Articles Archives

Articles

A Thankful Reflection on an Extraordinary Year

Dear IBBA Members, As I close out my term as Chair of the Board of Governors, I find myself reflecting with immense pride and gratitude on all that we have accomplished together over the past year. It has truly been a landmark year for the IBBA—and it’s thanks to the dedication, passion, and professionalism of […]

12/08/2025

man using technology in business brokerage practice

Articles

AI Is Changing Brokerage. Are You Ready?

The business brokerage world is shifting faster than most people realize. Technology has already changed how buyers search, how sellers prepare, and how deals move from start to finish. But nothing is reshaping our industry more than artificial intelligence. It is not a small upgrade. It is a complete shift in how the best brokers […]

12/08/2025

graphic of increase in search fund buyers

Articles

Why Search Funds are Becoming an Increasingly Important Buyer

Forgoing the traditional corporate or startup route, more business school graduates from top universities and mid-career professionals are pursuing their goals through search funds: raising capital, acquiring established companies, and stepping in as owner-operators. For business brokers, the growth of “entrepreneurship through acquisition” represents an increasingly important sector of the buyer landscape. Search funds have […]

12/08/2025

business broker and seller shaking hands

Articles

A Tribute to Steve Mariani

As the business brokerage world prepares to wish Steve Mariani happiness as he retires in December 2025, we pause to reflect on a meaningful and impactful career, Steve has shaped our industry in ways few individuals could have even strived to. For more than 25 years, Steve has been a positive force, not through loud […]

12/08/2025

Articles

AI for Business Brokers

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly evolved from a buzzword to a transformative force that’s reshaping nearly every industry. Business brokerage is no exception. In just a few short years, AI-powered tools like ChatGPT have gone from novel innovations to essential business resources. With over 800 million active weekly users worldwide, AI has become a trusted […]

12/08/2025

Articles

Business Broker Specialization & Role In Selling A Business

There are specialists in every industry, and there are many advantages of working with an industry specialist. The methods and techniques used by a specialist are usually better and superior to any alternatives because they produce significantly better results; others do not have a standard way of doing things. To name a few in our […]

12/08/2025

Articles

Smooth Income, Speed Up Sales, and Maximize Value with Capitaliz

The biggest wealth transfer in history is well underway, with baby Boomers exiting businesses every day – but we are only halfway thru the wave – there is a lot more to come. Good brokers are finding they need to provide more than just transactional advice and services. Owners need help to understand what their […]

05/27/2022

Articles

Overcoming The Dreaded “Bankers’ Dozen” Objections In Business Acquisitions

First Home Bank provides SBA 7(a) loans to a variety of businesses and for various purposes with business acquisition financing being a significant focus. As a top 10 SBA lender in the country, our team’s expertise extends beyond financing business acquisitions, and includes bankers with experience as both business owners/principals and financial advisors, making First […]

01/03/2018

Articles

Valuing Inventory Heavy Businesses

We get a significant amount of questions on businesses with large amounts of inventory. More specifically, “how does inventory influence the value?” There are a lot of opinions on the subject, and keep in mind “pricing” and “valuation” are different; however, most professional business appraisers will agree that inventory is an operating asset. Should it […]

10/03/2016