Why Private Companies Need to Act Like Public Companies

Here’s a good tip for all private middle market business owners looking to improve the value of their business: Act like a public company.

Why Private Companies Need to Act Like Public Companies

According to Robert Slee, author of Private Capital Markets: Valuation, Capitalization and Transfer of Private Business Interests, private companies that structure themselves and act like public companies reap tremendous advantages regardless of whether they ever become a public company:

Here’s why: When performing a market valuation of a private company for new financing or other reasons, analysts tend to use public “comps” of like public company transactions. In most cases this is the only available data in the market.…

Continue reading →

Is 2012 The Year You Propose A Business Offer?

things to consider when composing a business proposal

As the clock winds down on 2011, you may be considering the idea of crafting a business proposal going into the New Year.   If that is the case, there are a number of matters that will come into play.

In the event that the coming year is the time for you to throw a business proposal or two out there on a regular basis, keep several factors in mind.

Among them are:

  • When writing a business proposal, make sure that the documentation answers any and all questions that the client may have. Before you write the proposal, run through your head any and all questions you believe the client may come at you with, including funding, customer service, and quality of work and so on.
…Continue reading →

Five Questions To Answer Before Marketing Your Business

5 questions to answer before marketing your businessAre you clueless when it comes to marketing? Lost in the sea of click-through rates, impressions, search engine bid/ask arbitrage, social media, QR codes and more? You’re not alone.

Here are a few concrete ways to develop – and evaluate – effective online marketing campaigns that can jumpstart small company business revenue without breaking the bank.

CEOs are busy, so I recommend using a checklist to focus your effort, and ensure repeatability. At a minimum, you should be able to answer the following questions before embarking on any marketing campaign:

1. What do I want this campaign to accomplish? This is the most fundamental of all questions.…

Continue reading →

What Improvements Can Your Small Business Make in 2012?

business improvements for the new year 2012

With 2012 right around the corner, your small business is likely hoping the New Year allows you and your employees a fresh start, especially if the return on investment (ROI) for 2011 has been less than stellar.

For those small businesses that struggled this year, there are creative ways to move forward in 2012 and return your company to the black.

Among the things to keep in mind are:

“¢ Review this year – The first and foremost thing to do is to sit down and go over what did and did not work well in 2011. If you have been in business for a short time, did you meet your goals for this year or are you still in the growing process?…

Continue reading →

How to Pick the Right CRM Software for Your Business

Running a business seems glamorous and exciting – you are not told what to do; you get to pick who you work with; you get to pick out the look of the office; you get paid the most money; get the best office; get to connect with powerful people. The list of exciting decisions truly never seems to stop; however there are plenty of boring and mundane decisions a business owner has to take into consideration – which HR software to choose; which email marketing software to choose; employee background check hassles, and finally, choosing customer relationship management (CRM) software.

hot to pick crm software for your business

For those who are unfamiliar, CRM software helps a company manage their interactions with customers and clients.…

Continue reading →

Top Seven Open Enrollment Tips for Small Businesses

seven cost-cutting open enrollment tips for small businessesWith open enrollment season officially underway, many small businesses, as well as their employees, are wrestling with the rising cost of health insurance.

According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, there was a spike in health insurance premiums this year, with the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance increasing 9 percent for family coverage and 8 percent for single coverage.

That’s especially troubling for small businesses when you consider that they pay up to 18 percent more per worker than large firms for the same health insurance policy.

The good news: there are many ways for small businesses to mitigate those increases.…

Continue reading →

Why Don’t You Engage Your Customers in Social Media?

In today’s information age, too many small businesses are missing out on a golden opportunity to reach out to both present and potential customers.

engage customers with social media

Simply put, they’re avoiding using social media to attract and engage consumers, therefore dropping the ball when they could be scoring a touchdown.

For those small businesses not exercising their possibilities in social media, they stand the potential of falling behind their competitors and missing out on increased revenue and more.

Social Media No Longer a Fad

When social media first came into play, many people probably looked at it as a fad that would eventually go the way of Beanie Babies, New Coke and other such products that came in with much fanfare.…

Continue reading →

Is It OK To Be Facebook Friends With Your Boss? 5 Steps That Lead You To a Yes

As Michael Scott   from the popular T.V. show “The Office” would say – bosses are getting cooler and cooler. As the connecting, following, and friending age gets going, bosses and their employees are finding more ways to interact. The difference, however, between interacting face to face and interacting through social mediums is the idea that the social networking accounts come home with you, while the office is left behind at 5:00.

As someone who grew up with social media, I know that no matter how private you may set your accounts or how much you may manage those accounts, the unexpected always seems to find its way onto your page.…

Continue reading →

Personal And Professional Development With PRINCE2 Training

project management with Prince2 training

PRINCE2 is a process-based methodology that offers non-proprietorial best practice guidance on project management, encompassing the management, control and organisation of a project. In addition to being used as a widely-used standard for effective project management internationally, it also takes the form of an official certification for accredited project managers across a wide range of sectors. Effective project management is critical to any business or organisation looking to successfully complete a new project whether it is IT, building or any other sector.

When making sure you and your people have the skills they need to become successful project managers it’s important to look beyond the project management certification.…

Continue reading →

Priorities For Technology Due Diligence

There is limited time and access during M&A due diligence. Knowing this, it is critical to focus on the high priority areas with the largest affect on risk.

merger and acquisition IT due diligence

As we discussed in our previous article, “Due Diligence for Mergers and Acquisitions – Why include IT“, technology due diligence is a critical part to evaluating a merger or acquisition. The less time spent the higher probability of extended integration or other issues. We now discuss which parts of IT due diligence to prioritize in order to minimize risk.

People

  • If the organization you are acquiring has proprietary technology, evaluating the personnel is critical as they support the technology.
…Continue reading →