After years of success, it is time to sell your small business. In this episode, Dena Jalbert, founder and CEO of Align Business Advisory Services, shares with Carol the steps that should be taken prior to putting a business up for sale, factors that should be considered in developing an exit strategy, determining how much a business is worth, as well as mistakes that people often make when selling a business. Dena considers the advantages of using a business broker, as well as the professionals who should be consulted prior to the listing of the business for sale and the pros and cons of the different ways to structure the sale of a business.

As a small business it is important to have a good relationship with your personal banker. In this episode Carol speaks with Jeff Broomell, a personal banker with many years of experience working with small businesses and helping them achieve success. Jeff will discuss some first steps a new business owner should do with respect to their banking needs, some common mistakes they often make, and the types of bank accounts and services a business owner should consider. Jeff will review the various business loans available to a small business and the documents needed when applying, what banks look at when reviewing a loan application and what might be the roadblocks. Finally, what should you look for in a personal banker.

In our last podcast we heard about the questions one should ask themselves before starting a new business and tips for achieving success. On today’s episode Carol Felsing continues her conversation with Debra Backer, a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, on the small business accounting software available. Deb discusses the pros and cons of the three QuickBooks program available, QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Enterprise. Deb will do an analysis of each one to determine which would be best for your small business.