Category Archives: Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business

A discussion of the issues involved in buying or selling a business by William Bruce, president of the American Business Brokers Association.

Should You Sell Your Business Now or Wait?

Posted on December 1, 2020 by William Bruce

We’re living in strange times with the pandemic, a record number of hurricanes and a change of residents in the White House. So if you’re considering exiting your business, it’s natural to wonder if you should sell your business now … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Valuation & Appraisal, Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged business valuations during pandemic, sell business now or wait, selling business during pandemic | Leave a comment

Considering Buying a Small Business? Here’s How to Analyze a Business for Sale

Posted on October 19, 2020 by William Bruce

Let’s say you’re serious about going into business for yourself and have identified an attractive business that is for sale. You’re interested in investigating the opportunity. What’s next? How do you check it out? Continue reading →

Posted in Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged business analysis, business broker, business for sale, compute discretionary cash flow, EBIT, EBITDA, how to analyze a business, how to buy a business, how to check out a business, Small business, what are discretionary earnings, what is cash flow | 71 Comments

Here’s How to Value an HVAC Business

Posted on August 31, 2020 by William Bruce

The valuation of privately held businesses is sometimes confusing. But fortunately for heating, ventilation and air conditioning – HVAC – businesses, we have valuation formulas that will yield a pretty close approximation of value. In determining how to value an … Continue reading →

Posted in Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged How to value an HVAC business, sell HVAC business | Leave a comment

What Are the Differences Between EBITDA and Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE)?

Posted on August 24, 2020 by William Bruce

The differences between EBITDA and Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) cause confusion. Sometimes the two terms are incorrectly viewed as interchangeable, but there are important differences. First, some definitions. Both are business performance benchmarks that are widely used in valuing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Valuation & Appraisal, Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged difference in EBITDA and SDE, EBITDA defined, SDE defined, seller's discretionary earnings defined, William Bruce Business Broker | 8 Comments

Here’s the New $600 Billion Federal Reserve Lending Program for Businesses

Posted on August 20, 2020 by William Bruce

For some reason, this new loan program for businesses has not received much attention. But $600 billion has been allocated for the project, so if you’ve been hit hard by the pandemic, it might be a lifesaver. The name of … Continue reading →

Posted in Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged Business loans for pandemic damages, New $600 Billion Federal Reserve Lending Program | 1 Comment

Giving a Shoutout and Thanks to the Invaluable Healthcare Workers During this Covid Mess!

Posted on August 17, 2020 by William Bruce

Posted in Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged William Bruce thanks healthcare workers | 2 Comments

Considering Buying a Business? Here Are the 6 Most Frequently Asked Questions.

Posted on August 3, 2020 by William Bruce

The most frequently asked question by individuals who are considering buying a business and answers by William Bruce, President, American Business Brokers Association. Continue reading →

Posted in Business Valuation & Appraisal, Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged Business valuation versus asking price, buying a business, Buying a business issues, Down payment to buy business, Financing a business acquisition, loan to buy a business, Q&A for buying a business, What are discretionary earnings or cash flow, What is due diligence when buying business, William Bruce Business Discussion | 4 Comments

How to Use the SBA to Buy a Business

Posted on July 20, 2020 by William Bruce

Except for the SBA 7(a) program, banks generally do not make loans to individuals to buy a business. This statement will surprise a lot of people. Most people will think first of a conventional bank loan when seeking financing to … Continue reading →

Posted in Valuing, Buying or Selling a Business | Tagged Best business acquisition loan option, How to buy a business using SBA loan, loan to buy a business, SBA 7a business acquisition loan, SBA 7a loan, SBA 7a loan explained, Small Business Administration loan, Top SBA bank lenders, Using SBA loan to buy a business, William Bruce Business | 3 Comments

My 7 Favorite Phone Apps.

Posted on July 13, 2020 by William Bruce

This column is usually devoted to business issues, but today I’m sharing my favorite phone apps that make my daily life easier. I’m not as tech savvy as many of my friends, so my favorite apps tend to be more … Continue reading →