The acquired company designs, installs, services and maintains beautiful, low-voltage outdoor lighting systems for homes, gardens, lawns, pools, decks, driveways, walkways, entry monuments, storefronts and more.

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.

About Benjamin Ross Group: With offices in, Princeton NJ, Southampton, PA, and Radnor, PA, and, 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, visit: www.BenjaminRossGroup.com

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When it is time to sell your company, your baby, the business that you have been married to for years, our advice is to seek out the best mergers and acquisition firm in your geographical area, the one with the best track record that you believe will provide the best service for you. You should consider only professional business brokers who have industry designations that speak to the continual educational training they go through to ensure that they are serving their clients with the best possible knowledge, philosophy strategies, and ethics.

The trained professional will help you to map out your route in the most efficient and effective manner. At the end of the day, the trained professional will not only help you to find your exit, but will make sure you have everything it takes to get there safely.

The reality is that every business has a life cycle, and you need to be preparing to sell your business the day you open the doors for the first time.

Do you know where your exit is? Contact us today.

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, 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.

Randazzo’s Italian Cuisine was established in 2001. This inviting restaurant offers a wide selection of specialty pizzas, hoagies, sandwiches, salads and delicious Italian dinners.

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

There are three stages to planning for your exit from the business: long-term planning (greater than three years); intermediate planning (from six months to three years); and short-term planning (less than six months). When planning long term, the following are some key items you, as a business owner, want to focus on.

Develop management depth. Make sure that your employees are trained in all aspects of the operation so that if a key member of your management team leaves, a replacement is prepared to step in, with no discernible loss of productivity, until you are able to hire a new person or promote from within.

Perform appropriate tax planning. Your accountant or financial planner can take steps early to ensure that your tax situation is optimized for all present and future scenarios. Not only might you save money now, you will also be in better financial shape when it is time to sell your business.

Improve financial statements. Again, this is something all business owners should be doing as a matter of good practice. Nothing attracts qualified, motivated buyers more than a solid financial statement.

Formalize partnership agreements. Too many partnership deals operate on nothing more than a handshake and someone’s good word. While that might work in many cases, it is always best to reduce agreements to writing so that there are no questions about the terms and responsibilities for all parties involved.

Purchase any minority interests. Having several partial owners can complicate matters when it comes time to sell your business. As appropriate, try to reduce the number of minority interests in your business. They might have been beneficial when you were growing the business, but as your venture matures, consider buying out those who hold minority interests.

Negotiate lease transferability. Make sure that all your lease documents – property, machinery, intellectual rights, for example – allow for a smooth transfer to a new owner. As your business grows, your leverage to demand transferability of leased items grows also. 

If you are thinking about selling your business, please contact our office to speak with a broker who can help you start the process.

Professional Technicians was founded in 1998 and collects blood samples from home bound patients in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.

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

This is a very common trap that many owners of business fall into, and there is an easy fix. But first, you have to be aware of the risk. The easy fix is to identify the situation early and then start actively increasing the number of customers you deal with. Leverage the established relationship with your top customer to secure others. Ask for referrals, and use the extra profits to hire a new salesperson to gain more customers. You can also acquire companies that have more customers.

Another potential risk in business is having a large concentration in one industry. It is very apparent now that businesses that concentrated on the new housing industry probably are in some trouble with the economic slump. Hindsight, of course, is 20/20. The astute businessperson recognizes trends before they happen. Look at your business. Do you have a large concentration in a few customers or a few industries? How about one or only a few vendors?

All buyers assume risk when they purchase a business, but the successful seller will decrease the risk for the buyer by always keeping their eye on the EXIT. If you are thinking about selling your business, please contact our office to speak with a broker who can help you start the process.

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.