Recently, I witnessed the merger of two businesses. One business was barely cash flow positive, and the other had not even launched yet. While their balance sheets of both businesses had not done anything to impress as of yet, the combined valuation of the two entities was nearly $100M. Why? Because of their off-balance sheet value, their intellectual property, process and people. None of these can be found on the balance sheets, but all drive the value of the business.

Intangible value (off-balance sheet value) can be the single highest driver of value in the business. At some point that off-balance sheet value must become on-balance sheet value. The company must make money, and when you combine the tangible with the intangible, you have a winning combination!

“Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC
(www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world. Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps his clients achieve results worldwide. His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com). 7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies. To learn more about our Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

I have been having a number of conversations regarding behavior modification recently. Specifically, how to convert online tools into offline action. How can you get an online business tool, like a business planning tool, or an online goal setting program to inspire an entrepreneur or executive to change their behavior? Can an online submission form get a business owner to take consistent action? If your knee jerk reaction is ‘No’, then we think alike. What is the missing link? In my opinion…us!  Accountability in the form of another person is a powerful behavior modifier. We play the role of Chief Back Patter or Chief A** Kicker, whichever is required in order to keep an entrepreneur on track. The medium of coaching and consulting is evolving, and the use of online tools to adjust offline behavior will become the new paradigm of consulting and coaching. We need the right tools (and the best tools) to do our work; and it appears those tools are going online. Coaching and Consulting? There’s an app for that! Stay tuned….

“Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC
(www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world. Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps his clients achieve results worldwide. His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com). 7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies. To learn more about our Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576348991777386716.html

 “Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC (www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world. Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps his clients achieve results worldwide.  His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com).  7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies.  To learn more about our Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

I recently spent a week ‘on the Bund’ at an entrepreneur’s conference in Shanghai. I was
struck by the enormity of the city. Nearly triple the size of New York City, Shanghai is a very
cosmopolitan and diverse place. I expected congestion, gridlock and a messy city. I got none
of those. Shanghai is energetic, hustling and bustling with youthful energy and a positive
vibe. Many people, as I was, are drawn by the optimism that Shanghai seems to generate.
As a Business Coach, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the entrepreneurial feel of the city. At
every restaurant, in the streets and along the river walk, you could hear conversations about
business deals, up and coming events and all the possibilities that a vibrant environment could
generate. It was a bit disconcerting that the air quality was so bad; that you couldn’t see through
the smog for the entire week I was there. The hazy sky did detract from what would be an
otherwise brilliant skyline. Otherwise, you can count me in as one of the 18M+ people who
enjoy Shanghai on a daily basis. The locals reminded us visitors that it was but 20 years ago that
a big portion of Shanghai was simply farmland; and that the huge buildings that I see today had
virtually been built in the last two decades. The infrastructure that has been built is impressive
also. I took a 45 minute high speed train ride out to West Lake and it was one of the quietest train
rides I have ever been on. Very cool. China left its impression on me as an awe inspiring place
and a friendly culture. I look forward to my next trip back!

 “Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC
(www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world.
Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training
helps his clients achieve results worldwide. His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business
Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and
business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is
also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com).
7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower
their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies. To learn more about our
Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

We have SNOW on the ground!

I have discussed many times the ‘Seasons of Business’ and that the hallmark of the winter season is its volatility. South Africa has joined the world recession (welcome aboard!), the Far East continues to struggle, the United States appears to be on the rebound a bit, Europe is still wading through its bailouts. Corrections are never comfortable.  Kudos to the Canadians and their conservative banking practices as they were not hit as hard as the rest of the world! The volatility continues. Remember to have your Up market strategy, your Down market strategy, and you Sideways market strategy in place….ready to deploy.

This business season is not something to avoid, rather it is to be embraced. Times of volatility bring with it opportunity. Keep your clients poised and ready for any shifts in the market. The company that can adjust accordingly will be the leader and the first to cash. Have a great month.

P.S. As they say, April showers bring May flowers. So don’t wish away the season you are in, enjoy and embrace it for the gifts that it brings.

“Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC (www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world.
Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps his clients achieve results worldwide.  His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com). 7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies. To learn more about our Consultants, go to  http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

“If I help the business owner improve his business, s/ he won’t want to sell.”

When a business owner decides they are going to sell, they also emotionally check out.  Isn’t it in your best interest to help the business owner get the most out of the transaction? They are leaving anyway, so wouldn’t it make sense to help them clean up their books and help their business command a higher purchase price? Cleaning up the books in a business prior to selling is akin to…

Cleaning up your car before you sell it.

Painting the house before you list it.

Waxing and polishing a boat before you wheel it out to the corner for prospective buyers to inspect.

Would you want these items to look dirty and run down? Would that command the highest price and fastest sale? You want whatever you sell to look its best so you can sell quickly and command the highest price, wouldn’t you?

Business brokers, consider offering business coaching and consulting to your service offerings so you can help business owners maximize their salability prior to listing.

 “Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC (www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world. Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps his clients achieve results worldwide.  His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com).  7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies.  To learn more about our Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

Are your transactions falling apart because you can’t find a lender who will fund the buyer?

There is plenty of investment money out there, are you sure where to look? Are you positioning your clients businesses so they are attractive to PRIVATE lenders as well? Are you helping your clients improve their cashflow so they are better positioned for funding? DO you have the tools to help your clients in this area?  Most buyers rely on traditional lenders to purchase a business. In this economic climate, traditional lenders are stretched too thin. You know the result…you list the business, find a buyer, but can’t close the deal because the buyer can’t get funded. What do you do now? On the one hand you have your client that has emotionally checked out of their business (if not financially). On the other hand, there is the buyer who is attempting to expand their business by acquisition.

Both companies are probably in a compromised cash position…and the deal falls apart.

Business brokers, finally, you can provide HOPE to the business owner when you can properly prepare their business for sale so they can MAXIMIZE the return they get for their business.  Have you considered adding business consulting and coaching to your practice? You can widen the scope of services that you can offer that could lead to more of your clients receiving funding.

 “Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC (www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world. Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps his clients achieve results worldwide.  His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com).  7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies.  To learn more about our Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

When you network and meet businesses owners, how many of them are ready to sell their business? If only 1 out of 10 business owners are even thinking of selling, what are you doing with the other 9 leads? Consider these statistics…

According to research,

560,000 businesses will OPEN this year

530,000 businesses will CLOSE this year

Only 30,000 businesses will SELL this year.

You have built your entire livelihood around finding a needle in a haystack!

Most businesses owners dream of selling at some point and having something to show for their blood, sweat and long hours. What do business owners say to you when they realize that you are orchestrating a fire sale, and that the result of their years of hard work is a discounted price on their ‘assets’?

Finally, you can provide HOPE to the business owner when you can properly prepare their business for sale so they can MAXIMIZE the return they get for their business.  Have you considered adding business consulting and coaching to your practice so you have something to offer the other 90% of the leads that you have?

Business brokers, to what your leads are REALLY telling you when they say they want to sell. They want out from the stress and worry of their business not producing the financial return to match the amount of time and energy they are investing. Isn’t it time to hear that plea and provide a service that can help the business owner get what they want out of their business before they get out of the business?

 “Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC (www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world. Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps his clients achieve results worldwide.  His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success – From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com).  7 Stage Consultants help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a proven method of business growth strategies.  To learn more about our Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

Your topic cannot be just about your brand or your business.  It must be about your OBSESSION!
What part of your business or brand do you absolutely, positively, 1000%, obsess over?  What part
of your brand are you so passionate about that you can’t stop talking about it? You think and talk
about this obsession so much that if you were a contestant on Jeopardy® and this were the topic,
you would smoke the competition.

Here is my ONE tip…

Write daily about the trivia, obscure facts, information and insights you have gained over the years
of obsessing over this topic. Blogs are read by those who ALSO obsess about this topic and they
will appreciate your in-depth knowledge. Be provocative. Be bold. Hold nothing back. Leave
nothing on the sidelines!

“Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC
(www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world.
Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps
his clients achieve results worldwide.  His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success –
From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners
a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and
creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com). 7 Stage Consultants
help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a
proven method of business growth strategies. To learn more about our Consultants, go to

http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1

Here are a couple of strategies to use when an employee doesn’t fit your growth plan. It’s always
good to share best practices, isn’t it?

1. Discuss the future of the company with the employee: we sit down with the employee and
explain to them what our future plan is. We let them know that we want them to be a part
of the future and where we see a fit for them. We explain the job position to them and ask
them if they see themselves as a fit for that position. We would then offer them training in
order for them to be prepared and familiar with the job.

2. Let them know the end is drawing near: when we have had a situation when we did not feel
that the employee fid not fit the future of the company, we have taken a different approach.
In the past we have informed them that our business is evolving and we don’t see a fit for
them.  We then ask them is we are in fact mistaken and they see a fit for themselves. If
they see a fit, we let them talk us into it. We can then judge whether or not they would be
properly prepared to take on the new role. Truthfully, the employee usually realizes that they
are not a fit but thanks us for giving them the opportunity. Once we have established that
they are not a fit, we give them flexibility in their schedule to seek a new position. We are
happy to provide letter of reference and any other means that we can provide in order to
help them find a new position.

“Carl L Gould is the President and Chief DISCoverY Officer CMT International, LLC
(www.CMTmentors.com), the farthest-reaching business mentoring organization in the world.
Carl’s unique approach to executive coaching, business mentoring and performance training helps
his clients achieve results worldwide.  His latest book, The 7 Stages of Small Business Success –
From Startup to 7 Figures in Three Years or Less, will provide entrepreneurs and business owners
a step-by-step formula to taking their businesses to the next level”. Gould is also the author and
creator of The 7 Stage Turnaround Process (www.7StageTurnaround.com). 7 Stage Consultants
help business owners grow their sales, increase their cash flow and lower their expenses using a
proven method of business growth strategies.

To learn more about our Consultants, go to http://7stageturnaround.com/mtc/mentorlist.php?groupid=1