How to Build a Business and Sell It for Millions: The Essential Moves for Every Small Business

By Jack Garson

Book Overview

In How to Build a Business and Sell It for Millions, MBA meets Main Street, with a combination of inspiration and invaluable practical advice.

Finally, the positive economic news every businessperson is waiting to hear. Jack Garson says the long economic downturn will give way to a major buying spree by cash-rich companies--and they could be in the market to purchase your small or medium-sized business. It's the ultimate payday for everyone who wants to live the American dream, whether they're starting a business or already own one. Millions of dollars are on the table. But will you and your business be ready?

How to Build a Business and Sell it for Millions is a must-read for every business owner and would-be entrepreneur. In entertaining and elaborate detail, Garson outlines the vital moves your company needs to make to become an attractive acquisition by other firms:

- Do you have a competitive edge that sets you apart from your competition?
- Are both you and your company sustainable and able to outlast the bad times to become a success?
- Can you stop being a "Derek," the boss who suffers from "Founder's Dilemma," micromanaging everything
big and small?

How to Build a Business and Sell it for Millions uses real life examples to explain how the goal of selling your company needs to be linked to every business decision you make: hiring, compensation, contracts, financial reporting and dozens of other areas often overlooked by busy entrepreneurs. While many business owners struggle to get to the next day, Garson has the inside scoop on achieving the opportunity of a lifetime-- selling your company for vast riches.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312573545
• ISBN13: 9780312573546
• Release Date: August 2011
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

great book

I have ready many books on business and this is one of the better written and easier to read ones. While Garson is a lawyer, the book is not dense or hard to read with legaleze. It is a fast read filled with real life examples and situations that anyone can relate to. The author does a great job of distinguishing between should, could, and must by clearly outlining benefits, risks, and consequences. Even for experienced, well-educated entrepreneurs like myself, it contains a lot of good reminders and explanations that can help people improve their existing business or to start a new one with a maximum chance of success. Once I started reading, I had a hard time putting it down because of the insights shared.

Good birthday gift for the boss

This book not only highlights the larger concepts of developing and selling a business, it makes you think about the tedious aspects that most people forget about or don't deem as important like keeping detailed records from the onset, company morale, paying your employees before paying yourself, making sure you have fool proof contracts, etc. On a few occasions, I've witnessed my boss being the victim of his own negligence or just lacking knowledge on mistakes that could have been easily avoided. I think I may discreetly give this to him as a birthday gift.

GPS for Business Owners

This book is like GPS for business owners. Jack Garson navigates you through every possibly scenario of what to do and what not do when developing, managing and selling a business. I would recommend this to all of my friends (just as long as they're not in the same industry as me).

Must Read for Business Owners and Those Thinking of Starting One

Excellent Book! Very easy read but packed with solid information and anecdotal evidence. I couldn't put it down. I laughed a couple times and it reinforced all the things I know I should be doing, but can't seem to (i.e. I cried a couple times too). The references to what it takes to run a business and the commitment involved really hit home. If you already own a business, the information contained will ring true, enlighten, and entertain. If you're thinking of starting a business, you need to read this book. Even if you never intend to sell your business, it should be built with the intent that you will and this book lays exactly out how to do that. If you've never sold a business (or even if you have), it takes that mystical process and spells out exactly how it works, who you need on your team, and the potential pitfalls. It's like two books in one and I wish I would have had it when I started my business.

This is a resource for building quality businesses that will be worth something when it is time to s

I recently got a chance to read How to Build a Business and Sell It for Millions, by Jack Garson. Other than the title, which I hate, it is a really good book for small business owners. Here is what this book is not. It is not a get rich quick guide. It doesn't include any hidden secrets for becoming an overnight millionaire. If you are looking to flip businesses, you should probably look elsewhere. This book is for serious business owners who are ready to work hard and want to build a business right. A reward for putting years of hard work into a business should be having the option to sell it. This book does a great job covering the details of how to lay the foundation from the very beginning. I like to tell people that they should build the business to one day sell it. It doesn't matter if that is anything more than a pipe-dream right now. The fact is, if you ever want a chance at selling it, you need to be doing things 5 years out, 10 years out, and even 20 years out to help you make the sale and get the best price. Jack Garson is a lawyer who has a lot of experience working with businesses and moving them through the process of selling. From his vantage point, he has picked up a lot of information about what buyers are looking for, what effects sales price, and what mistakes businesses commonly make that cause problems when its time for an exit. The book, How to Build a Business and Sell it For Millions, is really two books in one. The first half is all about building your business correctly, and it really is a great primer on the things you need to focus on now to build a business that is structurally sound and will outlast you. The second half of the book talks specifically about the process of selling your business, and Garson provides a lot of really good specific information and insight into the process. This is the kind of book to buy if you are just starting your business, or if you are sick of being the only one who can run it. Read the first half now and figure out a few important keys to making a good business. Garson hits on key areas such as establishing competitive edge, building a business that can scale, hiring an executive team, focusing on culture, marketing, and more. There is plenty of good stuff on how to run and build a really great business. After you work your way through the first part, you'll want to hang on to the book so you have it handy when you are ready to sell. Pull it out a couple of years in advance for a refresher, and then rely on it as a guide to get you through the often arduous process of selling a business. Of course, if you are ready to sell right now, you'll want to focus on the second half of the book. Garson has fought the battles, so to speak, of selling businesses. You can benefit greatly from his experiences. Don't ignore the first half entirely, as there is a lot of great information on how to mold your business into one that will be highly attractive to buyers. You really should t