Columns

SEVEN POWERFUL RATIOS TO START TRACKING NOW

February 7, 2012
By

By:John Warrillow Doctors in the developing world measure their progress not by the aggregate number of children who die in childbirth but by the infant mortality rate, a ratio of the number of births to deaths. Similarly, baseball’s leadoff batters measure their “on-base percentage” – the number of times they get on base as...

Read more »

Introducing The Sellability Score

December 23, 2011
By

Have you ever wondered if you could actually sell your business if you wanted to or needed to?   Find out how your business would stack up if you really tried to sell it by taking the free quiz and getting your Sellability Score. The Sellability Score is a system designed by John Warrillow, author...

Read more »

Synergy: 1+1=3 or More (Maybe)

December 23, 2011
By

Synergy (sin-er-jee) –n, pl -gies 1. The interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc. 2. The potential ability of individual organizations or groups to be more successful or productive as a result of a merger. Have you ever wondered why some...

Read more »

The Danger of Market Timing the Sale of Your Business

December 2, 2011
By

By John Warrilow The other day I was speaking with a successful CEO in his fifties who runs a heating and air conditioning company generating eight million dollars in revenue and over one million dollars in profit before tax. Even though he was tired and nearing burnout, he was planning to wait another five...

Read more »

Investment Banker Turned Landscaper – An Acquisition Case Study

September 23, 2011
By

In early 2010, I received an email message asking for information about buying a landscape business. That is not an unusual request, and I responded with some of the resources we make available and had a follow-up call. I am always happy to talk with people interested in buying or selling green industry businesses...

Read more »

Seven Reasons to Sell Out Now

September 21, 2011
By

In his new column from the Globe and Mail, John Warrilow outlines seven reasons to sell out now.  If they apply to you, it’s definitely something to think about.   Click here to read to the column. John is the author of Built to Sell – Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You....

Read more »

Old Habits Die Hard – Let’s Kill Them Anyway

September 4, 2011
By

From AllBusiness.com Small business owners can be their own worst enemies when they cling to outmoded — and unprofitable — ways if thinking. Bill Clinton is a vegan. This mind-boggling conversion —from a man who while president was infamous for his McDonald’s binges — shows that it is possible to change even the most...

Read more »

Don’t Sell the Fix, Sell the Prevention

August 2, 2011
By

To scale up a knowledge-based business, it’s necessary to take yourself out of the equation. Here’s one solution for how to grow your business. By John Warrilow  John Warrillow has started and exited four companies and is the author of Built to Sell: Creating a Business Than Can Thrive Without You.   You can find his...

Read more »

Selling Your Business for Parts

August 1, 2011
By

By John Warrilow  John Warrillow has started and exited four companies and is the author of Built to Sell: Creating a Business Than Can Thrive Without You. Dear John: I’ve decided to shut down my business. It’s just too time consuming, and I’m not earning a good enough living to compensate for the time it...

Read more »

Fire Your Clients

July 31, 2011
By

By Richard Helling We recently sat down with a client and were going over the financial statements from the previous several years when we noticed something unusual. He had lost clients but had increased profitability. When we asked what he had to done to increase profitability while losing clients he simply replied that he...

Read more »

Archives