JPAbusiness

Due diligence is ‘the process of acquiring objective and reliable information on a … company as required, especially before a commercial acquisition’ [Macquarie Dictionary].

At JPAbusiness we regularly undertake due diligence for business-buying clients. The process involves checking and verifying information relating to the basic operations and performance of the business our client is considering buying.

Our role is to identify risks and issues, plus any material differences between what has been represented in information previously provided on the business, and what we identify in the due diligence process.

Topics: Buying a business, Due diligence, Template, Checklist, business advice, eBook, Business advisor, business basics, Parramatta, Orange NSW, free resources

Value can be destroyed overnight if a business sale transfer goes wrong.

A few years back we published an eBook and checklist designed to help people manage this transfer process, after an experience I had while conducting due diligence for a client.

My client was in the process of purchasing a building products business in Queensland, which sold to both the trade market and retail customers.

Contracts had been exchanged and a deposit paid by my client, but the sale was subject to the outcome of my due diligence.

Topics: Buying a business, Free download, Business transfer, Checklist, business advice, selling a business, JPAbusiness, Parramatta, Orange NSW

Prospective business buyers value professional, credible, robust information on a business sale opportunity.

Selling a business is about trying to get someone to share the same, or better, perspective on your business that you have.

Get this information provision right and interested parties can successfully understand and evaluate what you know and value about the business, and then put a fair price on it relative to this type of asset in the marketplace.

Present them with poor quality information and it will reflect sourly on your business.

Topics: Selling your business, Advice, Checklist, selling a business, business broker, Parramatta, Orange NSW

Buying a business is not an investment decision to be rushed into or made lightly.

For those of you considering buying a business, we have created the Business Buyer's Checklist.

The checklist contains 14 questions designed to:

• ensure you have a clear purchase objective 
• work out whether identified business opportunities are a good match for your skills and interests
• prompt you to take necessary steps regarding market appraisal, due diligence and financing.

Topics: Buying a business, Template, Checklist, business advice, business buying, Business advisor, Parramatta, Orange NSW

As a business owner or manager, there are a number of 'levers' you need to control to successfully manage working capital and drive a successful, cash-generating business.

Topics: Business Value, Selling your business, Cash flow, Working capital, Exiting your business, Checklist

If you’re a business owner considering taking on an investing party or shareholder, some form of written shareholders’ or partners’ agreement is vital.

Use the agreement to make clear all parties’ investment and partnership intentions and responsibilities from the outset.

Remember, this is your business, so you can cover whatever you think important, from business relationships, ethics and cultural issues, to insurances, taxation and debt obligations; it’s your blank canvas.

Topics: Advice, Partners, Business Structures, Shareholders, Checklist, business advice, shareholders agreement

The JPAbusiness Strategic Value Checklist has been created to help you drive positive strategic value in your business.

Don't wait until it's time to sell or exit to work on the business characteristics listed in the checklist. While strategic value drivers are not always quantifiable (as we discussed in our free eBook Strategic Value in a Business Sale) they’re not fairy dust either. They can’t be created with a magic wand overnight!

Strategic value drivers result from real actions you can take to enhance year-by-year earnings in your business, and also potentially assist you to capture extra value on exit of your business.

Topics: Business Value, Selling your business, Advice, Valuations, Exiting your business, Checklist, Business advisor

A recently released international study has found small businesses lose almost twice as much to occupational fraud – per case – as large businesses (over 100 employees).

Every two years the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) produces its Report to the Nations: Global study on occupational fraud and abuse.

The following insights about the impact of employee fraud on small business come from the 2018 report:

Topics: infographic, staff management, Checklist, Employee fraud, fraud prevention

When business owners come to see us, wanting to sell their business, we often get involved in providing what we term ‘vendor due diligence’.

When conducting vendor due diligence for clients, our role is basically to ‘pretend’ we are the buyer.

We look at a range of business health factors including:

• financial performance
• business performance
• staff and organisational aspects
• contracts, systems and suppliers
• how the business creates and drives value in terms of its point of difference in the market
• forward order book i.e. the pipeline, to understand the true nature of the business as a going concern
• how exposed the business might be to individuals or particular customers or suppliers.

Topics: Selling your business, Template, Checklist, business advice, Business advisor, vendor due diligence

Topics: Buying a business, Checklist, business advice, business buying, Business advisor