LinkedIn is a great tool to help you grow your company, find JV candidates, attract key employees, a buyer for your business, whatever your objective.  The key is to be “findable” in an increasingly crowded online world.

I am currently working on three deals sourced through key word search on LinkedIn

Most of what you read in the business press and what is available in the public domain is focused on larger and public companies and is not relevant in the small and mid sized business sale. 

Both examples illustrate how an earn out can be an effective tool when selling your company. The key, however, is using negotiating terms that are easily monitored, clear and understood by both parties that also protect your interests.

The most likely buyer will have annual revenues of 5x – 20x larger than yours...

When our $525,000 turned into $1,175,000, I fell in love with the idea of an investor preference.

The typical business owner, entrepreneur or small company CEO's mind is a jumble of thoughts, motivations and interests.  Here's a great list to satisfy that volatile mix.

97% of family businesses fail by the 3rd generation.

The very best time to sell your company is about 18 months before your company sales peak. 

It is well documented and agreed that Warren Buffet is the greatest investor of our time.  However, I worry the Oracle of Omaha continues to drift further from economic reality towards his unusual (or weird) view of the world.  Given his status in the business world, Buffett's views should be alarming to his fans, investors and employees.

Remember when Blockbuster was the new threat?  I remember when video rental was the new technology destined to doom the movie industry...

Many entrepreneurs are proud of how hard they work, of the long hours they have invested into building a strong business.  Anyone who has built a company knows the hours are long, but when selling a business, it's much better to be tan.

I think I've come to realize we essentially walk through life backwards.

Over lunch with Kevin and Kyle the other day (Kevin ordered the meatloaf), we realized that a decision they made before they even started their business, was now going to cost them almost $850,000 ... each!   That may seem like an expensive lunch, but it could get even more expensive for these two entrepreneurs if they continue to ignore the problem while increasing the value of their company.  Let's take a look at the problem, which is actually alphabetical.

It's that time of year again when business owners get frustrated by our complicated tax code and their constantly growing tax bill.  But, did you know that Warren Buffett doesn't think you are paying a "fair share" of taxes?

I consume a lot of business books and can usually tell an academic from an entrepreneur in just a couple of pages — even without knowing the bio.  This week I came across Built to Sell, which I can strongly recommend as an accurate and realistic guide from a successful entrepreneur who has "been there, done that."

Timing will be friend or foe to any small business owner engaged in exit planning or considering a business sale.  But, a recent Wall Street Journal report reminded me that timing for a business sale is a challenge for the big guys as well...

Forward-looking business owners who engage in exit planning 1-5 years before they actually sell their business realize these new SBA loan changes will create a new and potentially large pool of executives, key employees and first-time entrepreneurs who are now viable candidates to buy a business, even without substantial personal net worth.

There are critical employees in your business who have the ability to impact your sale and the value of your company.  Here are some guidelines to keep in mind while managing your company sale process:

One of the great challenges for entrepreneurs who build a valuable business is recognizing a good opportunity to sell their business. The hard truth about unloading a business is that the most lucrative time to sell is seldom dependent on a personal timetable. More often there's a "window of opportunity" created by market forces. 

Chairman Bernanke's economic exit plan will mean higher interest rates, increased cost of capital and restricted money supply.  My advice to business owners: Deal with it.

Created in 2004 as a reaction to the Enron and Worldcom scandals, Section 409a — requiring the valuation of company stock plans — takes effect this year. Even though the additional regulatory cost is annoying, 409a valuation will help you avoid onerous penalties on the company and participating executives.

What can business owners learn from Conan O'Brien's buyout?

I was surprised this weekend when President Obama used his weekly radio address (listen here) to attack nation's recovering banks rather than talk about the U.S. response to the tragedy in Haiti or rally support for a critical senate vote in Massachusetts this week. Rather, he decided to let the American people know that “most of the banks have returned the money they borrowed.”  He then went on to say (I am not making this up) that was "good news, but as far as I'm concerned, it's not good enough.”

With some well know beltway spin, Mr. Obama somehow determined that the purchase of this building saved 10 jobs and will soon create another 10 jobs.  I’d love to know how that actually saved jobs and how it will somehow create 10 more…?