9 Warning Signs You’re a Hub-and-Spoke Owner (and why that’s a problem)! If you were to draw a picture that visually represents your role in your business, what would it look like? Are you at the top of a traditional Christmas-tree-like organisational chart, or are you stuck in the middle of your business, like a…

One of my mentors is Keith Cunningham. You can find out more here: www.keystothevault.com. Take any or all of his courses, they’re great. As a bit of evidence, here is his latest blog post. It is so good, I wanted to share it with you. If you will do these three things on a regular…

Have you fallen into The Mile Wide Trap? If your company’s revenue has stalled after a period of rapid growth, you may have fallen into The Mile Wide Trap. Consider the case of Kim (not her real name) who runs a public relations firm. Kim studied marketing at school and went on to work for…

  Thinking Vs. Doing: The Owner’s Dilemma There’s a steady breeze from the northwest, which cools the warm Caribbean afternoon. Framed between a palm tree and the turquoise water, you notice a man reading. He appears to be working, which seems strange given his appearance: shaggy blonde hair, linen shirt, surf shorts and flip-flops. You…

Six ways to make your business better while on vacation Spring is here, and although it may seem strange, now may be the perfect time to increase the value of your company. The most valuable businesses are the ones that can survive without their owner. A buyer will pay a premium for a company that…

The Anatomy of a Successful Exit Stephanie Breedlove started Breedlove & Associates in 1992 as a way to pay her nanny. The big payroll processors weren’t interested in dealing with one person’s wages and doing it themselves was complicated and time-consuming, too much for the then overwhelmed Breedloves. Breedlove saw a business opportunity and started…

If you have resolved to make your company more valuable in 2017, you may want to think hard about how your customers pay. If you have a transaction business model where customers pay once for what they buy, expect your company’s value to be a single-digit multiple of your Earnings Before Interest Taxes, Depreciation and…

The term “goodwill” is often thrown around in conversation as though it is a subjective description of how much your customers like your business. In fact, when it comes to valuing your business, there is nothing subjective about the definition of goodwill. It is defined as the difference between what someone is willing to pay…

Some owners focus on growing their profits, while others are obsessed with sales goals. Have you ever considered making it your primary goal to set up your business so that it can thrive and grow without you? A business that is not dependent on its owner is the ultimate asset to own. It gives you…

Even though Simalex – a good old fashioned die casting company – had decent cash flow and customers with brand names, the company had been mismanaged for a number of years and was in rough shape when Fred Lynn Jr. took over as CEO. Fred was essentially taking over a start up. Fred is extremely…