The Rush to Sell Businesses owned by Baby Boomers Has Been Delayed
Ruth Simon’s writes very interesting article in today’s Wall Street Journal about baby boomers having a difficult time of letting go of their business. All the signs were that a flood of small businesses would be hitting the market now and it hasn’t happened yet. I think it has just been delayed a bit due […]
Small Business 2015 3rd Quarter Transactions Down Slightly As Market Stabilizes From Robust 2014 Activity
BizBuySell shared their latest “Insight Reports” today in which one of the key findings was the sale of small businesses were down nearly 9% in the third quarter versus same period last year. “Brokers reported a total of 1,814 businesses changing hands during the quarter, down from the 1,987 in 2014, as well as the 1,913 […]
EB-5 Immigrant Investors Program
For those of you looking to apply for a green card (become a permanent residence of the United States) and have the financial wherewithal and business background, the EB-5 program is a fabulous opportunity. The United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) administers the EB-5 Program and here’s some information about it: “Under this program, […]
2015 Small Business Trends
In our work at First Street, the most frequently asked questions we get are the following: how strong is the local economy?, How optimistic are local business owners? Is it a good time to sell or buy a business? What percentage should we spend on marketing? The list goes on, but you get the idea. […]
Will On-Demand Sales Teams Be The Next Big Thing?
Yesterday I read an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal called Coming Next: The On-Demand Sales Force, by Christopher Mims. It highlights the opportunity of the “sharing economy” and how it can relate to offering sales teams for companies that are not able to afford them directly. I do believe there is a tremendous opportunity for a […]
Bill Stewart elected to Selectman of New Castle
We are pretty excited about Bill Stewart winning the New Castle election for Selectman on May 12, 2015. Bill received great support from members of the community. Below are a few of the endorsements that were published in the Portsmouth Herald prior to the election: “Support Bill Stewart for New Castle Select Board” May 5 — To […]
Budget Blinds Makes List for Top 10 Home-Based Franchises!
Entrepreneur Magazine recently published their top 100 Home-Based Franchises for 2014. Guess who made the top 10? Budget Blinds at #8! We know first hand that this is well-run franchise that provides franchisees plenty of flexibility, excellent training, solid marketing programs, attractive profit margins and the structure required to make the most of the […]
Entrepreneurship = Perseverance
I love a great story about perseverance … never giving up your dream regardless of what others think. There are so many entrepreneurs who have similar stories. They left the security of a regular paycheck, benefits and office friendships to explore the unknown, to go into debt, to wonder when the first sale will happen, […]
Landscape Architecture Market is valued at $2.3 Billion
I was struck by this headline from Huffington Post referencing just how large the Landscape Architecture Market is valued at. Wow! Who would of thought… $2.3 Billion? It’s one of those things that you often never think about but appreciate in a subtle way. The author, Jared Green, Editor of The Dirt, writes that “landscape architecture services account […]
New Single Family Home Construction Expected To Surge In 2015
Kimplinger.com reports that single family home construction and sales are expected to surge by 25% in 2015. New home construction starts should hit 800,000 and new home sales to be at 545,000 by year-end. National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun estimates new construction starts for single family homes to increase 32% to […]