Comfort Keepers-Newtown and Doylestown was founded in 2005 and performs home care services for home bound clients. Comfort Keepers corporate has over 600 franchisees and is one of the largest home care companies in the county.

Benjamin Ross Group (www.BenjaminRossGroup.com) engaged as business brokers, initiated the transaction, acted as financial advisor and negotiated the sale.

The business was financed with a SBA (small business administration) loan for the business.

About Benjamin Ross Group: With offices in, Southampton, PA, Radnor, PA, and Princeton NJ, the Benjamin Ross Group is the most experienced, professional and exclusive business sales, mergers and acquisitions/ business broker firm in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The company represents well-managed businesses, regardless of their size. It provides a full range of services relating to buying, selling or merging businesses; business financing and valuation; and exit planning. For more information, go to: www.BenjaminRossGroup.com

The acquired location was opened in 2009 and offers a fast casual food menu to both retail and corporate customers in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Ross Group (www.BenjaminRossGroup.com) engaged as business brokers, initiated the transaction, acted as financial advisor and negotiated the sale.

The business was financed via a private lending source.

About Benjamin Ross Group: With offices in, Southampton, PA, Radnor, PA, and Princeton NJ, the Benjamin Ross Group is the most experienced, professional and exclusive business sales, mergers and acquisitions/ business broker firm in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The company represents well-managed businesses, regardless of their size. It provides a full range of services relating to buying, selling or merging businesses; business financing and valuation; and exit planning. For more information, go to: www.BenjaminRossGroup.com

Having the right systems in place will help position your business in the best possible light to attract qualified, motivated buyers who will pay top dollar to help you realize your long-term goals. Many of the right systems likely already exist. Below is a list of some items that you should discuss with your professional advisors as you contemplate selling your business. 

Accountant:  Let’s start with your accountant. Potential buyers want to know that your business is operating as efficiently and economically as possible. Make sure your accountant comes in at least quarterly to keep your Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet accurate and up-to-date. Using a software-based accounting system is crucial; while the days of shoeboxes filled with scraps of paper should be long gone, we still see it often.  

Financial Planner: Another important component of your system is a financial planner who understands your long-term goals. Figure out how much money you need after the sale for retirement, for your next investment, for your next business, etc., and then make sure that your business (which is usually your largest asset) is capable of delivering that profit.

 Attorney: You cannot underestimate the importance of having a trusted, knowledgeable attorney to help you prepare your business for sale. Your existing contracts are of particular importance. For example, can you assign your lease without your landlord’s consent? Many commercial landlords will require business owners to personally guarantee a lease. This usually occurs when the business is new and the owner does not have a track record. Sometimes the landlord will not budge. Many owners will personally guarantee the lease to get the space but will forget about the personal guarantee. When it is time to sell, you are still on the guarantee, and the landlord can keep you on the lease even after the sale, sometimes for months or even years.

Technology: Technology is another important aspect of the systems that need to be in place before and during the sale process. Computer and telephone systems, for example, need to be functioning well for the needs of the business, but without long-term commitments that might limit the new owners’ ability to implement changes.

Likewise, your Web site needs to be current, with both functionality and content. E-mail systems should be secure and protected with multiple backups, both on- and off-site. If you warehouse products, your shipping and receiving systems need to be easily transferrable to a new owner.

If you have additional Exit Planning questions please contact us at Benjamin Ross Group (215) 357-9694.

Servpro of Reading/Pottsville was founded in 1992. Servpro is consistently one of top rated franchises in the country and specializes in water and fire restoration in Berks and Schuylkill Counties in Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Ross Group (www.BenjaminRossGroup.com) engaged as business brokers, initiated the transaction, acted as financial advisor and negotiated the sale.

The business was financed with a SBA (small business administration) loan for the business.

About Benjamin Ross Group: With offices in, Southampton, PA, Radnor, PA, and Princeton NJ, the Benjamin Ross Group is the most experienced, professional and exclusive business sales, mergers and acquisitions/ business broker firm in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The company represents well-managed businesses, regardless of their size. It provides a full range of services relating to buying, selling or merging businesses; business financing and valuation; and exit planning. For more information, go to: www.BenjaminRossGroup.com

Ludovico’s was established in 2006 and is located in an upscale neighborhood; downtown Haddonfield, New Jersey. This business is part gourmet deli, part sandwich shop, part bistro. Known for its specialty hoagies, cutlet sandwiches and prepared foods to go, Ludovico’s also offers bakery items, coffees, espresso and cappuccino, as well as fresh sliced deli meats and cheeses. Ludovico’s has received the coveted Reader’s Choice Award (Courier Post) for Best Deli in South Jersey.

Benjamin Ross Group (www.BenjaminRossGroup.com) engaged as business brokers, initiated the transaction, acted as financial advisor and negotiated the sale.

About Benjamin Ross Group: With offices in, Princeton, NJ, Radnor, PA, and Southampton, PA, the Benjamin Ross Group is the most experienced, professional and exclusive business sales, mergers and acquisitions/ business broker firm in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The company represents well-managed businesses, regardless of their size. It provides a full range of services relating to buying, selling or merging businesses; business financing and valuation; and exit planning. For more information, go to: www.BenjaminRossGroup.com

Infinity Property Inspections was established in 1994 and specializes in home inspections specifically for mortgage companies, lenders, insurance companies, and various field service companies across the country.

Benjamin Ross Group (www.BenjaminRossGroup.com) engaged as business brokers, initiated the transaction, acted as financial advisor and negotiated the sale.

About Benjamin Ross Group: With offices in, Princeton NJ, Southampton, PA, and Radnor, PA, the Benjamin Ross Group is the most experienced, professional and exclusive business sales, mergers and acquisitions/ business broker firm in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The company represents well-managed businesses, regardless of their size. It provides a full range of services relating to buying, selling or merging businesses; business financing and valuation; and exit planning. For more information, go to: www.BenjaminRossGroup.com

It doesn’t matter what industry we’re talking about, how big the business is, or how long it has been operating. For example, the owner could be the only merchandise buyer for a retail store with all the knowledge in her head, all the professional relationships are based on personal contacts that will not transfer over to a new owner so the look of the store would not be the same.

Business buyers are very concerned when the owner is the rainmaker, the one person who is making sales happen. The big concern for buyers is when all the sales are based on personal relationships that the owner has, the buyer might think that those relationships will not be transferred.

Of course, that’s not to say the new owner will not work hard and serve as an integral part of the business. Rather, the owner’s main role should be general management, overseeing long-term strategies and growth objectives, not becoming immersed in the day-to-day technical details of running the business. Those duties are best left to employees who will likely stay around after the new ownership takes over.

If you want to sell to the largest pool of buyers – the individual buyer – at the highest price, your (the owner’s) job responsibilities MUST be easily transferrable. That means that the business must be able to stand alone without the owner. To quote Michael Gerber of the E-Myth, “Work on your business, not in it.” Revenue must continue to flow after the owner exits the business. You wouldn’t expect the business to grind to a halt if the owner takes a vacation, right? Just think of a sale as an extended vacation!

The Pennsylvania Business Broker Association is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is promoting ethics, education, networking and cooperative communication among transactional professional and business intermediaries in Pennsylvania and the surrounding states. The Pennsylvania Business Brokers Association established in 1998 is an affiliate of the International Business Brokers Association and one of only 16 regional organizations of its kind in the country.

About the Benjamin Ross Group: With offices in Princeton, NJ, Southampton, PA, and Radnor, PA, the Benjamin Ross Group is the most experienced, professional and exclusive mergers and acquisitions, business broker firm in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The company represents well-managed businesses, regardless of their size. It provides a full range of services relating to buying, selling or merging businesses; business financing and valuation; and exit planning. For more information, go to: www.BenjaminRossGroup.com