Now Is The Time To Grow A Business With all problems that current economy caused to small businesses, there is one positive side of it. There was no better time to gain competitive advantage and broaden your business’ footprint. With thousands of small businesses going under, it’s your time to take over their customers and their unclaimed business. Needy customers are out there. If you won’t do it, your competitors will. If you managed to keep your company above the water, invest all you have into marketing and lead generation. You may not see immediate increase in revenue, however 3-5 years from now your company’s income and value will go through the roof.

Business Sellers Increasingly Play Banker

Creative financing can help sellers command better prices or close deals. It can also create complications among banks, sellers, and buyers

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Why flipping is not investing in real estate

from Report On Business – Your Business RSS feed by Susan Smith

Think of each property as a small business in its own right and manage it until it is throwing off cash, author says

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The challenge: Who should ‘rule over the others?’

from Report On Business – Your Business RSS feed by David C. Bentall

At 62, Jay Bornstein began to think about retirement, and he needed to choose a family successor

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6 Ways To Use Video As A Small Business Owner

from Small Business Trends by Lisa Barone

8 people liked this

Here’s a stat for you: YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Web with more than 2 billion views a day. That’s right, two billion. And contrary to popular belief, it’s not all just silly cat videos and adolescents injuring themselves.

“Sellers are being realistic,” said Mike Handelsman, general manager for the online marketplace for businesses-for sale. “They just can’t get for a business today what they could have gotten two years ago.”

• The current median asking price of a business for sale is $220,000. At the end of first quarter 2009 the median asking price was $250,000.
• Businesses listed in the first quarter of 2010 had a median revenue of $467,500, down from $500,000 at the same time last year.
• The median cash flow, meaning the money that comes out of the business over the course of a year, is now $90,692, versus median cash flows of $103,000 during the same period last year.
• Business owners in the San Francisco area typically ask for an average revenue multiple of .70 (the same as during last year’s first quarter) and a cash flow multiple of 2.97 (down from 3.08 during the same period a year ago).

Let’s check out the most interesting news of the week…

Help! My company is a cash hog

How Google will ruin everything

10 Reasons Not To Ignore Your Blog For Facebook

Brace yourself: Facebook is trying to take over the world. Or, if not the world, at least the entire Internet. With Facebook partnering up with popular sites like Yelp, many SMB owners may feel as if their load got lighter.

Expert Business Coaches with Global Business Group are helping small business owners to become successful in starting, growing and exiting businesses.  Our Business Brokers help small business owners to plan the exit/succession strategy and sell business at the highest price.

… two thirds of new employment establishments survive first two years, and 44 percent survive at least four years.

Managing Multiple Businesses

from BusinessWeek.com — Small Business

Similar industries and nearby locations will make it a bit easier, of course. Four serial entrepreneurs offer hard-won advice

How To Spruce Up A Business For Sale

from Forbes.com: Entrepreneurs and Small Business News and Information by John Warrillow

Follow these eight steps

Health Care

13 big changes. Yep, some of the biggest changes in the healthcare overhaul could affect you and your business. Kiplinger

Secrets of the biggest selling launch ever

from Seth’s Blog by Seth Godin

80 people liked this

Apple reports that on the first day they sold more than $150,000,000 worth of iPads. I can’t think of a product or movie or any other launch that has ever come close to generating that much direct revenue.