First National Business Corporation

04/20/2026

Why not have an evaluation done?

Sure . . . you may not even be thinking about selling your business today. Or a year from now, or five years from now. So, who cares about what your business might be worth today?

Here are a few reasons why you should care!

Life and business are often unpredictable. What appears today to be something that you plan to do for the next ten or twenty years can change rapidly. Due to health. Due to inheritance. Maybe due to significant family issues. We don’t want to dwell on that, but reality can change quickly for any of us. Preparedness in all things is a virtue. So is knowing what I could sell my business for in a reasonable time period.

Benchmark. If you are organized, and we hope that is the case, you may have an exit plan all figured out. But if you do, a key element in that plan is what am I going to do with the proceeds from the sale of my business? All the more reason to consult with experts to determine what those proceeds may be. A process which can begin with a determination of what the likely selling price is today, so you can consistently check back at regular intervals to be sure that number is growing in a good way.

First National Business Corporation can help you get started with a free, no-obligation evaluation that incorporates three key elements-what a business owner hopes to gain from a sale, how attractive your business will be to potential buyers, and how will lenders react to a deal in the making.

Maybe you should call or email us today to talk about how we go about performing an evaluation. There is nothing to lose and maybe a whole lot to gain.

Call now to connect with business.

01/22/2026

Selling a business when real estate is involved

Around one-third of the businesses that we list for sale also involve the sale of the underlying real estate. As licensed real estate brokers and agents we can handle all of the details of that transaction too-from showing the property, guiding the process through a title company, ensuring that the buyers perform adequate due diligence, obtaining proper environmental reports and clearances, getting suitable financing for the transaction and more. In short, when you list your business with First National Business Corporation, there will be no worries about any aspect of completing the transaction to the satisfaction of all parties.
Always a concern when real estate is involved: what is the right price for the real estate? You can be sure that when bank financing will be involved there will be an appraisal required by the lender. An appraisal that is a year or two old won’t pass muster. Different lenders may vary on the degree of complexity required: obviously a two-million-dollar property will necessitate a more thorough examination than a one-hundred-thousand-dollar parcel.
Here is what we will make sure doesn’t happen: we won’t take the listing at some exorbitant price just for the sake of adding a listing to our books. That doesn’t do FNBC any good as the broker. It doesn’t do the business and property owner any good either. A listing priced too high will run off the serious, qualified buyers. The only lookers we will get for those kinds of listings will either be unqualified or eventually come to the realization that it is a bad business deal in the making.
Remember: we do want to list both your business and any underlying real estate for the maximum amount that can be substantiated. Not only does that provide you with greatest yield when the deal closes, but we are on commission on every deal. That is a win-win for both the client and the broker. But we need to remain realistic and keep the listing price very near the true value of the deal. We not only have to convince a buyer that the deal is worth the money-we have to convince a lender to provide the capital.
We have many resources at our disposal to help determine the value of underlying real estate. You may decide to hold on to the real estate and only sell the business. We are prepared to help you compare all the options; then you select the one that makes sense for your situation.

Call now to connect with business.

12/23/2025

Congratulations Mike O'Dell on the sale of your Online Retail Business listing!

12/15/2025

Check out our featured Broker, and his listing for this week!

12/05/2025

First National Business CorporationMike ConstantMike O'Dell

As you may know, we routinely and happily prepare evaluations for business owners who may be thinking about selling their business, either right away or within the next few years. We suggest you invite us in at least annually to sit down with you, review your financial records and offer suggestions

10/24/2025

We Know People, Who Know People.....

Challenge: Selling a business for retiring owners who also own the underlying real estate.
In depth: One of our agents represented successful owners of a niche supplier of special event productions. The owners had enjoyed a long run in the business but were tired and ready to step back from the deadlines and travel that also came with success.
To further complicate (but also to make things interesting!) they also owned a very large warehouse facility that housed the business but probably would not be needed by a new owner of the business, if one could be found.
So we listed both the business and the real estate, we do it all the time, and began searching for the right buyer for each entity. As often happens, the owners provided us a short list of people already in the industry whom they knew and respected and whom they suggested might be the right buyers if presented a comprehensive package of what was available.
We began to canvass those prospects and more, and in remarkably short order, we identified what we believed to be the perfect buyer. Local to the market, very successful in his own right. And perhaps most important, both he and the owners had mutual respect for each other right from the start.
Negotiations were friendly from Day One and a deal was soon struck. As we anticipated, the buyer was not interested in the underlying real estate. So what do we do about that?
Fortunately, we had recently sold two businesses to another solid buyer. Someone we knew who was needing a larger facility in the same general area of the city. Again, after a brief round of introductions and a tour of the facility, it was quickly agreed that we had a great match.
Favorable financing was obtained and within 60 days we had a closing on the real estate as well. Terms were arranged for an orderly withdrawal of the seller’s furniture, fixtures and equipment, most of which was purchased by the first buyer, and the real estate buyers now had a super facility to continue the strong growth of their business.
A key factor in closing both these deals was our knowledge base of who in the marketplace is looking to expand, and where. You can always say there is some luck involved and that was true here as well. But we would like to think that the expertise and extensive database we maintain had a lot to do with putting these two deals together in short order.
First National Business Corporation

Mike ConstantMike O'Dell

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06/24/2025

Why use a business broker?

For a , it starts with an unbiased evaluation of what is fair market value of your business. We analyze the important data of your company, compare it to similar businesses and apply our proprietary software to come up with the likely selling price.
For of businesses, you can be confident that First National Business Corporation has studied the business, has likely sold similar businesses in the past and can guide the process so you can fully analyze what you are getting.
For business owners, there is no charge until we sit down at the closing table and you get paid. For buyers, there is no charge. Period.
Give us a call or send an email. Tell us what your situation is. I’m sure we can help. Confidentially, professionally, and on your schedule.
Mike O'Dell Mike Constant

Call now to connect with business.

06/03/2025

When is the right time to sell my business?

Although a truthful answer will always be “it all depends”, we can offer the following observations for you to consider regarding your business.

Far too often we see a situation where the owner has lost some interest in the business over the past several years. That loss of interest translates directly into lost sales opportunities, failure to perform the regular “maintenance” on the business to keep things running smoothly, and usually a decline in sales or profits or both.

Unfortunately, the slide is often subtle and goes unnoticed or ignored until such time as the business has lost much of its market value. (As an important side note: failure to study monthly financial statements and year-to-year comparisons markedly can accelerate this decline).

Then, when we as contact the about performing a , it is as if the owner is emerging from a time capsule, from a time in the near or distant past, when his business had a much higher enterprise value.

Consider the energy and passion you have right now for your business. Do you still feel the same way about it as you did five or ten years ago? Is it a source of pride, the recipient of a large measure of your daily energy, or are you just going through the motions? The value of your business today and tomorrow will be directly reflected and affected by your answers to those questions.

With our current economic struggles, any less than 100% effort is not enough. If you aren’t ready to give it your best then for sure you should be preparing your exit strategy.

And of course there is much to be said for going out on top. That is when you will maximize the value in your business. The difference in value can be immense.

A business generating a good cash flow will command multiples of that cash flow, compared to a business that is existing “hand to mouth”.

Our suggestion is to invite First National Business Corporation to perform an evaluation for you on a regular basis, at least annually, even if you plan to run the business for many years to come. Things can change quickly and isn’t it always better to know the value today rather than have reality thrust on you at a time much less convenient?

Call now to connect with business.

04/02/2025

-Why use a business broker to sell your business?

For starters, business brokers have experience in selling businesses. Most business owners only sell a business once or twice in a lifetime. Business brokers are professionals. They take training, usually over a lifetime. They encounter many different situations, they can enlist the help of other brokers. You can’t discount the fact that they have been there, done that.

-They have a process.

Experienced brokers list and advertise and sell businesses in a logical process. They gather the right information, advertise in the places where serious buyers are looking. They w**d out tire kickers and concentrate on prospects who have the means and the drive to actually cross the finish line.

-Business brokers are bull dogs.

They don’t give up. They are persistent. They follow up on all leads, leaving no stone unturned. In their process they invariably run into walls. But they figure a way to break through or go around the wall. Brokerage is not for the faint-hearted. You want someone representing your business who exhausts every opportunity to the fullest. You may have spent a lifetime building what is probably your most valuable asset-your business. You want someone who has the same passion for what you do as you do.

-Do you really have time to sell your business?

By that, we mean “do you have time to both run your business and sell your business? Probably not. Something will suffer in the process. It is very time consuming to gather all the information needed to properly represent your business for sale, sort through the material, assemble it in an attractive package, place advertising to attract buyers, sort through buyers to find that perfect candidate, negotiate the deal, help the buyer obtain financing, make sure due diligence is performed-the list goes on and on.

02/07/2025

The $64,000 Question

In the late 1950s one of the most popular quiz shows on television was a quiz show in which contestants were offered the chance to win $64,000 by answering a series of questions.
Of course as in all quiz shows the reward was money being provided by the quiz show itself.
Now you are looking to purchase a business or a franchise in which the game involves your own money, your own investment and your own future.
Wouldn’t it make sense to make use of a tool that put the odds totally in your favor?
What if advice and counsel was available that did all of the following:
1. Confirmed that you are looking at the right kind of business?
2. Made sure that you uncovered all the important facts about your choice?
3. Made sure that you received the best possible deal available?
4. Guided you through the paperwork to protect your $64,000?

Remember. . .this is not someone else’s money, but yours!

We can offer as much or as little advice as you need. That will be up to you. Doesn’t it make sense to admit that you may not have all the answers?

We have hundreds of businesses and franchise opportunities available for your inspection. Don’t shortchange your chances for success by “going it alone”. You don’t have to. This is a life-changing event. Let’s have a brief conversation to see if First National Business Corporation can help you in the investigation process. You have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose by contacting us today.