s Metrics vs. Manager’s Metrics

Doug and Andy’s schedules did not align for them to record this week, so we’re using the audio from a brief portion of a webinar that Andy was a presenter on a few weeks ago. His part centered around the concept of Owner’s Metrics vs. Manager’s Metrics. We hope you enjoy this special edition of the podcast, and we’ll be back next week with Andy and Doug.

The owners metric is the value of your company and that’s where savvy entrepreneurs obsess. Your friends from school, your peers, even your family probably want you to grow your revenue at all costs, right?  Because that’s the way we judge companies, right? Bigger companies are more important. How many employees do you have? How much revenue do you have? That’s the way we judge each other as entrepreneurs and it’s misguided. People that focus on value know they’re going to get a whole lot more value by putting their head down and focusing on doing one thing for 25 years better than anybody else.

Episode 109 – Selling a Business: The Dangers of Add Backs

On today’s episode of the Apex Business Advisors Podcast, Andy and Doug are talking about extreme add-backs. These aren’t just any add backs, these are the add backs where a seller has pushed it past the line. They also share the example of tax savings versus lost value at sale.

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