“I have Not Failed I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” – Thomas Edison

My family and I lived near Fort Myers Florida for 11 years – Thomas Edison and Henry Ford had vacation homes right next to each other  in the  Fort Myers Florida.

Thomas Edison Business Mindset

Many stories and quotes are attributed to these successful men. The above quote – “I have not failed. Ive found 10,000 ways that wont work” – To me addresses the trials and tribulations of a small business owner or entrepreneur. Failure in start ups happens. It can happen again and again, and will happen. Failure doesn’t get dealt with as a defeat, rather is viewed as a setback. Many failures turn into policy and/or procedure to avoid similar future problems. If you buy a business you can have a pretty good feel on what to expect assuming you’ve performed adequate due diligence.

Thomas EdisonIve been part of many discussion revolving around starting up a company and how many years to either break even or make a profit. Some people say it is one year others say 2 years, others 3-5 years. For every business reaching this milestone of “break even” or “profit” is different. The measuring stick used and the timeline expected should be considered. Arbitrary goals and time frames should not be set. There are many unknowns in a start up. You can only do so much due diligence on something that has yet to happen – “You dont know what you dont know”- this quote may or may not be from Thomas Edison,- but applies.

I think that many people have a certain entrepreneur spirit within. Only a certain percentage act on that spirit. And the successful ones I believe are the ones that are successful at understanding failures will happen, and are resilient enough to accept the many failures that will come your way. Failing 100’s and or 1000’s of times and then coming up with the light bulb is a prophecy most any small business owner / entrepreneur would accept.


Buying a Business … 1+1=3

Buying a business can be a valuable business strategy. Synergy is an interesting concept but what can it really mean when buying a business. In my prior business I had made many acquisitions to supplement organic growth. The analysis of buying these business followed the below simplified numbers. A brief explanations of the below numbers –

Say you have 2 like businesses that both are in the business of distributing products or services to homeowners. Both companies have overhead cost of rent, advertising, utilities , insurance, phone, office cost etc. When buying a like company many of these cost become readily duplicitous – i.e. you don’t need 2 offices, you don’t need 2 phone systems.

The below example shows that when Company A buys Company B the fixed cost will not increase at all. When a company does buy another like company many of the fixed cost are eliminated but rarely are all of the fixed cost eliminated.

Financial Gain Of Buying A Business

Buying A Business

Photo (c) laboracademy.org

The example below shows the financial gain available in a well thought out acquisition and this format can be used as a starting point to analyze the synergistic benefits of such an acquisition. The fixed cost that will remain can be added to the Combined company and the projected bottom line should be reviewed to see if the bottom line still looks appealing enough to make the acquisition.

For cash flow purposes I would analyze the initial benefits of buying a like company including the cost of acquisition and the benefit that exist after the financing cost has been realized. In the below example after 5 years the bottom line improves after the note of acquisition is paid down. Financing very often can be available through the business owner selling his company. Usually the business owner can analyze the synergy and cash flow of the acquisition better than an outside banker or other financing means.

Also, when one company buys another company customers are lost and that fact should be considered in the acquisition. Will customers lost be 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%? This all depends on the type of business and parties involved.

Buying a like business can be a very effective means of growing ones company. As a business owner I suggest you open your mind to the concept, look around you at potential opportunities and do the analysis. When analyzing look at best case and worst case scenarios for both projected sales and expenses from buying a like business. As with most business transaction the best business deals are the ones that both parties benefit. When buying a business, the seller can benefit from having a means to exit out of an undesirable situation and the buyer can benefit by eliminating some competition and growing sales.

In today’s economy, businesses are struggling and from this adversity, can come opportunity.

Company A                                                                                            Company B                                                                             New       Company C

Sales $200,000                                                                                        Sales $200,000                                                  Sales                               $400,000

Variable Cost $60,000                                                                        Variable Cost $60,000                        Variable Cost                            $120,000

Fixed Overhead Cost $100,000                                                       Fixed Overhead Cost $100,000              Fixed OH                            $100,000

Profit $40,000                                                                                         Profit $40,000                                                        Profit                           $180,000

 

Success is a Journey, Not a Destination

Success is a Journey – Not a destination.

A well repeated phrase that ones reads, nods in approval and then moves on to other matters. But what does it really mean? Taking a moment to interpret the meaning can provide a strong foundation for business and personal planning of a small business owner or entrepreneur.

 3 Scenarios of “Success”

1. Just consider all the investors in the late 1990’s that made millions in the stock market Dot-Com boom.

Buy low, sell high, make millions- you are a success. Three months later the Dow loses 600 points in one day, the market continues to fall, those millions are lost and investors are left with no gains or worse – are you still a success?

2. Fast forward to the Real Estate Collapse that we are now experiencing.

Buy an entry level house, “flip it” make some good money- Are you a success? Now take those gains, leverage those monies, buy a bigger house, “flip it” make a lot more money.-Are you a success? Things are good, this real Estate thing seems almost automatic, so you take all those monies, buy a $1,000,000,000 property with plans to fix and flip it for $1.5M, but the market turns south and all the real estate gains have gone away and you cant find a buyer for your house at $740,000- are you a success?

3. Now Consider the Entrepreneur/Small Business Owner.

You successfully start your own business. You reach break-even. Are you a success. You reach $1,000,0000 in annual sales, then $2M, then $3M – Are you a success? You sell your business for several million dollars- Are you a success? I say you have reached certain successes, but the journey continues.

Definition Of Business Success

Starting a business and reaching a level of success may make one feel successful. Successfully selling your business and making a lot of money can make you feel successful. Maybe what you do after you sell your business has more to do with your feeling of success. I have associated with several people that have successfully sold businesses, and several of them have not waited until the age of 65 to do so. Those I’ve been around that have sold their business have been more of the “whats next” and treat the successful sale of their business as a “success along the way”.

As an entrepreneur the idea of selling your business for large gains is alluring, and perhaps both inspiring and strongly motivating. The existence of a small business owner/entreprenurs is a series of successes and failures. As an entrepreneur, I say enjoy the successes you attain-heaven know the failures may be more prevalent, but effort yourself to appreciate the successes that come your way.

Business Success

Photo (c) theaposition.com

I have successfully sold my own business, do I consider myself a success – not really. I really think my success, as by my measurement will get determined by what I do next. Planning for your success is very important,. And planning how you will reach your goals and levels of success is important. Very often selling the business that you may have started and nurtured for so many years can be very fulfilling, yet keep in mind it is not always the end-game. “Success is a journey not a destination.”

You are in a great relationship with a great family life, and have good friends – Are you a success? To that I say – So far so good… keep it going.