IBA (International Business Associates), commonly recognized in the business community as a market leader for knowledge & experience, maintains a blog featuring content from our professional team and industry colleagues as a library resource.   Information published in the venue is focused on selling and buying privately held companies and family businesses, plus topics relevant to successful entrepreneurship in the Pacific Northwest. The president of IBA, Gregory Kovsky, frequently provides content for the blog.  Mr. Kovsky has over 30 years of experience in mergers & acquisitions, business brokerage, and commercial real estate. He has personally completed over 300 transactions involving manufacturing, distribution, industrial, marine, education, retail, service, and technology companies.

IBA, the Pacific Northwest’s premier business brokerage firm since 1975, is available as an information resource to the media, business brokerage, mergers & acquisitions, and real estate communities on subjects relevant to the purchase & sale of privately held companies and family businesses.  Video and audio content from IBA is available on the video page of this website: Videos – IBA Business Brokers.  IBA is recognized as one of the best business brokerage firms in the nation in terms of successfully negotiating transactions that are “win-win” in an environment of full disclosure while employing “best practices” between the parties.

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Blog article submissions are welcome from the accounting, legal, banking, financial planning, and other industries affiliated with the sale or purchase of businesses and real estate.

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Sell a Business Articles

Unlocking Value in M&A Transactions: The Benefits of Representations & Warranties Insurance for Sellers

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies…

Understanding Tax Allocation When Selling Your Business: A Quick Guide for Business Owners

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies…

The Exponential Benefits of a Collaborative Approach to Selling a Hospitality Business

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies…

Buy a Business Articles

Why Intelligent Buyers Have Escrow Holdbacks In Their Transactions

A benefit of being the oldest business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest and successfully facilitating the most transactions in the region since 1975 is that IBA’s experienced, knowledgeable, highly skilled intermediaries have identified and utilized many best practices in terms of sale process and deal structure. One transaction component that is prudent for inclusion…

Search Fund Buyer Recommendations – A Business Brokerage Perspective

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post content from professionals on the IBA team with knowledge to share for the good of owners of…

Why You Should Engage a M&A Intermediary with a Real Estate License in Your State(s) of Operation

IBA was recognized in the August 9, 2024 issue of the Puget Sound Business Journal (https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/subscriber-only/2024/08/09/seattle-area-cre-brokerages.html) among its peers in the commercial real estate industry operating from Bellingham to Olympia for continuing to be one of the top 20 firms in the area in terms of licensed real estate professionals affiliation.  This year IBA ranked…

Entrepreneurship Articles

Creating a Strong Budget Proposal for Real-Time Customer Data

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies…

Brewing Success: Celebrating Women who GO BOLDLY in Business

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies…

The Story of Chris Markham of ICON BIM

American Dream Achieved IBA, as an approximately fifty-year old business brokerage firm serving the entrepreneurial community of the Pacific Northwest, has been uniquely positioned since before the American Bicentennial celebration of 1976 to witness and hear the stories of thousands of people who have lived the American dream through entrepreneurship creating beloved businesses by employees,…

Business Brokerage Articles

IBA Autumn 2024 Update

Visiting a farmer’s market during the summer and autumn in the Pacific Northwest is a wonderful experience. Trips down the aisles find a bounty of fresh vegetables, fruit, baked goods, honey, meat, fish, and a spectrum of other products from locally owned farms, foragers, manufacturers, and artisans. Lines of buyers often assemble to purchase the…

Business Brokerage + Franchise Brokerage = SUPER BROKERAGE

IBA’s VP of Business Development, Curt Maier, had a brainchild about a decade ago.  He identified that in the world of business brokerage the dynamics of supply and demand were consistently unequal.  A large pool of qualified, motivated buyers ranging from people wanting to leave the corporate world and embark on an entrepreneurial career path…

Q1 2024 IBA Activity Update

The calendar year 2024 started approximately seven weeks ago.  The year of the Wood Dragon started February 10, 2024, according to the Chinese Lunar calendar. The Year of the Dragon (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-is-the-year-of-the-dragon-considered-so-lucky-180983764/) according to Chinese astrology is about action, dynamism, and taking concrete steps to manifest the reality we want for our lives.  I am not…

Information Resources

Business Valuations: A Primer

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies…

Valuing Commercial Real Estate: A Different Ballgame

IBA, as the premier business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, is firmly established as a respected professional service firm in the legal, accounting, banking, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and financial planning communities.  Periodically, we will post guest blogs from professionals with knowledge to share for the good of owners of privately held companies…

Why Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions for Business Brokerage Practices Are a Long Way from Replacing People

A study published in May articulated the findings of a Turing Test applied to three different artificial intelligence platforms ( https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/gpt-4-has-passed-the-turing-test-researchers-claim). For those not aware of what a Turing Test is, a Turing Test, named after British Mathematician and Computer Scientist, Alan Turing (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alan-Turing), is a test where a human engages with another party and…

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