Gregory Kovsky came to me through a referral from a friend. I had spoke to one other broker, but I could see the broker did not really understand the floral industry. Mr. Kovsky spoke the language, he knew the terminology, and he had helped other florists sell their business. His knowledge gave me the confidence to trust his valuation and ability to find the right buyer. His relationships in the floral community and with other brokers was very beneficial in locating a buyer.

I had very definite terms under which I would sell and he respected them. So with that we moved forward with the contract to sell the business.

After a bit of waiting a potential buyer was identified. Mr. Kovsky walked me through what I call the interview process. I thought it would be difficult,but with his guidance it was quite enjoyable. That first buyer was not a good match, but it was a good experience to go through. Soon after I was introduced to a second buyer and within a very brief time an offer was made to buy Mercer Island Florist! During the selling process there were many many questions that needed to be answered and many, many documents that needed to be provided. This was daunting at times and with Mr Kovsky’s calm, clear and professional guidance we did it! Many times he would say” I work for you Diane, tell me what you need”. I told him and he provided whatever it was I needed.Often times it was patience and a kind word.

He was very respectful of my time and the necessity to continue doing business in the best possible way while providing all the information necessary to complete the sale. He was willing to meet when and where it was most convenient for me .

Lastly I would like to say that confidentiality was a huge concern for me and Mr. Kovsky was a master at that. We made a good team and I would recommend his expertise to anyone looking to sell their business. Mine was one that had been in the family for over 30 years and I believe we made my family proud in the way the transaction was handled with honestly and integrity.

“No Deal is better than a Bad Deal” is what Gregory Kovsky, President of IBA, told Barbara & I when negotiations began to go sideways related to the sale of our company after several months of meetings with a potential buyer. At that point, we were emotionally vested in the transaction and considering making concessions to complete a sale that was not in our best interest, however Gregory never lost sight of the market value of our company and our retirement goals. He knew we could do better than the deal on the table and advised us to terminate the negotiations. Semi-reluctantly, we followed his advice not knowing what the future would bring. However, his guidance was true and quicker than we anticipated we were in negotiations with a more qualified buyer and completing a sale at a superior price and terms than we had tentatively agreed to prior.

If you are looking for ethical, intelligent representation for the sale of your company, I would strongly recommend that you start and end your interview process with IBA.”

We talked with Gregory Kovsky of IBA a year before going to market and even though he could have signed us then, he recommended waiting a year given our revenue growth to achieve the best possible sale price.

Once the decision was made to sell, we consulted with multiple brokers before we selected IBA. Several brokers actually quoted us higher values for our company but we felt Gregory’s grounded information was realistic and trustworthy.

Once we went “live”, we had a professional package to present and we had three qualified buyer within weeks.

Selling a business that you are personally invested in can be very emotional and you need a steady captain by the rudder to keep you going thru the process. Gregory Kovsky is that captain.

Gregory accused us of being serial entrepreneurs and he was right. We are already starting a new business and know where to go the day we sell this new venture.