M&A Insights and Business Valuation Commentary · As Featured On Inside the Blueprint on Bloomberg TV and Fox Business News · Confidential conversations · (888) 858-7191
CGK Insights

The CGK blog on selling, buying, and valuing privately-held businesses.

Commentary from the senior named principals who actually close the engagements.

The CGK blog is where senior CGK principals publish working analysis on what is moving the market for privately-held companies in the High Main Street and lower-middle-market bands. Topics rotate across selling a business, buying a business, business valuations, M&A structuring, financing, tax, regulatory shifts, and the macro and policy backdrop reshaping the buyer pool. Read what you need, then submit a confidential profile if you want a senior principal to weigh in on your specific situation.

As Featured On

Inside the Blueprint, the national business television program featuring CGK business brokers and M&A advisors.

CGK has been featured on Inside the Blueprint, a national business television segment that highlights the strategy, discipline, and outcomes that separate the M&A firms business owners should actually engage from the ones they should not.

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All CGK Insights

Recent commentary from the CGK team.

Every post below is authored or reviewed by a senior CGK principal. Topics span selling a business, buying a business, business valuations, M&A structure, financing, tax, and the macro backdrop. Use the pagination at the bottom of the grid to browse the full archive.

market timing when selling a business

Market Timing When Selling a Business in 2026

Updated July 2026. The best time to sell a business is when three things line up: your financials show two to three years of steady, well-documented earnings, your personal timeline gives the sale room to breathe, and buyers can finance the deal affordably. Owners who hold out for a perfect ...
strategic vs financial buyers

Strategic vs Financial Buyers: Understanding the Difference

Updated July 2026. Strategic buyers are companies acquiring for synergy: customers, capabilities, or geography. Financial buyers, from individual operators to private equity, acquire for cash flow and return on investment. Strategics can sometimes pay more; financial buyers often move faster and close more predictably. The right process puts both types ...
first-buyer-offer-when-selling-a-business

Why the First Buyer Isn’t Always the Best Buyer

Updated July 2026. The first buyer to make an offer is not always the best buyer. Early offers often arrive before competition exists, price against your uncertainty, and carry terms that shift risk onto you. Sometimes the first offer really is the right one, but you only know that once ...
2025 small business growth trends

2025 Small Business Growth Trends: Expansion, Hiring, and E-Commerce

As we move further into 2025, business owners are asking what growth will actually look like—not just growth for growth’s sake, but smart expansion, the right talent, and using e-commerce to win more customers. The landscape has shifted: inflation pressures, changing consumer behavior, supply chain adjustments, and tech advances mean ...
factors that affect business valuation

7 Key Factors That Affect Business Valuation: Beyond the Numbers

Updated July 2026. Seven factors drive business valuation beyond raw profit: earnings quality and documentation, growth trend, customer concentration, owner dependency, industry and market conditions, transferability of relationships and contracts, and asset condition. Two businesses with identical earnings routinely sell at different multiples because of these seven. When it comes ...
mistakes to avoid when selling a business

Mistakes to Avoid When Selling a Business: 5 Costly Errors and How to Prevent Them

Updated July 2026. The most expensive mistakes owners make when selling a business are overpricing without market evidence, letting performance slip during the sale, telling too many people too early, negotiating alone against experienced buyers, and accepting the first offer without competition. Every one of them is avoidable with preparation ...
interest rate cuts and business valuation

Interest Rate Cuts and Business Valuation: Why Powell’s Signal May Unlock Private Markets

Powell’s Jackson Hole Pivot: A Possible September Rate Cut At the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole symposium last week, Chair Jerome Powell suggested that the Fed may begin easing rates as early as the September 2025 meeting. His remarks pointed to slowing job growth and a cooling economy, indicating that the ...
AI and small business valuation

AI and Small Business Valuation: Profitable Tech Strategies for Business Owners

For owners of small and lower-middle-market businesses, navigating the intersection of AI and small business valuation isn’t about chasing the latest tech buzz—it’s about deploying tools that materially boost profitability, efficiency, and future resilience. Across a wide range of industries—from retail to professional services—small business owners are starting to realize ...
economic uncertainty and tariffs

Economic Uncertainty and Tariffs: Strategies for Business Owners

Economic Shifts Every Small Business Owner Should Be Watching For small and lower-middle-market companies, economic uncertainty and tariffs have become defining factors in strategic decision-making. In the past, business owners could reasonably predict costs, supply chain timelines, and customer demand with enough accuracy to make confident long-term plans. Today, however, ...
Calculator and cash symbolizing business valuation for selling your business.

How to Value Your Business for Sale: A Comprehensive Guide

When preparing to sell your business, determining its value is one of the most critical—and often complex—steps. An accurate valuation helps you, as a seller, show potential buyers the actual value of your business.  Working with skilled business brokers like CGK Business Sales makes the process smoother. They help your ...
Experienced business advisor working on a laptop, highlighting CGK Business Sales' expertise in selling businesses efficiently and profitably.

The Hidden Costs of Selling Your Business: What You Need to Know

Updated July 2026. The hidden costs of selling a business fall into four buckets: transaction costs like advisory, legal, and accounting fees; tax costs driven by deal structure; closing obligations like debt payoff and working capital; and avoidable value leaks from poor preparation. Owners who plan for all four keep ...
Business negotiation between professionals, symbolizing CGK Business Sales’ expertise in securing high-value deals for business owners.

Navigating Offers and Negotiations: Tips for Securing the Best Deal

Receiving an offer for your business is a significant milestone, but it’s just the beginning of the negotiation process. Securing the best deal requires thoroughly understanding buyer motivations, market conditions, and effective negotiation strategies. At CGK Business Sales, we guide business owners through the intricacies of deal-making to maximize the ...

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