Tag Archives: selling my business

How NOT To Sell Your Business – radio star!

Denise on Women in Business radio showLast month I was delighted to be asked to appear on the  Women in Business Radio Show at Channel Radio.

I loved every minute of it and here’s what Sian Murphy, the presenter, said:
Well this episode probably had almost everything in it. For one thing, if you get bowled over by the gorgeous sales agent for your business, and take your eye off the relevant ball, then you end up with the sort of crummy job that costs you thousands and thousands.

You’ll be pleased to know, I certainly was, that it is possible to come back from a total cock-up and end up back on top again.

It was great fun recording this episode and thanks so much to Denise for being a great sport and really sharing it all – and of course to Laura Burton Lawrence for keeping it all on track.

http://thewomeninbusinessradioshow.com/denise-barnes/

Being a poor judge of character could leave you in ruins!

Denise_questioningHow good are you at judging character? Most people think they’re pretty good. I thought I was. How wrong can you be? I’d gone on first impressions instead of looking behind the person, their body language, what they didn’t say. It’s important to make an accurate judgment in our daily lives as we interact with people by making new friends, employing new staff hoping they live up to their CVs working with our colleagues, and buying products and services. Weighing up people is crucial when you come to sell your business. If you choose the wrong buyer it can have a devastating effect on the rest of your life.

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You may be fantastic at running your business, having built up a successful enterprise that is in good shape, and are now ready to find the right buyer with the right offer. Before you go any further, STOP! You need to read my own nightmare journey when I came to put my chain of estate agents on to the market. Yes, I went through all the right channels such as putting my precious baby with a business agent, and using a well-respected firm of solicitors, but if you read my true story in Seller Beware: How Not To Sell Your Business, you’ll see this is not enough, and that even the professionals can let you down big time. And this is before you have a prospective buyer sitting in front of you.

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That’s where your antennae must be at their most alert. The prospective buyer can tell you anything from exaggerating their experience in the area you work in, misleading you by their financial standing, to relating a full pack of exquisite lies. I was duped by all of these. So was my original solicitor, and even the bank manager who financed them.

Seller Beware

 

You can read the whole miserable story (interspersed with plenty of humour) of how I was left in financial ruin, not to mention a reputation shot to pieces. There’s a practical checklist at the end of each chapter warning you what to do and what not to do in Seller Beware: How Not To Sell Your Business.

I would also love to know if anyone reading this blog has been conned in a way that has actually affected their lives. Please share it with me. Somehow it helps to know I’m not alone!

 

Seller Beware: How Not To Sell Your Business is currently on special offer £5.00 plus post and packing. Offer includes signed copy and special bookmark.
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1849545367/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
For all other countries, please leave a contact email in the comments and we will send you a tailored price quotation.

What others have said…
“…well written and eminently readable. I’d recommend it to any businessperson who is embarking on any significant action in which they have no prior experience.” http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R29F97GY29XZRC/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1849545367

“It is not very often that EAT raves about a book – but this one really is a page-turning must-have for estate agents.”
http://old.estateagenttoday.co.uk/news_features/My-real-life-nightmare-an-estate-agent-tells-her-story

“If you own your own business you should definitely read this book before even thinking of selling it.”
http://www.wearethecity.com/new-book-release-seller-beware-one-womans-road-to-ruin-by-denise-barnes/