Phone
(757)364-0303

Email
h.feder@murphybusiness.com

Scheduled
a call

Employee Satisfaction Builds Business Value Worth Protecting

A business with engaged, satisfied employees is worth more than one without them. Buyers notice workforce stability, and lenders factor it into risk assessments. If you are building a business with long-term value in mind, workforce satisfaction is not a soft metric. It is a financial one. What Workforce Satisfaction Actually Signals When employees are […]

Exit Planning Done Right: Are You Ready to Sell Your Business?

Selling a business is not a decision you make and then act on the next day. The owners who get the best outcomes are the ones who treated their exit as a process, not an event. If you are starting to think about selling, here is what readiness actually looks like. Know What Your Business […]

Family Business Ownership Transitions: What the Data Reveals

A significant share of family-owned businesses across the country are approaching a crossroads. Ownership is aging, succession planning is lagging, and the gap between intention and preparation is wider than most owners realize. Understanding what the data actually shows can help both current owners and prospective buyers make smarter decisions. Who Still Controls Family-Owned Businesses […]

Selling a Business: Mistakes That Cost Sellers the Deal

Sellers who lose deals rarely lose them at the closing table. The damage is usually done weeks or months earlier, through decisions that seemed reasonable at the time but quietly eroded buyer confidence, deal structure, or perceived value. Understanding where sellers go wrong is the first step toward getting a transaction right. Letting the Business […]

Business Valuation: Why Goodwill Is Your Most Valuable Asset

When buyers see an asking price that far exceeds the value of physical assets, the instinct is to push back. What they are often missing is a clear understanding of goodwill and why it consistently drives the largest portion of a business’s total value. What Goodwill Actually Includes Goodwill is not a vague accounting term. […]

Selling a Business: What Buyers Actually Look For

Buyers evaluate businesses through a specific lens, and sellers who understand that lens close better deals. Before you list, there are several factors that directly influence how buyers assess risk, value, and potential return on their investment. Cash Flow Is the Core Metric Profit on paper and actual cash flow are not the same thing, […]

Business Valuation Explained: What Your Business Is Actually Worth

The number most business owners want is simple: what would someone pay for my business today? But that question has a more complicated answer than most expect, because the definition of value shifts depending on who is asking and why. Why the Purpose of Valuation Changes Everything Before any valuation method is applied, the reason […]

Business Focus as a Survival Strategy: What Owners Must Do Now

Economic disruption has a way of separating business owners who are actively managing their companies from those who are simply reacting. The difference between those two groups often determines who comes out stronger on the other side. What Disruption Actually Reveals Periods of economic stress are uncomfortable, but they are also clarifying. When revenue slows […]

Selling a Business: Why Owners Stall and How to Move Forward

A significant number of business owners who begin the process of selling never actually complete a transaction. The reasons are predictable, but understanding them in advance can be the difference between a successful exit and years of indecision. The Pricing Problem Is Bigger Than Most Owners Expect When business brokers and intermediaries are asked what […]

Transferring Your Business to a Family Member: What to Get Right

Transferring a business to a family member is a legitimate exit path, but it carries more complexity than most owners expect. The informal nature of family relationships can lead to skipped steps, underdocumented agreements, and tax exposure that could have been avoided with proper planning. Start With a Formal Agreement, Regardless of the Relationship One […]