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When business owners begin thinking about selling, it’s easy to picture a single type of buyer. In reality, businesses attract a wide variety of buyers, each with different motivations, financial resources, and long-term goals. Understanding who these buyers are can help you better position your business and set realistic expectations throughout the sales process. While every transaction is unique, most buyers fall into a handful of common categories. Each offers distinct advantages, and each presents its...

28 August, 2026

A Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) is a marketing document, but it is not a sales pitch. That distinction matters. While the job of a CIM is to present the business favorably, it can accomplish this without overstating its strengths, obscuring its risks, or getting ahead of what the financial records can support. Practically speaking, a CIM should help a buyer and their lender understand how the business functions. It should answer fundamental operational questions, present a...

25 August, 2026

How Can Understanding the Buyer’s Perspective Help You Sell a Business? Selling a business is not just about finding someone with the financial resources to make an offer. It’s about finding someone who is prepared to make one of the largest professional and financial decisions of their life. For many buyers, acquiring a business means leaving a stable career, investing a substantial portion of their savings, taking on debt, and assuming responsibility for employees, customers, and the...

21 August, 2026

For many New Mexico business owners, their small business is one of their largest financial assets. Despite that, few have a realistic understanding of what that asset might be worth, and even fewer have a solid grasp on what drives value in a sale. That may seem inconsequential if selling is still years away, but putting a value on your business is more than an exit-planning exercise. It can help you make better decisions today, identify...

14 August, 2026

Receiving an offer on your business is a major milestone, but experienced buyers, sellers, and advisors know that an accepted offer is only one step in the transaction process. The real challenge is navigating the weeks (or sometimes months) between an agreement and a successful closing. While some deals are derailed by unforeseen events, most transactions succeed or fail based on preparation, communication, and expectations. Here are four factors that consistently contribute to successful business sales. 1. Alignment...

10 July, 2026

Want to sell your business? The first step is to clone yourself. Do that, and the question of owner dependency will never come up. If it sounds like ridiculous advice, it's because it is. For most small business owners, there isn't the cash flow to support a COO-level hire. Even when money isn't the issue, the talent is. Someone with your skills, your business acumen, and your deep knowledge of the business is probably already running...

10 July, 2026

Exit and transition planning is a structured process designed to put control back into the hands of business owners. When you can articulate your vision for life post-transition, strengthen your company's attractiveness to potential buyers, and minimize transaction surprises, you are empowered to make choices in your own best interest. Every successful business will change hands someday. The only question is whether that transition happens by design or by default. At Sam Goldenberg & Associates, we often...

07 July, 2026

If you've worked with a good CPA for years, you trust them and for good reason. They know your business, have kept you out of trouble with the IRS, and have probably saved you real money along the way. But there's one question your CPA rarely asks, and that is: What happens when you want to sell? It’s simply not their job to ask that question. That's where a business broker's perspective deviates from your accountant’s and...

25 June, 2026

Ask a business owner what their company sold for and they'll give you one number. Ask them what they actually walked away with — after debt payoff, taxes, the working capital adjustment, and the seller note that's still being paid down — and you'll get a very different answer, usually accompanied by a story. Here's the uncomfortable truth from the intermediary's side of the table: two offers with the same headline price can differ by hundreds...

19 June, 2026

When a business changes hands, the lease attached to it can be just as important as the business itself. This is especially true for restaurants, retail stores, salons, and other companies that rely heavily on location and customer traffic. A strong location can add value to a business. However, the downside of the equation is that a problematic lease can create unexpected headaches for both buyers and sellers. For anyone considering the purchase of a business,...

30 May, 2026

One of the first questions sellers ask us is some version of: “How many buyers do you already have for a business like mine?” The question is totally reasonable. If you’re selling a plumbing company in Albuquerque, you assume we should already know every competitor, every strategic buyer, every private equity group rolling up businesses in your market. Sometimes we do, but just as often we don’t. Of all the things that a business broker brings to...

20 May, 2026

Family-owned businesses continue to play an outsized role in the New Mexico economy, where most businesses are small and owner-operated. Yet despite how common these businesses are, succession planning remains one of the least addressed challenges facing owners approaching retirement or transition. Many owners assume that selling to a child or other relative will be simpler than selling to an outside buyer. In reality, family transitions often introduce a different set of operational, financial, and emotional...

12 May, 2026

Many sellers are surprised to discover how much influence a buyer's lender has over the sale process. Even when a buyer is motivated and the business looks strong, financing isn't a formality; it's an ongoing evaluation that can shape price, structure, timing, and even who can realistically buy the business. A "Yes" Is Conditional Until Closing A bank's approval doesn't arrive once and stay put. A loan moves through several sets of hands, and each stage brings...

05 May, 2026

Most New Mexico small business owners often focus on the day-to-day operations, with an eye toward growing the business. They spend little time preparing to exit their business, often because it’s such a far-off possibility as to seem impractical. While it may sound counterintuitive, exit planning needs to be part of your growth strategy from Day One. It’s not only for large businesses. Without a plan, owners often drift toward burnout – and burnout erodes your...

04 May, 2026

Selling a business is rarely derailed by poor negotiating tactics. More often, it comes down to preparation, flexibility, and a realistic understanding of what the other side is up against. That last part is harder than it sounds. Most sellers have spent years building something, and the number in their head reflects that history. A buyer sees a set of financial statements and a risk they're being asked to take on with their own capital and...

03 May, 2026