“Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing” is a quote attributed to Warren Buffet, an individual that has personally completed a significant number of mergers & acquisitions transactions. Mr. Buffet has the knowledge, experience, and supporting professionals to insure he employs “best practices” each time he sits down at the negotiating table.

IBA, as the oldest business brokerage firm in the Pacific Northwest, provides its clients selling businesses with a superior level of knowledge, experience, and professional skill. The foundation of successfully completing a sale of a privately held company or family owned business is the ability to price the business appropriately to facilitate a sale at the highest market price while being able to justify the value to a buyer, their accountant, and potentially a bank and/or investors supporting the acquisition. Business evaluation requires accounting & finance knowledge and the ability to assess market conditions for the company. It is an action that cannot be completed with accuracy by someone who is not actively engaged in the marketplace facilitating business sale transactions. IBA has successfully facilitated over 4000 transactions in the Pacific Northwest since 1975 with a significant majority of the transactions being completed within 10% of the original asking price for the company. The video attached to this article provides client testimonials regarding IBA’s business evaluation process and relationship between the asking & final sale price of multiple companies. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only video for a Pacific Northwest business brokerage firm where past clients verify the accuracy of a business brokerage firm’s business evaluations.

The video also addresses the topic of confidentiality. Creating & maintaining a confidential environment during the sale of a business requires knowledge, experience, and a proper set of legal documents. It is in the best interest of both the seller & buyer of a business to keep the knowledge a business is for sale out of the public domain. A business broker must walk a fine line with regard to confidentiality when selling a business. On one level it is in the business broker’s and their client’s best interest to expose the business to the maximum number of potential buyers. However, on another level the distribution of information must be facilitated employing proper procedures as a misstep can damage the value of a business and/or create management issues for present & future ownership. The attached video conveys in our clients’ words how IBA addresses the issue of confidentiality.

I hope you will take the time to view our video on business evaluation & confidentiality. The video was created because it is our belief that a successful business sale starts with these two very important transactional elements.

IBA, the Pacific Northwest’s premier business brokerage firm since 1975, is available as an information resource to the media and the mergers & acquisitions community on confidentiality and any other subjects relevant to the purchase & sale of a business.