News

Most business buyers and sellers are wondering what 2021 and beyond will bring.  BizBuySell and BizQuest President Bob House provided a range of insights stemming from BizBuySell’s 3rd Quarter Insight Report and a survey of over 2,300 business owners.  The simple fact is that the pandemic has most definitely had a major impact on the buying and selling of businesses.  This fact is obvious.  But diving deeper, there are a range of insights that can be...

Pledges $1 Billion Investment and Additional 1,000 Jobs Today, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller together with Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos announced that Netflix, the world’s leading internet entertainment service, plans to boost its presence in the state by expanding ABQ Studios and committing to an additional $1 billion in production spend. The expansion will add 300 acres to the company’s existing space at ABQ Studios, located in Albuquerque’s Mesa Del Sol...

Goodwill is a term that might cause a little confusion for some.  But at its heart, it is a relatively straight-forward concept.  Goodwill is generally viewed as a term that encapsulates everything from a business’s reputation to the goods, services and products it provides.  The key idea is that there is goodwill if the business is viewed as a true and functioning business that has longevity in the marketplace.  The Importance of Reputation It is important to...

For every reason that a pending sale of a business collapses, there is a positive reason why the sale closed successfully.  What does it take for the sale of a business to close successfully?  Certainly there are reasons that a sale might not close that are beyond anyone’s control.  A fire, for example, the death of a principal, or a natural disaster such as a hurricane or tornado.  There might be an environmental problem that...

Today, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released data on the size and scope of the outdoor recreation industry in the U.S. and in New Mexico. In New Mexico, the updated data show that the outdoor economy contributed $2.4 billion to the state's GDP in 2019 (2.2% of GDP). According to the report, 35,065 people were employed in this sector, with $1.2 billion in total income. At the national level, the data shows that the outdoor recreation...

There is a direct relationship between the asking price and the amount of cash on the table at the time of the sale.  Buyers and sellers alike should keep one fact in mind.  Most businesses involve some level of seller financing.  It is customary for both buyers and sellers to have concerns regarding this kind of financing; after all, sellers don’t want to take their businesses back from the buyer.  Buyers want to generate enough...

Only a small percentage of the population is able to go through life without using some form of financing at some point.  Most people have little choice but to finance everything from their home and car purchases to their college education.  Now, with that stated, most business owners would love to receive an all-cash offer for their business.  But the reality of the situation is quite different.  The facts are that owner financing is very...

The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce hosts the 5th Annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon this month. The virtual event will gather, support, and celebrate New Mexico’s inspiring women entrepreneurs throughout November. The remarkably apt theme this year is agility. The combined weight of personal and professional challenges during the pandemic has fallen especially heavily on the shoulders of women. Women have experienced job losses at a higher rate than men during 2020. "Women-owned businesses are also struggling,"...

The New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) program announced today that six districts are using ‘Cash Mob’ virtual events to support local businesses during the pandemic and upcoming holiday season. Events are hosted on Facebook Live where participants bid on items, arrange payment and socialize during the fun two-hour session. Lively hosts entertain and educate as they sell items and encourage viewers to shop locally to contribute to their communities. This year, ‘Cash Mob’ has helped businesses...

The State of New Mexico's Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) Board has awarded 18 companies with over $5.5 million during September and October 2020, in support of 803 new jobs, Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced today The September awards totaled $3.6 million for 672 trainees and 1 intern, with another $1.9 million for 129 trainees and 1 intern awarded in October. Average salaries for trainees ranged from $11.62 to $69.71 per hour, with...

Sellers are just like everyone else in that they can make mistakes.  In this article, we’ll explore some of the most common mistakes that we see along with some of the repercussions.  1. Not Seeing the Buyer’s Point of View The first major mistake that sellers make is that they simply fail to look at the situation from the buyer’s perspective.  One of the smartest moves any seller can make is to step back and ask themselves...

A recent Economist article titled "Countering the Tyranny of the Clock" explores our changing relations to time as work becomes more flexible. A little philosophical? In fact, it's super pragmatic! "Flexible working existed well before the pandemic. But it only offered employees the ability to choose when in the day they worked their allotted hours," writes Bartleby. "Remote working has brought a greater degree of freedom." Rather than an unraveling of work ethic when work is removed...

Selling a business isn’t always 100% about the price.  It is not like selling a house where typically the most important factor is who places the highest offer.  In the end, if the seller is to achieve the most optimal results, there are other variables that should be considered.  The idea of selling to a competitor is one that seems attractive to many business owners.  After all, a competitor has the built-in advantage of understanding the...

Creating a positive online customer experience has been catapulted into top priority status by the pandemic. We have written lately about a recent survey-based study titled “The New Reality: Understanding the Retail Consumer Experience During a Pandemic.” In it, Wharton Marketing Professor Thomas Robertson finds “about a 10% increase in problems from before the pandemic to the middle of May, with some decrease in loyalty. As the percentage of online sales was going up, many...

It is safe to state that Howard Brownstein, President of The Brownstein Corporation, is a true expert in providing turnaround management and advisory services to companies, as well as their stakeholders.  Brownstein serves as an independent corporate board member for both publicly held as well as privately-owned companies and nonprofits.  During his career, he has been named a Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and served as Board Chair and...