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Jim Stein Sharpe

Jim Stein Sharpe

Sharing about searching, searchers and running an SME. Always learning.

  • Most Recent Blog Post
  • Contemplating Search
  • Launching Search
  • Searching
  • Being a CEO
Launching Search

Searching with Interns

Jim Sharpe July 20, 2015 Searching with Interns2016-09-19T16:04:07+00:00 Launching Search No Comment
Your search process has to be as efficient and effective as possible to achieve the result of owning a business in two years or less. Interns can be used to scale up many of your…
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Searching

Seller Profile

Jim Sharpe May 18, 2015 Seller Profile2016-09-04T14:53:00+00:00 Searching 4 Comments
Finding and buying the right company is the prime objective of your search, yet it is often the seller who is essential to your success. Working with an unsuitable seller can drain your most precious…
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Searching

Company Profile

Jim Sharpe April 6, 2015 Company Profile2015-08-30T21:49:11+00:00 Searching 4 Comments
        Searchers often make the mistake of searching for a “great” business. The search model would classify a great business as one with 3 years of expanding profits, recurring revenues, a simple…
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Searching

Establishing seller trust

Jim Sharpe April 25, 2016 Establishing seller trust2016-04-24T20:40:49+00:00 Searching No Comment
The relationship you build with the seller, between the initial contact and your running of that business, is much more important than the "transaction" that you conclude with them. Like any relationship, it is based…
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Searching

Proprietary Prospecting

Jim Sharpe June 15, 2015 Proprietary Prospecting2015-11-14T09:53:05+00:00 Searching 6 Comments
Your proprietary search for prospective sellers should be viewed as a carefully scripted marketing campaign. Your "pitch" should quickly capture the attention of business owners and trigger a conversation about turning their legacy over to…
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Searching

Brokers and Intermediaries

Jim Sharpe August 10, 2015 Brokers and Intermediaries2015-09-12T12:29:15+00:00 Searching No Comment
Brokers, M&A advisors and other intermediaries may stand between you and your ideal seller.  Developing the skills to manage this source of prospects is critical to the success of your search.    Since about 40% of…
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Searching

Making offers (IOIs and LOIs)

Jim Sharpe February 10, 2015 Making offers (IOIs and LOIs)2017-05-21T19:44:41+00:00 Searching 11 Comments
Making offers quickly and often in your search is critical to buying a business. As in sports, taking frequent "shots on goal" is always better than waiting for the "perfect" opening. After all, the offer…
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Searching

Working Capital

Jim Sharpe June 1, 2017 Working Capital2017-10-28T22:05:19+00:00 Searching 7 Comments
In many ways, search is all about the details. A detail that cannot be overlooked is the treatment of working capital in the transaction. If saved until the final drafts of the P&S agreement, the…
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Searching

Bank Financing

Jim Sharpe October 1, 2017 Bank Financing2017-10-31T21:41:31+00:00 Searching No Comment
The most substantial source of financing for your acquisition will be bank financing. A quick survey of two dozen searchers finds they have raised between 35% to 75% of their transaction price through bank debt…
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Searching

Seller Financing

Jim Sharpe November 1, 2017 Seller Financing2017-12-30T21:29:42+00:00 Searching 1 Comment
Seller Financing is one of the most significant source of funds that a searcher uses to finance their purchase.  It demonstrates the seller's confidence in the future of the business under new leadership, and gives…
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Posts – Most Recent

  • International Searchers Inside the USA

  • Searching Internationally

  • Searching as a Veteran

  • Searching as a Woman

Posts – Contemplating a Search

  • Is search right for you?

  • Learning About Search

  • Searching Internationally

  • International Searchers Inside the USA

  • When to Search?

  • Where to search from?

  • Choosing a search partner – or not!

  • Funding the Search

  • Searching as a Couple

  • Searching as a Veteran

  • Searching as a Woman

  • Your significant other

  • Wearing the coat

  • Compensation

  • Cost of searching

  • Blog Purpose and Objectives

Posts – Launching a Search

  • Selecting your search name

  • Building your search website

  • Searcher Identity

  • Preparing your search brochure

  • Searching with Interns

Posts – Conducting your Search

  • Seller Profile

  • Company Profile

  • Establishing seller trust

  • Proprietary Prospecting

  • Brokers and Intermediaries

  • Making offers (IOIs and LOIs)

  • Working Capital

  • Bank Financing

  • Seller Financing

  • Raising Equity Capital

  • Due Diligence

  • Quality of Earnings

  • Customer Concentration

  • When your LOI falls apart

  • Getting to Closing

  • Why deals fall apart

  • Managing Professional Support

  • Searching Efficiently

  • Reaching out for help

  • Reporting on search progress

  • What to expect while searching

  • Practice and Repetition

  • When to stop searching

  • Life after winding down search

Posts – Being CEO/Owner

  • Taking Over the Business

  • Seller Transition

  • Board of Directors

  • Communicating with Employees

  • Hiring your team

  • IT Systems

  • Wearing your sales hat

  • Knowing your competition

  • Growing Revenue

  • Pricing for Value

  • Sharing profits, not equity

  • Developing an Accountability Culture

  • Strategic Partnerships

  • Downsizing your business

Random Quote

01-Get to No Fast!
It is critical to develop the skills to remove a potential seller from the prospect list as quickly as possible. With only 24 months before flame-out, searchers have limited time to go down a blind alley.

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