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Merging your Lower Middle Market Business

Mar 6, 2019
3 min

Merging your Lower Middle Market Business

One of the most effective ways to grow your small business is to merge with another small business. The company you are merging with may already have a loyal customer base, infrastructure to expand, and efficiencies you can capitalize on by using them within your original business. But before you can enjoy the success of a merger, you must take the right steps in navigating the joining of two small businesses. A big part of the change won’t be felt by you, but by your custome

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To those Thinking of Starting a Small Business: Start Here

Mar 6, 2019
3 min

To those Thinking of Starting a Small Business: Start Here

This one's for the entrepreneur strongly considering a dive into the lower middle market and a new business. Opening your own business isn't about the economy. Yes, piles of statistics report that small business owners are backbone employers of these United States. Just as many other numbers hollow this rosy mom-and-pop scenario right out. Thing is, all that probably isn't too important to you. Opening your own business isn't about boosting the economy or revitalizing Main St

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Restaurants in the Lower Middle Market Are Primed to Boom

Mar 6, 2019
2 min

Restaurants in the Lower Middle Market Are Primed to Boom

In the world of restaurant mergers and acquisitions, big deals — like 2017’s sales of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen or Panera Bread — tend to get the most attention. But private equity firms should also look at lower middle market restaurant investment opportunities for deals that deliver solid growth to their partners. Across the investment landscape, most middle-market activity has been concentrated in the upper middle market. Deals in the core middle market ($100m to $500m) an

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Essentials to Entrepreneurship that Aren’t Capital

Feb 6, 2019
3 min

Essentials to Entrepreneurship that Aren’t Capital

Success is not simply about making huge sums of money; it is about making the person who will, in turn, make the money. An entrepreneur is responsible for the success, failure, or stagnation of his business. If the company is not producing the desired results, he will need to introspect and see what needs to change from his own side, so that the shift can occur. Business is a great equaliser: it rewards the deserving and punishes the undeserving. Your educational qualificatio

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What a Turbulent Stock Market Means for your Business

Feb 6, 2019
2 min

What a Turbulent Stock Market Means for your Business

What’s happening out there? Is it the trade war? Is it the Fed? What about European politics and the weeks-long “yellow vests” protests in France? Whatever it is, it is risk-off. It’s not good for any stock market, virtually anywhere Thursday morning. The S&P 500 tested February lows on the Monday before Christmas, fell below those lows on Tuesday before moving higher by the end of the day, then fell on Wednesday with the Fed taking all of the blame despite the fact that ever

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Rising Business Trends in the New Year

Feb 6, 2019
3 min

Rising Business Trends in the New Year

On one hand, year-on-year improvements are what makes companies great; on the other, firms can’t control many of the factors that dictate whether, say, revenue rises or not. The efforts of one person (or even one company) can’t counter 2019’s industry trends or the broader overall economic picture. The lower middle market and small business is one place where consumer confidence has continued to stay steady, so keep an eye out for these trends to continue growing in the new y

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Jan 15, 2019
2 min

What Draws High Profile Investors into the Lower Middle Market?

Lower middle market companies are some of the most sought-after assets. These businesses provide one of the best environments for M&A investors to create returns. With more companies to invest in, greater opportunities to improve companies, and lower valuations and barriers to entry, middle market companies are attractive to many private equity (PE) firms and strategic acquirers (strategics). However, that attractiveness comes with a cost – increased competition in an over-sa

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SEO Trends for your Lower Middle Market Business

Jan 15, 2019
3 min

SEO Trends for your Lower Middle Market Business

Search engine optimization (SEO) will be more significant in 2019. Like previous years, its importance in serving as the stepping stone for small businesses to find online success continues to increase. In combination with a strong and effective digital marketing campaign, small businesses need an excellent SEO strategy. Small businesses in the lower middle market need to stay at the top of their game by appearing in local search results, not in just 2019, but every year. If

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Merger and Acquisition Trends in the Lower Middle Market for 2019

Jan 15, 2019
2 min

Merger and Acquisition Trends in the Lower Middle Market for 2019

This year has been a very good one for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the United States. That being said, global political tensions, trade wars, and volatile markets have confidence a bit lower than the year’s average heading into 2019. With all of that in mind, a few things will shape how M&As play out over 2019, particularly in Q1 and Q2. All of the political turmoil, not just in the US but also in places like the UK and France, leaves investors and corporations

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Tech is Changing the Lower Middle Market - Learn How To Utilize It

Jan 15, 2019
2 min

Tech is Changing the Lower Middle Market - Learn How To Utilize It

Nearly everyone would agree that 2018 was a far-from-boring year, and that applies to businesses in the lower middle market as well. With everything going on, small businesses in the lower middle market have room to grow with new trends in technology leading the way. While cloud adoption is taking off with small businesses across the world, a recent survey found that 73 percent of respondents were using cloud in some capacity — there is still some hesitation among very small

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Lower-Middle Market Considerations Moving into the New Year

Dec 19, 2018
2 min

Lower-Middle Market Considerations Moving into the New Year

We live in unsettled, unpredictable times, as the end of 2018 has proven. For business owners, now is the season to reflect on the past year and gauge what is coming for the economy and your business in 2019. There is much to consider. This past year, we saw a major corporate tax cut yield a short term bump and mixed results (dividends paid and stock repurchased, as opposed to massive capital expenditures, as were promised), interest rate increases (with a few more indicated)

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When Mergers and Acquisitions Get Messy

Dec 19, 2018
2 min

When Mergers and Acquisitions Get Messy

Mergers and acquisitions can be tricky – particularly if illegal activity is discovered. When it comes to FCPA enforcement, though, compliance officers involved in the M&A process can breathe easier. Let’s look at M&A-related compliance issues and the government’s current stance. Worries about non-compliance shouldn’t prevent M&As, according to the Department of Justice. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Matthew S. Miner gave a speech earlier this year about the DOJ’s FCPA Co

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Are You Really Ready to Start a Small Business?

Dec 17, 2018
2 min

Are You Really Ready to Start a Small Business?

Despite the entrepreneurial hype of the Silicon Valley era, not everyone is suited to owning a business— and that's OK. Starting and growing a business takes a lot of energy. It's very risky, and there's no shame if you are happier as an employee. Some people don't have an entrepreneurial mindset. Though you can develop entrepreneurial traits, your business would need to be something that you know well, and are prepared to traverse. If these things aren’t prepared moving forw

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Small Business Requires Investment In Yourself

Dec 17, 2018
2 min

Small Business Requires Investment In Yourself

In the lower-middle market, small business owners are always investing in new equipment, products, and services to provide their customers and new marketing strategies to get ahead. When asking a business owner why they chose to invest in these items mentioned, one common answer is that they had to, or they needed to, in order to grow their business or to stay competitive with competitors. Although this is a valid answer, one question still remains: Why aren’t small business

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Why Is Small Business Optimism So Shaky Heading into 2019?

Dec 12, 2018
3 min

Why Is Small Business Optimism So Shaky Heading into 2019?

Although tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks this year fueled small-business optimism to hit its highest level in decades, the latest Small Business Survey from CNBC, released last week, reveals that small-business confidence is starting to cool. After hitting a record high in Q3, the Small Business Confidence index declined from 62 to 59 in the fourth quarter, led by small moves lower in components across the board. This new data underscores the idea that while sentiment is at

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Understanding Tax Changes as a Small Business

Dec 12, 2018
3 min

Understanding Tax Changes as a Small Business

Some changes to the tax code are posing a bit of a problem for small businesses. Luckily, if you are aware of the change, it shouldn’t cause you any stress. A critical question for lower middle market business owners is whether they can claim a new deduction aimed at small business owners. The law allows owners of many of these companies to deduct 20 percent of what’s known as qualified business income. But the IRS’ guidelines set income thresholds — $157,500 for an individua

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Starting a Business in 2019 Might be the Perfect Time

Dec 11, 2018
2 min

Starting a Business in 2019 Might be the Perfect Time

For 2019, entrepreneurs in the non-financial private sector expect higher turnover, staff increases and higher investments than in 2018. Aside from positive expectations for next year, more and more businesses indicate they are affected by staff shortages. At the beginning of Q4 2018, 26 percent of entrepreneurs were hampered in the business operations as a result. Entrepreneurs are positive about the expected turnover in 2019. On balance, 30 percent are anticipating turnover

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Portfolio Planning: Required Steps Towards Tomorrow

Dec 11, 2018
2 min

Portfolio Planning: Required Steps Towards Tomorrow

Retirement planning should be a holistic experience, not just a financial one. Retirement gives you time to let go, move forward, learn new things, grow your comfort zones and have new experiences. It is your chance to have that gap-year you always wanted without ever needing to go home. You can start a new hobby, go back to school or even start a new business. Being retired isn't about being inactive. Keeping yourself growing and involved with life is as important as your fi

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Replacing Retirement with a New Professional Passion

Dec 5, 2018
3 min

Replacing Retirement with a New Professional Passion

If retirement is getting closer, you may be tempted to use some of the extra time and capital at hand to chase the entrepreneurial dreams you’ve always harbored. Launching a lower middle market business is an exciting prospect, whether it’s digital or bricks-and-mortar in nature, especially if it’s a business you’ve spent many years thinking about. But it’s also important to thoroughly consider whether you’re properly prepared to commit the time, money and sheer mental energy

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Financial Planning for your Small Business: Why It’s Changing

Dec 5, 2018
3 min

Financial Planning for your Small Business: Why It’s Changing

A recent survey from a financial advisors group found that nearly 75 percent of the small business owners in the lower middle market have a written financial plan. If the majority of individuals receiving professional financial advice see the value in a written plan, it stands to reason that it can be a valuable tool. But, it also begs the question of what the modern-day financial plan actually looks like? As the concept of financial and investment planning has evolved immens

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