Ian R. Campbell – January 10, 2019

The Objective of this Blog is to provide business owners and their advisors with superior business valuation and transition content. Underpinning this objective is my belief that developing the Right Answers requires asking and answering the Right Questions!

Importantly, based on fifty years of offering business valuation and transition advice I have come to believe – where a very high percentage of private companies will be sold, merged or otherwise transitioned in the next 5 – 15 years and beyond – that:

1. Far too many advisors are inclined to provide private company business owners with information and strategies they think their clients want to hear, rather than discuss with those clients the hard realities of long-term business valuation and transition planning hurdles – that may prove for many to be insurmountable obstacles.
2. In what I believe to be our new economic, financial markets and business normal far too many advisors focus too much on the business owners objectives when discussing business valuation and transition planning, often in apparent priority to the business and its long-term going concern viability.
3. I believe it is important that business owners and their advisors objectively hear my valuation and transition messaging, and take and apply what of it they believe important and relevant to the unique circumstance of individual private company owners and business interests.

Beginning in 1975 I have written well-received books on business valuation and transition. I currently am drafting a series of books on those complimentary topics. I am generating short Right Questions and Answers posts and publishing them on this blog as I do that. The goal of this blog is to be an ongoing learning forum for everyone, including me. Simply put, this blog is designed to be a forum that continually adds to the evolving body of business valuation and transition knowledge. I encourage readers to dialogue with other readers and me by adding and responding to post comments.

I am 76 years old. When it comes to both business value and transition, paraphrasing Farmer’s Insurance, I know a lot because I’ve seen a lot. At the same time, there typically is in any specific business valuation or transition a great deal I don’t know. Given this, I have always sought (and seek) the knowledge of others when reaching valuation and transition conclusions. I believe that has contributed, more than any other factor, to the success I had in the Courts and elsewhere when supporting my business valuation opinions.

Importantly, as you read my blog posts understand that I have no interest in competing with other consultants for work. I do accept a limited number of engagements each year but do that only where business owners find me, I believe their expectations are realistic, they favor intellect over emotion when making critical business decisions, I like them as people, and I do not have to sacrifice family time in my retirement.

Why do I continue to research, think and write in my old age? My ready answer is that this blog and the books I am currently writing are for me a form of legacy. I am spending the time generating them in the hope that going forward my work will help business owners and those that advise them on business value and transition to improve outcomes. Mine may be a fool’s errand. I hope not