TPC’s Analysis Of President Obama’s 2014 Budget

May 9, 2013 by

The Tax Policy Center (the “TPC“) has published its analysis of the tax proposals included in President Obama’s 2014 budget.  The analysis finds that President Obama’s proposals would have the intended effect of “significantly [raising] taxes on the highest-income American households.”  At the end of the day, the TPC concludes that all taxpayers, including those [...]

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Filer Beware – the Growth of Fraudulent Tax Returns

April 24, 2013 by

The filing of fraudulent tax returns resulting from identity theft is a growing business in America.  If it wasn’t bad enough that the criminals would try to get money out of your bank or use the information to purchase goods on your account, they now want your tax refund!  Treasury tells us that for the [...]

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The Hazard of Having a Dominant Customer (And How to Keep Your Biggest Customer From Controlling You)

March 14, 2013 by

Let’s suppose you want to break Apple’s grip on the smart phone market.  So you build a similar operating system and give it away to everyone for free (keeping the right to advertising revenue, of course).  It works spectacularly.  You beat Apple at its own game but then, just when you thought you cornered the [...]

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How Could Avis Blow It?

March 7, 2013 by

In my last blog post, I wrote about the wisdom of Avis’ purchase of Zipcar for $500 million and the challenge that each company faces to become a brand based company like Zipcar. Now that Avis owns Zipcar, what’s their next move? It’s important to remember that Avis bought Zipcar for its brand/trademark and the [...]

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Converting Reputation into Serious Money

February 28, 2013 by

In my previous blog post, I argued that reputation, if converted into brands/trademarks, can be the most valuable asset for a company.   While all companies claim to have “brand”, typically the company’s name  but it is mostly a sign on the door and has not considered a key access. .  These companies are “ME” companies; [...]

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What Buyers Really Buy

February 21, 2013 by

In my last blog post, I discussed the importance of making your company attractive to buyers because the need/desire to exit can arise quickly and without warning.  In order to make your company attractive to buyers, you must first understand what buyers buy. One of the most common errors of privately held business owners is [...]

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Filed Under: Business Succession Planning

Start at the End (and Work Backwards)

February 14, 2013 by

If you want to get somewhere, start at the destination, and work backwards.  Nowhere is this more true than in business succession/exit planning. If you are of the boomer generation, think back to when you started your company.   It was exciting, scary and, at times, a bit (or maybe very) crazy.  I’ll bet that the [...]

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New HIPAA Rules Issued: “Sweeping” Changes for Healthcare Providers and Business Associates

February 7, 2013 by

“On January 17, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) released its long-awaited final HIPAA rule, which significantly expands certain obligations for healthcare providers and their business associates (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule, which was published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2013, has been described as “the most sweeping changes [...]

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Keeping a Neat (Business) House: Contracts

December 5, 2012 by

Any real estate professional will tell someone trying to sell a house that it needs to be tidy and de-cluttered before any open house.  And common sense tells us that it is much easier to make a house presentable when it’s been kept up over the years.  A business is no different, but unlike a [...]

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STEP ONE – FIRE YOURSELF !

November 8, 2012 by

Most often the seller of a privately held company is the same person who was the founder and who runs, owns, and brings vast personal knowledge and charisma to the business. That’s YOU.   There is a good chance that YOU are the key reason why your company is great, valuable and profitable. But that also [...]

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