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Why Succession Planning Is Necessary for Your Business

100% of Business Owners Are Going to Exit Their Business If you are a business owner, you will eventually transition from your business. Why not plan ahead to create options, when time is on your side, to develop a strategic exit plan for your business? Entrepreneurs don’t start and build their...

Quotable Quotes: Mark Twain

I like to ask all of my podcast guests if they have a favorite quote about entrepreneurship. What's yours? "It's not what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just isn't so." - Mark Twain From Succession Stories Podcast Episode 07: Financial Succession...

Four Signs You’re In The Owner’s Trap

You started your business for the freedom that comes with running your own company. The freedom to earn what you deserve, and to work for whoever you want, when you want, and from wherever you want. The challenge for many business owners is that the dream remains elusive. Even more importantly, a...

[Video] How Do I Plan Personally For a Business Transition?

Laurie Barkman, CEO SmallDotBig and Jacquelyn Core, M&A Attorney from The Lynch Law Group, talk about important considerations for business owners when preparing to sell their company. Listen in as they discuss key questions you'll need to be prepared to answer as a business owner. What’s your...

[Video] “8 Things That Drive Company Value” Webinar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ZX4PHw3tQ In this webinar, Laurie Barkman, Certified Value Builder Advisor and Founder of SmallDotBig, discusses how to dramatically increase the value of your business and ensure it thrives past your exit or transition. This 60-minute session covers how to: -...

A Study of 14,000 Businesses Reveals How Not to Spend Your Time

You've heard that you need to be "close to the customer," but data shows that founders should actually keep their distance in order to maximize the value of their company. As a business owner, how personally involved should you be in the sales process? For many, getting out there, being seen and...

SmallDotBig Integrates the Value Builder System

SmallDotBig announced that it has integrated The Value Builder System into its strategic advisory services for small and midsize business owners and CEOs. Laurie Barkman, SmallDotBig Founder, strategy advisor, and succession expert, earned her designation as a Certified Value Builder™ to support...

[Video] M&A and Exit Planning Trends 2021

M&A and Exit Planning Trends 2021 As a result of the pandemic, many business owners are accelerating their exit timeline and changing their definition of wealth. On February 18th, we held a live panel discussion to explore key market dynamics and implications for M&A and exit planning:...

5 Ways To Build Your Employer Brand and Cultivate Culture

Laurie Barkman works with entrepreneurs, closely-held companies, and family businesses to develop innovations that create enterprise value and facilitate transition. Drawing from over 25 years of experience, Laurie hosts the Succession Stories Podcast speaking with CEOs and experts about how to...

How to Build and Sustain a Successful, Enduring Enterprise

Laurie Barkman works with entrepreneurs, closely-held companies, and family businesses to develop innovations that create enterprise value and facilitate transition. Drawing from over 25 years of experience, Laurie hosts the Succession Stories Podcast speaking with CEOs and experts about how to...

10 Resolutions That Will Boost the Value of Your Company

If your goal is to build a more valuable company in 2021, here are some "new year" resolutions to consider: 1. Stop chasing revenue. A bigger company is not necessarily a more valuable one if the extra sales come from products and services that are too reliant on you to deliver them. 2. Start...

EBITDA calculator

Calculate your EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization): Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) is a measure of profitability that excludes expense items that are determined by your financing strategies (interest) and tax strategies...