August 6, 2018
Fool Me Once Or Fool Me All The Time
On June 2, 2018 Jason Zweig’s article in the Wall Street Journal was titled, “The Fanciful Alphabet Soup Companies Use to Fool You.” The premise…
July 25, 2018
When It’s Your Own Money….
A few months ago the Wall Street Journal’s Business section’s headline was, “China Conglomerate Gets Lifeline.” The sub-headline was, “Government is helping HNA Group right…
July 11, 2018
Opioids Aren’t The Only Addiction
This memo was co-written by Jessica and John based on Jessica’s observations at a recent event. 150 attendees, great presentations, and numerous breakout sessions made…
June 15, 2018
From the “You can’t make this up” files
Conversation between business buyer and business broker: Buyer – “I have a few questions about the financial statements, especially the few items related to the…
May 23, 2018
It wasn’t even a full moon
It was mid-month, not even close to a full moon, when I had three weird and similar situations occur with business owners. An owner told…
May 4, 2018
Flip the Switch
Recently I got an e-newsletter from my friend Allan VanderHamm with Berntson Porter. Allan is their valuation and exit planning expert and the newsletter was…
May 2, 2018
The Magic Question – What Does the Owner Do?
Often simple is the best course of action. In fact, Ockam’s Razor, from William of Ockam in the 14th century, states one should solve problems…
April 25, 2018
Deal Die When Trust Disappears
It was a bolt-on acquisition, a perfect fit, and a small deal. And it died. It died because of the relationship, or lack thereof. The…
April 18, 2018
Entrepreneurs Are Different
Driving home from an evening meeting I was listening to “How I Built This,” an NPR interview show (and podcast) with entrepreneurs. This particular episode…
April 6, 2018
Emotions and Negotiations
There was a story in the sports section about a Toronto Blue Jays pitcher who had just gone through baseball’s salary arbitration process. He is,…
