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Readers of USA Today's 10Best poll ranked  Taos #4 on its list of the best ski towns in the U.S. "What makes a great ski town? Some would say it's convenient access to the slopes, for others, maybe it's the variety of restaurants, bars, shops and accommodations. Yet others might gravitate toward a small town vibe or historic atmosphere. Taos started as a pueblo tucked within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico. Today,...

Facebook's data center in Los Lunas is looking to the double in size. The operation, which stores data for Facebook's social media sites such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, opened in early 2019. It currently comprises three fully-operational buildings, a fourth due to come online shortly, and two more currently under construction. Under this new proposal, the center could expand by a total of six new additional buildings, with plans to build two by 2023. Through its...

The simple fact is that most of us want to control our own fate.  This fact is especially true for entrepreneurs and business owners.  However, the truth of the matter is that for most business owners, their fate isn’t completely in their own hands.  For example, a variety of forces can prevent businesses from establishing their own prices.  Knowing whether or not your company has pricing power is essential and can influence a range of decisions...

John Warrilow is the founder of The Value Builder System and accomplished author.  While not a business broker himself, Warrilow has gathered considerable knowledge and expertise on the industry.  His previous book Built to Sell was listed as one of the best business books of 2011.  In this article, we will explore some of the key points in Warrilow’s latest book, which is entitled The Art of Selling Your Business: Winning Strategies and Secret Hacks...

The pandemic upended expectations for both business buyers and sellers in 2020, but not necessarily in negative ways. The past year saw one of the steepest year-over-year declines in Main Street business sales, according to BizBuySell’s Insight Report released January 21, 2021. The quarterly report, which tracks and analyzes business-for-sale transactions, stated that 7,612 business transactions closed, a 22% drop from 2019. Looking forward, the news is more promising. Pent-up demand combined with the Fed’s aggressive...

No two companies are quite alike, and this also means that there are many reasons why companies can fall into trouble.  While the number of variables involved in operating a company are practically endless, there are a handful of reasons why companies can fall on hard times.  Let’s take a closer look. Lacking Focus Companies that lack focus can often run into considerable trouble.  Not understanding their customers and what they need or want can lead to...

Your time is your most valuable commodity.  The simple fact of the matter is that many “buyers” are not truly buyers.  In contrast, they are often window shopping or acting out a fantasy of buying a business.  In other cases, they would only plan to buy if they were to find the “deal of the century.”  The last thing you want to do is waste your time trying to work out deals with people who...

Mass Mutual Life Insurance produced an ownership transition survey back about a decade ago.  The survey results were based on feedback and answers from family-owned businesses.  It produced some very interesting results, and is worth examining even today.  While the survey at this point is quite outdated in terms of the timeline, there are still many valuable nuggets of information to be gleaned from it.  Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the...

Mass Mutual Life Insurance produced an ownership transition survey back about a decade ago.  The survey results were based on feedback and answers from family-owned businesses.  It produced some very interesting results, and is worth examining even today.  While the survey at this point is quite outdated in terms of the timeline, there are still many valuable nuggets of information to be gleaned from it.  Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the...

“It’s the COVID effect,” Duran said [Stephanie Duran, an associate broker with Barker Realty]. “People have been realizing they don’t need to be at the office. They can live anywhere. At the same time, they are fleeing higher density. Instead of just retiring to Santa Fe, they can live in Santa Fe now instead of having a multidecade dream of living here.” Demand for homes in Santa Fe continues at a fast pace, drawing homebuyers from...

Business editor Teya Vitu reports that construction is booming in Santa Fe. Seventeen apartment projects and a 68-unit independent living center have been recently completed or under construction. Between January and November 2020, 281 building permits for single-family dwellings were pulled. Construction activity and related job growth have ranked Santa Fe in or near the top ten among the nation's 358 metropolitan areas. Read the full article on the New Mexican....

The Economic Development Department has published the most recent series of county economic reports with detailed economic and employment data for all of the 33 counties as well as a statewide snapshot, Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said today. The reports with a Dec. 2020 publication date cover the first quarter of the 2021 fiscal year – July, August, and September 2020 - during the COVID-19 public health emergency. “This community-level data, delivered in a timely and...

You shouldn’t expect to sell your company overnight.  For every company that sells quickly, there are a hundred that take many months or even years to sell.  Having the correct mindset and understanding of what you must do ahead of time to prepare for the sale of your company will help you avoid a range of headaches and dramatically increase your overall chances of success. First, and arguably most importantly, you must have the right frame...

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="365"] Recently constructed, SpinLaunch's 10,000 square foot Integration Facility and Mission Control at Spaceport America[/caption] A company that is developing and testing a mass accelerator with the aim of launching satellites into space orbit, using kinetic energy instead of rockets, is expanding at New Mexico’s Spaceport America, Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced today. SpinLaunch signed a lease at Spaceport America in 2019 and has since invested in test facilities and an integration facility....

When it comes to buying or selling a business, there is no replacement for a solid confidentiality agreement.  One of the key ways that business brokers and M&A advisors are able to help buyers and sellers alike is through their extensive knowledge of confidentiality agreements and how best to implement them.  In this article, we will provide you with an overview of what you should expect out of your confidentiality agreements. A confidentiality agreement is a...